The estimated number of Blastoise Base Set Unlimited cards (#2/102) still in raw, ungraded condition remains unknown—there is no centralized database tracking ungraded copies the way PSA tracks graded cards. What we do know is that approximately 46,290 Blastoise Unlimited Holos have been professionally graded by PSA, representing a snapshot of the graded market, but the actual population of ungraded copies circulating in private collections, retail inventory, and storage is essentially unmeasured. This distinction matters because graded cards are tracked and documented, while raw cards exist in the shadows of the hobby. The gap between graded and raw populations is significant.
If 46,290 copies have made their way to PSA for grading, how many never went through that process? Some collectors prefer to keep cards raw to avoid the expense and time of grading. Others hold bulk inventory that may never be graded. Retailers and wholesalers stock raw cards for resale. This article explores what we can estimate about the ungraded population based on market data, grading distribution patterns, and collector behavior.
Table of Contents
- How Many Blastoise Unlimited Cards Have Been Graded, and What Does This Tell Us About Raw Populations?
- The Data Gap: Why Raw Card Population Estimates Are Essentially Impossible
- PSA Grading Demographics and What They Reveal About Collector Behavior
- Market Pricing as an Indicator of Availability and Raw Card Distribution
- The Grading Question: Why Some Cards Remain Raw Despite Market Value
- Estimating the Ratio of Graded to Raw Cards in the Pokemon TCG Market
- Future Developments in Card Tracking and Population Data
- Conclusion
How Many Blastoise Unlimited Cards Have Been Graded, and What Does This Tell Us About Raw Populations?
The Pikawiz Base Set PSA Population Report provides hard data on graded blastoise Unlimited Holos: 46,290 total copies graded across all PSA grades. The distribution skews heavily toward middle grades, with PSA 8 representing 9,520 copies (20.5% of the population), PSA 7 at 8,670 copies (18.7%), and PSA 6 at 8,133 copies (17.6%). Higher grades are rarer—only 382 copies grade at PSA 10, and 4,851 at PSA 9. This pyramid-shaped distribution is typical for older cards, where mint condition is uncommon.
The graded population alone is substantial, but it likely represents only a fraction of all Blastoise unlimited cards ever printed. Grading costs money ($10-$100+ per card depending on the service tier and turnaround speed), takes time, and requires the owner to believe the card is worth grading. A damaged card or a copy in poor condition might never reach PSA. Similarly, a collector who owns a raw Blastoise might hold it indefinitely without ever submitting it, especially if they’re satisfied with the card’s condition and don’t plan to sell it.
The Data Gap: Why Raw Card Population Estimates Are Essentially Impossible
Unlike graded cards, raw/ungraded cards exist in a fragmented ecosystem with no central tracking authority. Individual ungraded Blastoise copies appear for sale on eBay, TCGPlayer, local Facebook groups, and specialty card shops, but no platform aggregates this inventory data into a population report. Each seller lists their own stock independently, and once a card sells, it disappears from public view into someone’s personal collection. However, if you are a dealer or large collector attempting to estimate market saturation, you can observe eBay and TCGPlayer listings as a rough proxy. When hundreds of raw Blastoise Unlimited copies are simultaneously available for purchase across these platforms at prices ranging from $70 to $1,500 depending on condition, it indicates ongoing supply.
The fact that these cards remain consistently available—rather than selling out and staying sold out—suggests the raw population is large enough to sustain active trading. But this is circumstantial evidence, not a census. print runs from the original base Set era (1999-2000) were massive compared to modern sets, with estimates suggesting millions of Base Set boosters were printed. If even a small percentage of those boosters contained Blastoise (the #2 rare in a 102-card set), the theoretical maximum ungraded population could be substantial. Yet without primary source documentation of exact print quantities or a sampling methodology, any specific number would be speculation.
PSA Grading Demographics and What They Reveal About Collector Behavior
The PSA population data shows that grading has accelerated over time, with the most recent submissions skewing toward premium grades. This suggests two collector behaviors: serious collectors who maintain cards in better condition have been more likely to submit to PSA in recent years, while older collections with damaged cards may be underrepresented in the graded data. A Blastoise in poor condition might have been kept raw simply because it wasn’t worth the $25-50 submission fee.
