If you are searching price guides for a holographic “Wurmple” from EX Ruby & Sapphire, here is the direct answer: the Wurmple in this set is card #078/109, a Common-rarity card, and the only holographic version that exists is its Reverse Holo parallel. There is no dedicated “holo rare” Wurmple in EX Ruby & Sapphire, and there is no card numbered 71/109 for Wurmple. If you saw that number or the word “holo” attached to a listing, it almost certainly refers to the Reverse Holo of #78/109, which is the same artwork with a shimmering, patterned card surface instead of a flat one. On price, this card sits firmly in budget territory.
The 2003 EX: Ruby & Sapphire #078/109 Reverse Holo in raw, Near Mint condition last recorded a sale of $4.99. The standard, non-reverse version trades even lower, generally in the range of $0.24 to $1.29 depending on condition. For perspective, that means a Reverse Holo Wurmple from this set costs less than a cup of coffee, and the plain version is often sold in bulk lots for pocket change. A quick example: a collector hunting down the full 109-card EX Ruby & Sapphire set will typically grab the Wurmple Reverse Holo for a few dollars from a hobby retailer like Trading Card World or CardTrader, rather than waiting for a graded copy. The card’s low value means the supply on the open market almost always exceeds active demand.
Table of Contents
- What Does Price Charting Show for an EX Ruby and Sapphire Wurmple Holo?
- Why the “71/109 Holo” Listing Does Not Match the Real Card
- What the Reverse Holo Variant Actually Looks Like and Costs
- Buying Raw Versus Graded Wurmple From This Set
- The Limitations of Price Data on a Low-Value Common
- How Wurmple Fits Into the Broader EX Ruby and Sapphire Set
- Verifying a Wurmple Listing Before You Buy
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Does Price Charting Show for an EX Ruby and Sapphire Wurmple Holo?
When you look up “Wurmple holo” from EX Ruby & Sapphire on a price-tracking guide, the figure that matters is the Reverse Holo line for #078/109. That variant last logged a sale at $4.99 in raw Near Mint condition. Because the card is a Common, the non-holo base version is tracked separately and tends to land between $0.24 and $1.29. The “holo” premium here is real but small, amounting to a few dollars rather than a meaningful multiple. It helps to understand what a price guide is actually showing. These tools aggregate recorded sales, often from marketplaces, and display a last-sold or average figure.
For a high-volume modern card, that number updates constantly. For a low-value 2003 Common like Wurmple, sales are infrequent, so the displayed price can be weeks or months old. Treat it as a ballpark, not a live quote. As a comparison, consider a chase card from the same set, such as a holo-rare starter or a Reverse Holo of a popular Pokemon. Those can command ten to fifty times what Wurmple does. Wurmple is a connector card in the Hoenn dex, not a marquee name, so its price guide entry reflects that reality: it is one of the cheapest entries in the entire set.
Why the “71/109 Holo” Listing Does Not Match the Real Card
A recurring point of confusion is the card number. Wurmple in EX Ruby & Sapphire is #078/109, confirmed by the official Pokemon TCG card database. There is no Wurmple at 71/109 in this set. If a listing, spreadsheet, or auction title shows that number paired with “Wurmple holo,” it is either a typo, a misremembered slot, or a mislabeled card from a different printing. Always verify the card number printed in the bottom corner before buying. This matters because mismatched numbers are a common source of overpaying or buying the wrong card entirely.
A warning worth heeding: some sellers attach the word “holo” to a standard Common to make it sound rarer, when in fact only the Reverse Holo parallel has the foil treatment. The base #078/109 is a flat, non-foil Common. If the photo shows a matte card surface, you are looking at the base version regardless of what the title claims. The limitation here is that price guides themselves can carry over these labeling errors. If enough listings use a wrong number or call a base card a “holo,” aggregated data can blur the lines. The safest approach is to cross-check the set name, the card number, and whether the card surface is genuinely reverse-foil before trusting any single price figure.
What the Reverse Holo Variant Actually Looks Like and Costs
The Reverse Holo of Wurmple #078/109 uses the identical illustration as the base Common, but the entire card body outside the artwork window carries a holographic shimmer. This was a standard parallel treatment across early EX-era sets, where most Commons, Uncommons, and Rares received a Reverse Holo counterpart. The shimmer is what creates the small price difference over the plain version. In concrete terms, that $4.99 last-sale figure for the Reverse Holo sits a few dollars above the $0.24 to $1.29 band for the base card.
A specific example of how this plays out: a seller on a hobby platform like 203 Collectibles or BlueUmbreon might list the Reverse Holo at a few dollars, while bundling base Wurmple copies into a common-card lot priced by the stack. The foil version is the one collectors actively seek for set completion. One caveat is condition sensitivity. Reverse Holo cards from 2003 are prone to surface scratching and edge whitening because the foil layer shows wear more readily than a matte card. A Reverse Holo that looks clean in a thumbnail may reveal scratches in hand, which is why the raw Near Mint price and a played-condition price can differ noticeably even on a card this inexpensive.
