Pikachu Red Cheek Shadowless Base Set Pokemon Card Appraisal

Pikachu (Red Cheek, Shadowless) Base Set Pokémon Card

This is a vintage Pokémon trading card featuring the character Pikachu, from the 'Base Set' edition. The card is a 'Basic Pokémon' card, depicting Pikachu with 40 HP. Its primary attack is 'Gnaw' for 10 damage, and its secondary attack is 'Thunder Jolt' for 30 damage, with a self-damaging condition if a coin flip results in tails. The card is characterized by its yellow border and background, typical of early Pokémon cards. The artwork, credited to 'Illus. Mitsuhiro Arita', shows Pikachu in a forest setting with a purple background. A key distinguishing feature is the lack of a shadow along the right side of the illustration box and beneath the Pokémon's name indicating it is a 'Shadowless' variant, which is rarer than the shadowed versions. Also, the cheeks of Pikachu in the artwork are colored red, a characteristic of early printings of this specific card. The card appears to be in moderately played to good condition, showing some light wear around the edges and corners, as expected for a collectible of its age (released in 1999, as indicated by the copyright '©1995, 96, 98 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK, ©1999 Wizards'). The text 'LV. 12 #25' indicates its level and Pokedex number. The set number '58/102' is visible in the bottom right corner, confirming its origin from the original Base Set. The card material is standard coated paper stock used for trading cards of the era. The colors are vibrant, and the print quality appears consistent with official Wizards of the Coast releases.