Pidgey

Numbered 57 of 102 in Base Set, released in January 1999, Pidgey is a Common, a Basic Colorless-type carrying 40 HP.

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

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.

Pidgey carries this Pokédex flavor text: "A common sight in forests and woods. It flaps its wings at ground level to kick up blinding sand."

The first normal-flying Pokémon collectors meet in the games. Brown sparrow silhouette. Vintage Pidgey is a budget collector entry point. PSA 10 prints from Base Set are inexpensive and a good first grading submission.

Based on recent eBay sales, raw copies trade from $2.95 to $21 depending on the print and a PSA 10 runs from $133 to $500. The 1st Edition print is the most valuable, with a PSA 10 near $500. The table on this page breaks the price down by print and grade, updated 2026-05-24.

Base Set produced three print waves that collectors track separately: 1st Edition (the launch print, with an Edition 1 stamp under the artwork), Shadowless (no stamp and no drop shadow on the right of the frame), and Unlimited (the long-running print with the drop shadow restored). On Pidgey, the price gap between these prints can run 10x or more, so confirm the variant before any purchase.

Pidgey 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 Pidgey are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Pidgey is the practical move.