Dark Golbat · Team Rocket, what to know.
About the Dark Golbat card
Dark Golbat is card 7 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, a Rare Holo. It is a Stage 1 Grass-type with 50 HP.
As a Stage 1, it evolves from Zubat, which places Dark Golbat deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.
Team Rocket darkened Golbat under its control for the set's villain arc, a grittier repaint of the familiar Pokémon with an altered attack profile.
Illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. Arita painted the Base Set Charizard and much of the early holo run, and his work has a painterly weight that set the visual tone of the Wizards era.
The Pokédex entry printed on Dark Golbat reads: "Sneaks up silently on its prey and attacks it from behind, sometimes killing it with one bite."
About Golbat in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved Zubat. Larger wings, prominent fangs. Standard Rare with moderate raw demand.
What is Dark Golbat worth?
Dark Golbat is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds Team Rocket'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, Team Rocket holos range from the mid hundreds for the lesser cards up to Dark 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
Team Rocket shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The 1st Edition Dark Golbat carries the Edition 1 stamp under the artwork and trades above the Unlimited copy in matching grade. The set is also home to Dark Raichu, the first Secret Rare ever printed.
Grading and condition
Grading Dark Golbat comes down to the holo surface and the borders. The era's foil scratches easily, so even a pack-fresh Dark Golbat can drop from a 10 to a 9 on a single hairline. Inspect the window at an angle and the corners against the frame.
If you are collecting Dark Golbat
If you are buying Dark Golbat, work in order: confirm the print variant first, then the grade, then price against recent sales for that exact variant and grade. For a raw Dark Golbat above a few hundred dollars, insist on angled-light photos of the holo so you can spot hairlines.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
