Butterfree · Jungle, what to know.
About the Butterfree card
Butterfree sits at #33 in Jungle, the second of the Wizards of the Coast print runs. Illustration by Kagemaru Himeno. Himeno is one of the most-recognized vintage TCG illustrators. Her work shows up more in Neo-era and later sets, but earlier appearances carry a small premium with art-focused collectors. In the games, Butterfree evolves from Metapod, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.
The flavor text on the card reads: "In battle, it flaps its wings at high speed to release highly toxic dust into the air." Pokédex entries from this era are short and often quirky, written by the original Japanese localization team for a specific stat-block layout that no longer exists in modern cards.
About Butterfree in the Pokémon world
The bug-flying final form of the Caterpie line. Compound eyes, large purple wings, a butterfly silhouette. Jungle holo Butterfree has a small but loyal collector following. PSA 10 examples are reasonably accessible.
Print variants and how to spot them
Jungle shipped in two print waves: 1st Edition (stamped) and Unlimited. There is also a famous "No Symbol" error on some early Unlimited prints where the set symbol was accidentally left off the artwork. No Symbol variants trade for a meaningful premium over the standard Unlimited print and are a quiet specialty within Jungle collecting.
Grading and condition
Uncommons grade more forgivingly than Rare Holos but the same centering and edge requirements apply. Raw copies in pack-fresh condition are easy to find. A PSA 10 submission on a clean Uncommon is a low-cost way to learn how the grading process scores Wizards-era cardstock.
If you are buying this card
Raw copies of this card are inexpensive enough that the grading math rarely justifies submission unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completionists, picking up a clean raw copy and sleeving it is the practical move.
