Bulbasaur in 2026: Four Modern Cards That Collectors Keep Missing
By Dexhaul Team · August 28, 2026
Bulbasaur is the only Kanto starter without a $50+ landmark card from every modern era. That changed in 2025.
Three modern sets in a row gave Bulbasaur genuinely collectible cards: a box topper promo in the Mega Evolution set, a retailer-exclusive reverse holo in Scarlet & Violet 151, and an Illustration Rare in Stellar Crown above $100. None of these is cheap. None is getting cheaper.
Most collectors buying Kanto singles still skip past them to chase Charizard.
This guide runs through every major Bulbasaur TCG milestone available right now, from a $3 unlimited base to a $300 first edition. The plush side gets a section too, for collectors who prefer three dimensions.
The Foundation: Base Set (1999)
Bulbasaur entered the TCG in 1999 as card 44 of 102 in Base Set, a Common rarity. The unlimited print is genuinely cheap: lightly played copies appear under $5, and near-mint copies from reputable sellers hover around $10-15.
The shadowless first edition is a different conversation entirely. Shadowless prints carry no drop shadow on the card frame, marking them as the earliest production run. A raw first edition shadowless in solid condition costs around $113 today.
Move to PSA 9 territory and that number climbs well past $200.
The unlimited base card is a straightforward piece: buy it near-mint if you are building a collection, lightly played if you just want the original art in a binder page. Neither version is going to surprise you on price.
Milestone One: The 2025 Mega Evolution Box Topper (133/132)
This is the card that changed the Bulbasaur collecting conversation.
The Mega Evolution set released in 2025 included a box topper promo numbered 133/132, one beyond the set's printed limit. The card is only available stamped with a MEG logo on sealed product. Sealed and raw versions carry separate demand as a result.
Raw copies from True Believers Gaming run $24.99; sealed-in-original-packaging copies at Epic Trading Collectibles reach $45.
If you want only the raw card for your binder, pay the lower price. If you are collecting with an eye on future grading submissions, sealed is the right call: PSA and CGC want documentation that a card was never circulated, and original sealed packaging does that work for you.
The MEG box topper is the only Bulbasaur-specific card from the Mega Evolution era that reaches this price point. Every other set from that period has Mega Venusaur-EX as the headline card; Bulbasaur gets a supporting role in the art. This promo is the exception, and it shows in the price spread.
Milestone Two: The Scarlet & Violet 151 Best Buy Promo (001/165)
Scarlet & Violet 151 brought the original 151 Pokémon back to the TCG in 2023, and Bulbasaur got card 001/165, the correct first slot for the first Kanto Pokémon. The standard print is common enough. The Best Buy exclusive reverse holo promo, distributed only through Best Buy packs in North America, is not.
The Best Buy promo version carries a textured reverse holo finish that the base set print does not have. It is a sealed-pack exclusive, which limits supply naturally. Raw copies in near-mint condition are listed at $43 on the low end and $60 for sealed-in-wrapper examples.
The unique fact about this card that most collectors miss: card 001 out of 165 is a meaningful number. Scarlet & Violet 151 numbered its cards to mirror the National Pokédex order, placing Bulbasaur in the anchor position it has held since 1996. For collectors who build sets around the original 151 concept, this is the card that anchors the entire project.
The standard SV151 Bulbasaur prints in near-mint condition typically run $80-90 for the full-art version, as reported by several sellers currently listing the 166/165 illustration. The Best Buy promo, at $43-60, is priced lower despite being the more limited print.
Milestone Three: Stellar Crown Illustration Rare (143/142)
The Stellar Crown Bulbasaur 143/142 is the highest-price modern Bulbasaur currently in active circulation. Numbered beyond the set limit at 143 of 142, it is an Illustration Rare carrying full-bleed artwork that covers the entire card face without a traditional frame border.
Current listings run $97 to $125 depending on seller and condition. This puts it at price parity with a raw shadowless first edition Base Set copy, which is a remarkable position for a 2024 card.
The Illustration Rare format, introduced in the Scarlet & Violet era, produces Pokémon in painterly full-art style. Bulbasaur's Stellar Crown version places the Pokémon in a nature scene with no card border interrupting the artwork. That format has driven collector demand across many characters; Bulbasaur's version simply has not been discussed as widely as the Pikachu or Charizard Illustration Rares from the same period.
Anyone targeting this card for grading should know that Illustration Rares in this era have textured surfaces that can show handling marks. PSA submissions require clean handling from pack to slab, which is why sealed and unplayed raw copies command a premium over handled examples.
The Vintage Top: First Edition Shadowless (1999)
Raw first edition shadowless copies of Bulbasaur 44/102 currently sit around $113 for graded-candidate condition at sellers like Zulus Games. Kaiya's Collectibles lists a raw first edition shadowless at $300, which reflects a seller pricing toward a buyer who wants the original card without going through the grading process themselves.
The 1st Edition print is identifiable by the "Edition 1" stamp on the lower left of the card. Shadowless means no drop shadow beneath the artwork box. Both features must be present for the card to qualify as a true first edition shadowless.
A first edition card with a shadow is a later print run. A shadowless card without the stamp is also a later run.
The Bulbapedia Bulbasaur TCG page lists every print run across all sets. For confirming whether a card is genuinely shadowless, compare the card in hand against documented examples there before committing to a purchase at this price level.
Outside the TCG: Plush and Figures
Not every Bulbasaur collector works in cardboard. The plush and figure side has three distinct entry points depending on what the collector wants from the piece.
The Pokémon Fit line produces small, accurate plush toys intended for desk display rather than play. Bulbasaur Fit copies from Japan Figure Store and Ichiba Japan currently list at $15-17. These are compact and well-proportioned, which makes them suitable for shelf displays where scale consistency matters.
The Sleeping Figure at $10 from Dx Games covers the low end cleanly. For a larger display piece, the Radar Toys 9-inch Bulbasaur plush at $29.99 is a practical mid-range option that works for both display and handling.
Which Entry Point Fits Your Collection?
The collection you are building determines the right starting point.
Binder collectors building a vintage Base Set page should start with the unlimited 44/102 at $3-5 near-mint and decide later whether to upgrade to a shadowless copy. Modern set collectors who want a single signature modern card should look at the Mega Evolution box topper promo (133/132 MEG) as the most distinctive piece from the Scarlet & Violet era that connects back to an older aesthetic. Collectors building a complete Kanto 151 project should prioritize the SV151 Best Buy exclusive (001/165), since card 001 of 165 is a natural anchor for that kind of set build.
The Stellar Crown Illustration Rare (143/142) is for collectors who want the highest-quality modern Bulbasaur art currently produced. At $97-125, it sits at or above raw shadowless first edition pricing, which makes it a deliberate choice rather than a casual one.
The first edition shadowless at $113-300 is the vintage ceiling for raw copies. It is not a card you buy for a casual binder; it is the card you buy when Bulbasaur is a serious focus of your collection.
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