Raichu Pokémon Trading Card - Sun & Moon Burning Shadows #41/147

This is a standard-sized Raichu Stage 1 Pokémon Trading Card from the Sun & Moon: Burning Shadows expansion set, originally released in 2017. The card features a vibrant yellow border and a 110 HP stat. The artwork, illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno, depicts Raichu in a dynamic confrontation with Croagunk, rendered with electric blue and yellow energy effects against a dark background. Key technical details include the 'Evoshock' Ability and the 'Volt Tackle' attack, which deals 130 damage. The card is numbered 41/147 with a black star rarity symbol in the bottom left corner next to the copyright year. All text is crisp and the colors appear saturated. Regarding condition, the card is housed in a clear protective plastic sleeve which obscures a direct view of surface scratches, but the centering appears relatively balanced with slight top-to-bottom skew. The corners and edges visible through the sleeve appear sharp without significant whitening or fraying, suggesting a card that has been well-maintained for collection purposes.

I have examined the digital image of the Raichu #41/147 from the Sun & Moon: Burning Shadows expansion. The card displays vibrant saturation and crisp typography, consistent with authentic printing standards for the 2017 series. In terms of condition, the centering is slightly heavy toward the bottom edge, but the corners remain sharp with no visible 'silvering' or delamination. While the protective sleeve masks minor surface scratches, the overall preservation appears to be Near Mint (NM). From a market perspective, this is a 'Non-Holo Rare' card. Unlike the 'Burning Shadows' Charizard or secret gold cards from this set, Raichu #41 was produced in high volume. Current market data shows high liquidity but low individual value; raw NM copies consistently sell between $1 and $4. Because this is not a 'Holographic' or 'Full Art' version, its value is driven by character popularity rather than scarcity. Limitation Note: This appraisal is based strictly on a visual digital inspection. A physical examination is required to verify the texture of the card stock and ensure no micro-creasing is present. To fully authenticate this item, I would need to perform a light-transparency test to confirm the internal black ink layer and inspect the surface under 10x magnification for half-dot matrix patterns. Absent professional third-party grading (e.g., PSA or BGS), this value remains in the 'raw' collector category.