The heavy concentration in PSA 6-8 grades indicates that most Blastoise copies submitted were played cards or lightly handled cards, not pristine examples. For comparison, modern card stock graded at PSA 9 represents exceptional centering and surface quality for a 25-year-old card. The scarcity of PSA 10 copies (only 382 across all 46,290) reflects the difficulty of finding mint-condition cards from an era when players frequently handled, shuffled, and stored cards without sleeves or protective cases.
Market Pricing as an Indicator of Availability and Raw Card Distribution
Secondary market prices for ungraded Blastoise Unlimited copies range dramatically from $70 for lightly played copies to $1,500 or more for near-mint examples, according to current eBay and TCGPlayer listings. This pricing spread reflects condition-based scarcity, not absolute rarity—near-mint raw copies are more valuable than heavily played ones because they’re less common, but both conditions are actively traded. The consistent availability of ungraded copies at the $70-300 price point suggests these cards are neither hoarded nor extinct.
If only a handful of raw copies existed, you would expect occasional auctions with dramatic price premiums or prolonged sellouts. Instead, the market behaves as though supply is relatively stable, indicating a large distributed population across many collectors and retailers. A collector hunting for a raw Blastoise can usually find one within days, which would be impossible if only dozens remained in existence.
The Grading Question: Why Some Cards Remain Raw Despite Market Value
Raw Blastoise Unlimited cards retain significant value—a lightly played copy is genuinely worth $70-200—yet many owners choose not to grade them. The primary reason is economics: grading a $100 card with a $15 submission fee (or higher on expedited options) reduces profits for a seller and doesn’t always justify the wait time. A seller might list a raw card as-is, pocket the full sale price, and move on rather than grade it, pack it, ship it to PSA, and wait weeks for results.
Additionally, grading is irreversible. Once you submit a raw card to PSA, it comes back slabbed and encased in plastic. Some collectors prefer owning raw cards precisely because they retain the option to handle, examine, or re-slab the card later if grading standards change or a different service becomes preferable. The raw card population therefore includes not just forgotten inventory and damaged cards, but also deliberate choices by collectors who value optionality and control.
Estimating the Ratio of Graded to Raw Cards in the Pokemon TCG Market
While no authoritative ratio exists, industry discussion among serious collectors suggests that graded cards represent 10-30% of cards that remain in circulation for highly desirable holos from Base Set. This would imply that if 46,290 Blastoise Unlimited holos have been graded, the ungraded population could theoretically range from 150,000 to 400,000 copies, depending on how many have been lost, damaged beyond recognition, or remain unknown in storage.
These are educated guesses based on the relative costs and incentives of grading, not proven numbers. For a card like Blastoise that has both collector demand and practical play value (it was a competitive card in 1999-2000), the raw population likely skews toward playable condition rather than pristine. Collectors kept these cards to actually use them, not display them, so mint raw copies may be proportionally rarer than mint graded copies (which attract grading because they’re exceptional).
Future Developments in Card Tracking and Population Data
The Pokemon TCG market is professionalizing, with grading companies expanding their data reporting and resellers building inventory databases. Over the next 5-10 years, more raw cards may be submitted to PSA or CGC as grading becomes cheaper and faster, gradually shifting the population toward the graded side of the ledger.
However, the raw population will never be fully known because private collectors, deceased estates, and unopened storage collections will always remain invisible to public data systems. The emergence of blockchain-based card registries and reseller platforms with aggregate inventory tracking may eventually provide better population estimates for raw cards, similar to how used car platforms aggregate pricing and availability data. Until then, collectors estimating the rarity of raw Blastoise Unlimited copies must rely on market observation—checking how many are listed at any given time, tracking price trends, and inferring supply from selling velocity.
Conclusion
There is no verified estimate for the number of Blastoise Base Set Unlimited cards remaining raw and ungraded. What we know instead is that 46,290 copies have been graded by PSA, and that ungraded copies continue to trade actively in the $70-$1,500 range depending on condition.
The absence of central tracking for raw cards is structural—these cards exist scattered across private collections, retail inventory, and storage, with no authority documenting their location or population. If you’re a collector or investor trying to assess the rarity and investment potential of a raw Blastoise Unlimited, focus on observable market signals: consistent availability on major platforms, active trading at stable price points, and the condition grade of the specific copy you’re evaluating. These indicators suggest the raw population is large and distributed, even though the exact number may never be known.
