So, as you probably know, PSA doesn’t grade No Rarity Raichu and Venusaur anymore. I heard that it is because of their number error.
What PSA would need is some official documentation about it, right ?
On this official poster made by Media Factory / Corocoro, we can see all the No Rarity cards, and we can see that Raichu is #25 and Venusaur #68 ; wouldn’t that be enough to convice PSA to grade Raichu and Venusaur again ?
Pictures for reference : here
One would think so, but this is PSA we’re talking about here
@jonandek knows all about these struggles
I sure do… I have tried making various arguments to PSA, as have others here. But honestly, if we can keep up the pressure on them it only helps.
As an aside, I sent my no rarity venusaur holo and my two raichu holos to BGS this week for 2-day grading. I’m excited to finally have them graded. I will of course insta-convert them to PSA if I ever get the chance!
I love the idea. We have to keep trying with them!
Did you try the poster ? I think they will only accept official documentation as arguments, and I’m not sure if there are other official documents that show these 2 NR cards ?
I did not. But I think someone else on the forum has. I think they are being lazy and it might be an IT issue with their database. I offered to compensate them for their IT cost to fix it and they did not bite. We just have to keep trying
Better grade with CGC and move product away from PSA if they refuse to grade it anyway.
Just to help you all understand the mindset of psa. The no damage ninetales isn’t being graded and there’s tons of documentation on it. If you ask psa about it they’ll give you the run-a-round answer if they don’t recognize errors, if you point to the countless error cards they do recognize they’ll say their research department is looking into opening up the options.
Basically PSA doesn’t want to recognize error cards, but the error they have in the system can’t be removed from the system so they allow them.
The no rarity venusaur/raichu suffer the issue of being an error that psa can see. I have submitted no damage ninetales to psa under the shadowless label and got them graded. Raichu and Venusaur might not get through due to the number being one of their identification checks, but if you’re just looking for the red label case it’s with a shot.
In short it doesn’t matter how much documentation you give psa it’s not going to happen until they have a change in policy.
Hey there,
another “official” document in which you can find this two error cards is the Japanese guidebook named『ポケモンカード：必勝大作戦 2』, published on July 1, 1997. In this book the card illustrations are mixed up with no rarity symbol cards and normal cards. However, an illustration of Venausaur #68 is on page 54 and an illustration of Raichu #25 is on page 80 and 92.
As I do not own a copy of the first guidebook『ポケモンカード：必勝大作戦 』published in April the same year, I can’t tell for sure, but I guess that there should also be a lot of illustrations without the rarity symbol.
Kind regards from Germany,
Martin
100% what @cullers said, I asked PSA what would make them grade Venusaur and Raichu they told me “The type of documentation we are looking for is a checklist that shows the variant from a verifiable source”. I have shown them every known primary documentation of Rai and Venu including sending them an original 1996 literal checklist poster with Raichu and Venusaur on full display and still they won’t touch them lol.
Hey there,
even if this might not be very helpful, I wanted to add that I was able to catch the first Japanese Pokemon Card Trainer’s Guide and can now confirm, that every single card printed in this manual has no rarity symbol. Not only that, Venausur (#68) and Raichu (#25) are also listed in large size pictures in the appended card list.
Another surprising fact (for me) was, that there is a single paragraph in the manual where the differences between cards with rarity symbol and no rarity symbol are described. They use the simple term 第一版 (dai-ippan) for the first print run and 第二版 (dai-nihan) for the second print run.
Kind regards from Germany
Martin
Nice work! Is that book published by Media Factory?
wow amazing find with that 1/2 box with the rarity/non pics!
in regards to PSA . i always think back to a post i read on here once, someone pasted an email from psa and it basically said something along the lines of “we dont recognize that card/version/error because it doesn’t change the value of the card”
ever since then ive been skeptical of psa’s motives.
although this image with the edition 1/2 would make them start grading it according to that logic lol
Hey PSA! We found some more evidence for you regarding no rarity Raichu and Venu-
Very cool!! Have we ever had such explicit confirmation of the fact that no rarities are the first print run before?
Awesome!!!
How much for that bad boy? Daddy Likeee 
I would love to own one of those. If you know of another hanging around.
After looking more closely I realise that the words above the blue card say “Pokemon Jungle” whereas above the red card it just says “Pokemon Card Game”. So this info box is actually pointing out base vs jungle, rather than two variants of base set.
Edit: I take that back, it says second print as well as Jungle. Should probably leave this Japanese stuff to the experts…
@jonandek , Probably the most direct source you can get is from the starter decks themselves. Those containing no rarities contain the first variation of the rulebook
Ah, ok. Well anyways very cool find