Rocket's Hitmonchan

Rocket's Hitmonchan is card 11 of 132 in Gym Heroes, released in August 2000, a Rare Holo. It is a Basic Fighting-type with 60 HP.

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

This is a Team Rocket card, a member of the criminal organization's roster in the Gym Challenge set. Rocket's Hitmonchan 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 fighting type with boxing gloves. The punch-fighting brother to Hitmonlee. Base Set holo Hitmonchan is one of the most affordable Base Set holos in PSA 10 1st Edition. A common entry point for new graded collectors.

Rocket's Hitmonchan is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds Gym Heroes'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 Heroes holos range from the mid hundreds for the lesser cards up to Sabrina's Gengar at the top; raw and Unlimited copies trade for a fraction of that. The live market price above shows 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 Rocket's Hitmonchan carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.

Expect the holo window to set the grade on Rocket's Hitmonchan. Print misregistration and fine scratches in the fighting foil are the usual reasons a copy lands at a 9, and edge whitening against the frame is the next thing a grader notes.

Buying Rocket's Hitmonchan well means pricing the exact print and grade, not the card name. The 1st Edition Rocket's Hitmonchan trades above the Unlimited copy, so confirm the stamp before you agree a number. Always see the holo surface in good light first.