Tentacruel · Fossil, what to know.
About the Tentacruel card
Tentacruel is card 44 of 62 in Fossil, released in October 1999, an Uncommon. It is a Stage 1 Water-type with 60 HP.
As a Stage 1, it evolves from Tentacool, which places Tentacruel deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.
Illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno. Himeno is one of the most-recognized vintage illustrators, with a softer, more textured style that shows up across the Jungle and Neo runs.
The card's flavor text gives Tentacruel a line of lore: "The tentacles are normally kept short. On hunts, they are extended to ensnare and immobilize prey."
About Tentacruel in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved Tentacool. Larger, with more visible tentacles. Fossil Rare with thin standalone demand.
What is Tentacruel worth?
Tentacruel is an Uncommon, so raw copies are inexpensive and easy to find. The value is in condition: a genuine PSA 10, especially 1st Edition, can still reach a surprising figure for an otherwise common card. The live price above breaks it down by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Fossil shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The Edition 1 stamp under the artwork separates the scarcer 1st Edition Tentacruel from the Unlimited copy.
Grading and condition
Tentacruel grades forgivingly, but the same centering and edge standards apply. Pack-fresh raw copies are easy to find, which makes a clean PSA 10 submission a low-cost way to learn how the cardstock behaves under grading.
If you are collecting Tentacruel
Raw copies of Tentacruel are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Tentacruel is the practical move.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
