Dragonair — 151 181/165 Illustration Rare — ACE 8 NM-MT

Pokémon TCG: Dragonair 181/165 – Illustration Rare – ACE NM-MT 8

Set: 151 Card Number: 181/165 Release Year: 2023 Language: English Grading Company: ACE (Authenticated Card Experts) Certification Number: 996821

Overview

A Near Mint–Mint 8 copy of the Dragonair Illustration Rare from Pokémon 151, graded and slabbed by ACE. Illustrated by rika, the card is one of the most admired in the set — Dragonair coiled through a sunlit ruin, rainbow light breaking across pale stone and water, in the borderless Illustration Rare treatment.

An accessible entry point into graded 151 chase cards, offered honestly at its assessed grade. Returned directly from ACE grading and sold sealed in its original ACE packaging, unopened and unhandled since receipt.

Grade & Subgrades

🏆 Overall Grade: NM-MT 8

• 🔲 Surface: 10 — No scratches, print defects or visible wear.
• 📐 Centering: 10 — Perfect border alignment on all sides.
• ✂️ Edges: 9 — Minor edge imperfection only.
• 📌 Corners: 7 — Corner wear present; this is the subgrade holding the overall grade at 8.

Presented in full so you know exactly what you're buying: the card carries perfect 10s in surface and centering, with corners the limiting factor.

Population Data

• Population with this label (NM-MT 8): 84
• Total population (all labels): 90
• Population graded higher: 527
• Total submitted: 638
• Gem rate (proportion achieving 10): 15%

To be straightforward about it: with 527 copies graded higher, this is not a condition-scarcity piece. It's a genuine, authenticated, slabbed copy of a highly desirable card at a grade that keeps it affordable — which is exactly the appeal for many collectors.

About the Card

Dragonair 181/165 is an Illustration Rare from Pokémon 151, the 2023 set revisiting the original Kanto Pokédex. The Illustration Rare tier extends artwork across the full card face with no conventional border, and rika's Dragonair is widely regarded as one of the strongest illustrations in a set already known for its artwork. Its 15% gem rate reflects how difficult the card is to obtain in top condition.

Product Details

• Card: Dragonair
• Number: 181/165
• Set: 151
• Variant: Illustration Rare
• Grade: ACE NM-MT 8
• Certification: 996821
• Condition: Sealed in original ACE packaging as received from grading

Summary

An honestly-graded NM-MT 8 copy of one of Pokémon 151's most admired Illustration Rares, with perfect surface and centering subgrades and corner wear accounted for in the grade. Slabbed and sealed as returned from ACE, certification number shown for independent lookup.

If you want this artwork in a graded slab without paying the premium a 9 or 10 commands, this is the sensible way in.