Pokémon 151 is the set a lot of collectors come back to. It's the original 151 Pokémon, drawn by dozens of different artists, and its Illustration Rares are some of the most loved full-art cards of the Scarlet & Violet era. They're also the cards people most want to show off properly, rather than leaving them in a toploader in a drawer.
This post covers every 151 card we've made an extended-art binder page for: the starter evolution lines, the rest of the Illustration Rares, and the Special Illustration Rares. Each page is eight printed panels that continue one card's artwork across a 9-pocket binder page, with the card itself in the middle pocket. If you're new to alt arts, our guide to what alt art Pokémon cards are explains the rarities first.
The starter lines
The Kanto starters are the heart of 151. Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle and their first evolutions each have an Illustration Rare, and their final forms have Special Illustration Rares. Collectors love lining each family up together, so you can display them two ways.
One card per page
Each starter card has its own page that continues its scene outwards:
- Bulbasaur 166/165, Ivysaur 167/165 and Venusaur ex 198/165: lush jungle undergrowth, a jungle pond and a flowering jungle.
- Charmander 168/165, Charmeleon 169/165 and Charizard ex 199/165: a sunlit sandstone slot canyon, volcanic lava cliffs and a rust-orange canyon at dusk.
- Squirtle 170/165, Wartortle 171/165 and Blastoise ex 200/165: a sunlit shoreline, a coral reef and an underwater cavern.
A whole evolution line on one page
Our connecting pages put all three cards of a line on a single page, with six printed panels joining them into one continuous scene. They're our best-selling 151 pages:
- Bulbasaur, Ivysaur & Venusaur ex: all three in one sunlit jungle pond.
- Charmander, Charmeleon & Charizard ex: one volcanic canyon from top to bottom.
- Squirtle, Wartortle & Blastoise ex: from sunlit shallows down to the deep seabed.
Tip: if you own all three starter lines, put the three connecting pages on consecutive pages of the binder. Flicking through Grass, Fire and Water in a row is a great way to open a 151 binder.
The other Illustration Rares
Outside the starters, 151's Illustration Rares are full of character: everyday scenes, odd angles and Pokémon going about their lives. Here's where each page takes the scene:
- Caterpie 172/165: a macro view across a vast, nibbled leaf.
- Pikachu 173/165: the card's scene carried across the whole page.
- Nidoking 174/165: a sunlit watercolour jungle.
- Psyduck 175/165: striped stone steps leading into a sun-dappled woodland.
- Poliwhirl 176/165: a rain-soaked city street at night.
- Machoke 177/165: a moving-day suburban street.
- Tangela 178/165: a sunlit watercolour woodland glade.
- Mr. Mime 179/165: a honey-hued autumn park plaza.
- Omanyte 180/165: a split-level seascape above and below the waterline.
- Dragonair 181/165: a flooded marble palace.
A few of these work especially well as pages because the original art feels like a small window onto a bigger place. Poliwhirl's rainy street, Machoke's moving day and Mr. Mime's park plaza all suit being opened out into a full scene.
The Special Illustration Rares
The SIRs are the chase cards of the set, and the ones most worth giving a page of their own:
- Venusaur ex 198/165: a flowering gouache jungle.
- Charizard ex 199/165: a rust-orange canyon at dusk.
- Blastoise ex 200/165: an underwater cavern opening into a vast subterranean world.
- Alakazam ex 201/165: a golden-lit alchemist's study.
- Zapdos ex 202/165: a towering thunderhead sky over green hills.
- Erika's Invitation 203/165: a glowing perfume apothecary.
- Giovanni's Charisma 204/165: the boss's penthouse lounge.
The two trainer SIRs, Erika's Invitation and Giovanni's Charisma, make a fun pair: a calm, glowing apothecary next to a Team Rocket penthouse.
How to lay out a 151 binder
- Go in Pokédex order. 151 was built around the original Pokédex, so ordering pages by Pokédex number makes the binder easy to browse.
- Give the chase cards a page each. A Charizard ex SIR or Erika's Invitation in the middle of its own scene gets far more attention than one in a row of nine cards.
- Use connecting pages for families. If you have a full evolution line, a connecting page keeps the three cards together as one picture.
- Use side-loading pages. They hold panels and cards more securely. Our binder buying guide covers what to look for.
Good to know
- Your cards aren't included. Each page is printed panels designed to go around a card you already own.
- Standard card size. Panels are 63 x 88 mm with rounded corners, so they fit any standard 9-pocket page.
- Printed in the UK. Heavyweight matte card, sleeved and posted flat, with free tracked UK delivery.
You can browse every page in the set in our Pokémon 151 collection. Got a 151 card we haven't made a page for yet? Tell us and we'll make it.