Zapdos · Aquapolis, what to know.
About the Zapdos card
Numbered 44 of 182 in Aquapolis, released in January 2003, Zapdos is a Rare, a Basic Lightning-type carrying 80 HP.
As a Basic Pokémon, Zapdos needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.
Illustrated by Hajime Kusajima.
About Zapdos in the Pokémon world
A Legendary Electric-Flying bird. The Electric of the three Legendary birds. Both Base Set holo Zapdos and Fossil holo Zapdos exist. The Base Set print is more famous and more valuable.
What is Zapdos worth?
Zapdos is a non-holo Rare. In Aquapolis, value concentrates in the holo rares, so a Zapdos trades modestly, though a clean, well-centered 1st Edition copy in PSA 10 is scarcer than the print run suggests and carries a real premium. Check the live price above for the figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Confirm the print and finish on Zapdos before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
Non-holo Rares like Zapdos are easier on surface but no kinder on centering. Wizards-era cards were less protected than the holos, so high-grade Zapdos survivors can be scarcer than expected, with edge whitening the usual cap.
If you are collecting Zapdos
For Zapdos, check centering by eye, edge whitening on all four sides, and surface under angled light. Non-holo Rares from this era are cheap enough that a PSA 10 submission on a clean Zapdos can make sense.
