Vaporeon Star
Quick take
- From EX Power Keepers, the final EX-era set and the last to print Gold Stars
- Built on shiny Vaporeon, so the coloring runs cooler and more purple than standard
- One of three Eeveelution Gold Stars in the set, alongside Jolteon and Flareon
- Eeveelution demand plus Gold Star rarity make it a sticky vintage want-list card
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in EX Power Keepers
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 102/108 · $1399.95 — the only variant this card was printed in (no reverse holo or special pattern), so a master set needs just this one copy.
The storyThe last Gold Star Vaporeon, from the last Gold Star set
EX Power Keepers landed in February 2007. It closed out the EX era, and it was the final English set to print Gold Stars at all. After this, the mechanic was gone for good. Vaporeon shares the Gold Star slot in this set with Jolteon and Flareon, the three Eeveelutions that cap off the run.
“From EX Power Keepers, the final EX-era set and the last to print Gold Stars”
Gold Stars always used the shiny, alternate-color version of a Pokemon, and this card is no exception. It is built on shiny Vaporeon, so the body reads cooler and more purple than the usual blue you know from the anime. The gold star sits right next to the name, the marker that tells you this is one of the rarest pulls of its day.
Vaporeon Star sits at the intersection of two strong collector pulls. It is a Gold Star, which collectors chase on principle, and it is an Eeveelution, one of the most reliably in-demand families in the hobby. A card with both, from the era's final set, is one vintage collectors keep circling back to.
By the numbersMarket analysis
Sits among the higher-value cards in Power Keepers, alongside its Jolteon and Flareon Gold Star siblings. Raw copies trade as a solid vintage chase, and clean graded examples step up well beyond that. Condition does most of the heavy lifting here.
The long-term direction has been up, in line with vintage Gold Stars broadly. Supply only shrinks, and EX-era stock keeps getting damaged or lost. Expect step-changes around grading population shifts rather than steady daily movement.
A blue-chip-adjacent vintage card. It is not the loudest Gold Star, since the Charizard and Rayquaza Stars carry the headlines, but the Eeveelution tie keeps demand sticky. The risk is condition. Buy the best copy you can, lean graded for anything serious, and you are holding a card with a deep, durable buyer base.
Steep. Power Keepers Gold Stars are condition-sensitive, and high-grade populations are thin. A clean PSA 9 commands a real premium over raw, and PSA 10 jumps well past that. The gap between a 9 and a 10 here is large enough that grading economics can swing on a single point.
Gold Stars were brutal pulls in their day, landing at roughly one per two booster boxes across the EX era, call it around 1 in 72 packs. Power Keepers ran a little kinder, closer to one or two Gold Stars per box. Even so, that figure is for any Gold Star in the set. Power Keepers had three of them, split across Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon, so the odds of pulling this specific Vaporeon were far longer. Most collectors today buy the single rather than rip vintage packs for it.
Within Power Keepers, the Gold Star Eeveelutions sit at the top of the rarity ladder alongside the Pokemon-ex. Across the wider Gold Star family, Vaporeon is a mid-tier name by price, well below the Charizard and Rayquaza Stars, but the Eeveelution demand floor keeps it above the cheaper Stars.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Fukuda is one of the defining illustrators of the Gold Star run. He drew all three Eeveelution Gold Stars in Power Keepers, and his name is tied to many of the most coveted shiny-art cards of the EX era. Collectors who chase Gold Stars know his work well, because so much of the set's prestige flows through his illustrations.
The card uses shiny Vaporeon, so the coloring runs cooler and more violet than the standard blue. Vaporeon leaps through swirling water and bubbles, with the foil pattern catching across the scene. It reads as motion rather than a static portrait, which suits the Pokemon.
Card 102/108, a Water-type Basic with 70 HP, classified as Rare Holo Star (the gold star marker). The gold star appears beside the name, the era's signature rarity cue. Holo treatment covers the full art window in the EX-era style.
It is the only Gold Star Vaporeon ever printed. There is no second bite at this one. The shiny coloring, the Fukuda art, and the one-and-done nature of the card give it weight beyond just being rare.
BackgroundAbout Vaporeon Star
Vaporeon is the Water-type evolution of Eevee, part of the original Kanto trio of Eeveelutions and a fan favorite since Generation 1. Within the TCG, Vaporeon has appeared many times, but Gold Star treatment is the rarest tier it ever received, and Power Keepers is the only set where that happened.
- ›Eeveelutions are among the most collected Pokemon families, full stop
- ›Vaporeon's classic Kanto status keeps nostalgia-driven demand high
- ›Shiny coloring makes this version distinct from common Vaporeon art
- ›Gold Star rarity tier elevates it above standard holo Vaporeons
- ›Part of a three-card Eeveelution Gold Star group people try to complete
- ›EX Power Keepers Gold Star (this card), the only Gold Star Vaporeon
- ›Recurring Eeveelution sets and promos across multiple TCG eras
Own it wellCollector guide
EX-era cardstock scratches and chips easily, and Gold Stars show wear fast. Check the holo surface for scratches under angled light, inspect all four corners for whitening, and look hard at the edges where this stock tends to fray. Centering varies copy to copy. Raw cards described as near mint often hide surface scuffing, so ask for angled-light photos before buying.
Grade anything you intend to hold or resell at real value. The 9-to-10 price gap on Power Keepers Gold Stars is wide, so a genuinely clean copy is worth submitting. For lower-condition cards, the grading fee can outrun the upside, so be honest about surface and centering first. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve it in a penny sleeve plus a top-loader or a one-touch at minimum. Keep it out of direct light and away from humidity, both of which age vintage holo foil. For graded copies, store the slab flat and out of heat. This is a card you protect, not one you flip through bare in a binder. See the storage guide →
For any meaningful spend, buy graded from a reputable seller. Gold Stars are among the most counterfeited vintage cards, and a slab from PSA, CGC, or Beckett removes most of that risk. If you buy raw, buy from someone who will show you the back swirl, the surface texture, and angled holo shots, and price it as a card you may need to authenticate yourself. See the singles buying guide →
Run the light test first. A genuine vintage card has a black core layer between the front and back, so it blocks light when held to a bulb. Reprints and fakes often pass too much light through. Check the back swirl gradient, which should be smooth and correctly colored rather than blotchy or off-hue. Feel the surface, since real EX-era holo has a specific texture fakes rarely match. Watch how the holo moves under angled light, and confirm the gold star sits cleanly next to the name. When in doubt, buy graded and let the slab do the authentication.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Well regarded among vintage and Eeveelution collectors. It rarely gets the spotlight the marquee Gold Stars do, but it is treated as a genuine want-list card rather than a footnote. The Eeveelution following gives it a steady, almost guaranteed audience.
Discussion clusters around the three-card Power Keepers Eeveelution Gold Star set, with collectors chasing Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon together. Condition and authentication come up constantly, since these are easy to damage and frequently faked.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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Plan your Other EX Power Keepers master set
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