Lt. Surge's Magnemite

Numbered 80 of 132 in Gym Heroes, released in August 2000, Lt. Surge's Magnemite is a Common, a Basic Lightning-type carrying 40 HP.

As a Basic Pokémon, Magnemite needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.

Lt. Surge is the Electric-type Gym Leader of Vermilion City, a former soldier nicknamed the Lightning American. Lt. Surge's Magnemite 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.

A floating electric-steel screw with two magnets attached. Base Set Common with cult collector interest.

Lt. Surge's Magnemite is a Common, so raw copies trade for very little and most of the print run survives. The only real value is in pristine, high-grade copies, where even a Common can reach low triple digits in 1st Edition PSA 10. See the live price above for the current figure by grade.

Gym Heroes shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The trainer-prefix naming runs across the set, and the 1st Edition Lt. Surge's Magnemite carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.

Lt. Surge's Magnemite is the most forgiving tier to grade in the set. Centering on the framed border is the usual cap, and the soft Wizards-era cardstock picks up edge whitening easily, but high print runs keep clean copies affordable.

Raw copies of Lt. Surge's Magnemite are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Lt. Surge's Magnemite is the practical move.