Somebody posts a Dark Dragonite in a collectors group roughly every week asking if it is fake, because the card is numbered 5/82 and has no foil on it whatsoever. It is not fake. It is one of the most common genuine errors of the WOTC era.
What went wrong at the printers
Card 5/82 was designed as the holographic Dark Dragonite. During printing, 5/82 was mistakenly included on an uncommon card sheet run, and uncommon sheets do not get the foil layer. The result is a card with holo artwork framing and holo card design, printed on plain stock.
Importantly this happened in both the 1st Edition and the Unlimited print runs, so a no holo 5/82 with a 1st Edition stamp is also legitimate. The 1st Edition version is somewhat scarcer than the Unlimited one.
Do not confuse it with 22/82
Team Rocket contains two different Dark Dragonite cards, and this is where people tie themselves in knots:
| Card | What it is |
|---|---|
| 5/82 | The holo Dark Dragonite. Should have foil. Sometimes does not, and that is the error. |
| 22/82 | A completely separate non holo Dark Dragonite. Never had foil. Entirely normal. |
So check the number first. A non foil 22/82 is just a card. A non foil 5/82 is the error.
How to be sure yours is genuine
The error is recognised by the major grading companies. PSA labels this variant with the words No Holo, which is the clearest possible confirmation that the card is an accepted factory error rather than a counterfeit or a peeled card. If you are unsure whether foil has been deliberately removed, look at the surface texture and the edges. A stripped card usually shows scuffing or a lifted layer. The print error looks clean, because nothing was ever there.
Where it goes in a master set
Most serious Team Rocket master set builders treat the no holo 5/82 as a required slot rather than a curiosity, which means Team Rocket needs room for the standard holo, the no holo error, and the separate 22/82. Plan for it or you will be reshuffling pages later.
Room for the errors
Our Team Rocket kit includes spare write in placeholders specifically so known errors and variants have a slot, alongside 90 printable placeholders in A4 and US Letter.
Free download
The WOTC Variant Cheat Sheet
One printable page covering all six English sets of 1999 and 2000: the four Base Set print runs, holo counts, release dates, the checklist columns you actually need and the errors worth knowing. Keep it in the front of your binder. No email required.
Download A4 (PDF)Download US Letter (PDF)
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Made by Pokemom is an independent fan project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Nintendo, Creatures Inc., GAME FREAK, The Pokemon Company or Wizards of the Coast. Card names and set names are used only to describe which cards a checklist covers.