Shining Raichu · Neo Destiny, what to know.
About the Shining Raichu card
Shining Raichu is card 111 of 113 in Neo Destiny, released in February 2002, a Rare Shining. It is a Basic Lightning-type with 70 HP.
As a Basic Pokémon, Raichu needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.
Shining Raichu is an alternate-color print from the late Neo era, a chase rarity pulled at a fraction of the standard holo rate.
Illustrated by Hironobu Yoshida.
The Pokédex entry printed on Shining Raichu reads: "If the electricity in its cheeks runs out, it sticks its tail straight up and uses it to collect energy from the air."
About Raichu in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved Pikachu. Larger, orange-yellow body, with a long tail. Rare in the wild; usually requires a Thunder Stone evolution. Base Set holo Raichu is one of the famous "where is mine" cards. Its print run had inconsistent centering, and a famously rare prerelease variant exists.
What is Shining Raichu worth?
Shining Raichu is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds Neo Destiny's value. The print variant decides most of it: a 1st Edition copy in high grade commands a large premium over a Shadowless or Unlimited one. In top-grade 1st Edition, Neo Destiny holos range from the mid hundreds for the lesser cards up to Shining Charizard at the top; raw and Unlimited copies trade for a fraction of that. The live market price above shows the current figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Neo Destiny produced 1st Edition, Unlimited, Shining prints. For Shining Raichu, the print variant can change the price several times over, so identify it before you buy.
Grading and condition
Shining Raichu lives and dies on its holo surface in grading. The lightning foil catches light at angles that hide hairlines in a flat photo, so tilt it under a lamp, then measure the borders, where Wizards-era centering is the second-most-common grade cap.
If you are collecting Shining Raichu
If you are buying Shining Raichu, work in order: confirm the print variant first, then the grade, then price against recent sales for that exact variant and grade. For a raw Shining Raichu above a few hundred dollars, insist on angled-light photos of the holo so you can spot hairlines.