Buying Raw Versus Graded Wurmple From This Set
For a card valued at a few dollars, buying raw is almost always the practical choice. Retailers such as Trading Card World, CardTrader, 203 Collectibles, and BlueUmbreon actively list Wurmple #78/109, confirming it remains a low-cost, widely available Common. You can typically complete the purchase immediately at a known price rather than bidding and waiting. For set builders, raw is the efficient route. Graded copies exist, but they introduce a tradeoff. PSA 10 examples of Wurmple #78 are sold through eBay’s graded EX Ruby & Sapphire category, yet no specific verified 2026 PSA 10 sale figure for this card surfaced in available data.
The reason is simple economics: grading a card costs more than the card is worth. Paying a grading fee on a $1 to $5 card rarely makes financial sense unless you are chasing a registry set or a pristine condition census. The comparison comes down to purpose. If you want the card to play, build the set, or fill a binder, raw at a few dollars wins. If you are a registry collector who needs a slabbed PSA 10 for completeness, expect to pay a premium that is mostly the cost of the grading and the slab, not the underlying card. For most buyers, that premium is hard to justify on a 2003 Common.
The Limitations of Price Data on a Low-Value Common
The biggest limitation with Wurmple #078/109 pricing is data freshness. No sales data from within the last week was available at the time of writing. Because this is a low-value common with infrequent transactions, price feeds update slowly, and the “last sale” you see may be months stale. This is the opposite of a popular chase card, where fresh sales roll in daily and the displayed average is genuinely current. A practical warning: do not anchor too hard on a single recorded figure like the $4.99 Reverse Holo sale.
One sale is a data point, not a market. A motivated buyer or an unusually clean copy can push a single transaction above the norm, while bulk-lot sales can drag the effective price below it. The true market value of a card this common is better understood as a range than a precise number. There is also the matter of shipping economics. On a card worth one to five dollars, shipping and handling can equal or exceed the card’s value. A $4.99 Reverse Holo with $4 shipping effectively doubles your cost, which is why many collectors buy these commons in combined orders or as part of a larger set purchase rather than one card at a time.
How Wurmple Fits Into the Broader EX Ruby and Sapphire Set
EX Ruby & Sapphire, released in 2003, was the first set in the EX series and the first to feature Pokemon-ex cards alongside the new Hoenn-region creatures. Within its 109-card lineup, Wurmple is one of the low-rarity Commons that fill out the set, sitting at #078/109.
As a basic bug-type that evolves into Silcoon or Cascoon, it is a functional early-game card rather than a collector centerpiece. For example, a collector assembling this set will spend the bulk of their budget on the Pokemon-ex and holo rares, while cards like Wurmple are afterthoughts picked up in bulk. That structure is exactly why Wurmple’s price has stayed low and stable for two decades: it is plentiful, it was widely opened in 2003, and demand is limited to set completists and the occasional player.
Verifying a Wurmple Listing Before You Buy
Before purchasing, confirm three things on the listing: the set is EX Ruby & Sapphire (2003), the card number reads 078/109, and the description correctly identifies whether it is the base Common or the Reverse Holo. The official Pokemon TCG database entry for ex1/78 is the authoritative reference for the card identity, and it is worth a quick check against any seller’s photo.
As a concrete check, if a listing claims “Wurmple 71/109 Holo,” treat it as a red flag and ask for a clear photo of the card’s bottom-corner number and surface. The legitimate card is #078/109, and its only foil form is the Reverse Holo. A Trading Card World or CardTrader product page showing “Wurmple 78/109 EX Ruby & Sapphire” with a matching image is the kind of listing that lines up with the verified card data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a holo rare Wurmple in EX Ruby & Sapphire?
No. Wurmple #078/109 is a Common. The only holographic version is its Reverse Holo parallel; there is no separate holo-rare Wurmple in this set.
What is the Wurmple 71/109 card?
There is no Wurmple at 71/109 in EX Ruby & Sapphire. The real card is #078/109. A “71/109” label is a mistake or a mislabeled listing.
How much is the EX Ruby & Sapphire Wurmple Reverse Holo worth?
The Reverse Holo #078/109 last recorded a raw Near Mint sale of $4.99. The standard non-reverse version trades roughly between $0.24 and $1.29.
Is it worth grading a Wurmple from this set?
For most buyers, no. The card’s low value means a grading fee usually costs more than the card itself is worth, unless you are building a registry set.
Why is the price data sometimes out of date?
Wurmple #078/109 is a low-value common with infrequent sales, so price feeds update slowly. The last recorded sale may be weeks or months old.
