Giovanni's Nidoking · Gym Challenge, what to know.
About the Giovanni's Nidoking card
Numbered 7 of 132 in Gym Challenge, released in October 2000, Giovanni's Nidoking is a Rare Holo, a Stage 2 Grass-type carrying 120 HP.
It evolves from Giovanni's Nidorino, so Giovanni's Nidoking is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
Giovanni is the Ground-type Gym Leader of Viridian City and the secret boss of Team Rocket. Giovanni's Nidoking is part of that themed lineup.
Illustrated by Ken Sugimori. Sugimori is the lead character designer of Pokémon itself, so his card art carries the tight, on-model look that defined how the creatures appear in the games.
About Nidoking in the Pokémon world
The Ground-Poison final form of the Nidoran♂ line. Tall bipedal silhouette with a long horn. Considered one of the strongest Ground types in Gen 1. Base Set holo Nidoking is a steady five-figure card in PSA 10 1st Edition. Quieter than the marquee starters but consistently in demand.
What is Giovanni's Nidoking worth?
Giovanni's Nidoking is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds Gym Challenge's value. The print variant decides most of it: a 1st Edition copy in high grade commands a large premium over a Shadowless or Unlimited one. In top-grade 1st Edition, Gym Challenge holos range from the mid hundreds for the lesser cards up to Blaine's Charizard at the top; raw and Unlimited copies trade for a fraction of that. The live market price above shows the current figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Gym Challenge shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The trainer-prefix naming runs across the set, and the 1st Edition Giovanni's Nidoking carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.
Grading and condition
Giovanni's Nidoking lives and dies on its holo surface in grading. The grass foil catches light at angles that hide hairlines in a flat photo, so tilt it under a lamp, then measure the borders, where Wizards-era centering is the second-most-common grade cap.
If you are collecting Giovanni's Nidoking
When you go to buy Giovanni's Nidoking, settle three things in order: the print variant, the condition, and a comp for that exact combination. A blended average across variants will mislead you on Giovanni's Nidoking, so price the specific copy in front of you.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
