Why Is Base Set Seel Rising in Value Across Grades?
If you have been tracking vintage Pokemon cards, you might have noticed something odd. Seel from the original Base Set is climbing in price, no matter the grade. From raw copies to high-end PSA 10s, sales are heating up across the board. Collectors on sites like eBay and TCGPlayer report steady jumps, with a PSA 9 Seel hitting around 25 percent higher than last year in recent auctions.
Seel is not a headliner like Charizard or Blastoise. It is a basic water-type Pokemon, number 73 in the Base Set released back in 1999. Printed in huge numbers, it sat cheap for decades, often under 5 dollars ungraded. But now, even low-grade versions are pushing past 10 dollars, while gem mint 10s approach 300 dollars or more. What changed?
One big reason is nostalgia pulling in new collectors. Base Set turns 26 this year, and fans who grew up with the 90s boom are building complete sets. Seel completes the Dewgong line, a popular evolution pair. Demand spikes when buyers chase every card for master sets, pushing even commons higher. Low-population grades help too. While Base Set has millions graded overall, Seel has fewer top grades due to its condition sensitivity, making pristine copies scarcer.
Supply is another factor. The Base Set is long out of print, with no reprints of the originals. As sealed product dries up, single cards face more pressure. Recent market shifts show buyers moving from overhyped modern sets like 151, which flooded the market with high print runs, back to true vintage. Over 80,000 151 Charizards are graded, diluting that chase. Base Set cards like Seel offer purer scarcity.
Grading trends play a role. More people submit Base Set cards now, but Seel benefits from crossovers and resubmissions boosting high-grade pops slightly. Still, its value rises because collectors value the iconic black stripe artwork and holo potential in later print runs. Unlimited and 1st edition versions both climb, but mid-grade 7s and 8s see the fastest gains as entry points for budgets.
Market data backs this. Recent sales show a PSA 8 Seel up 40 percent in three months, while raw copies doubled in some listings. Watch for holiday buying to push it further, as gifts drive vintage demand. If you own one, hold tight, but check authenticity on resealed product to avoid fakes. This quiet riser shows how even overlooked cards can shine in a maturing market.
