Erika's Ivysaur

Erika's Ivysaur is card 41 of 132 in Gym Challenge, released in October 2000, an Uncommon. It is a Stage 1 Grass-type with 60 HP.

As a Stage 1, it evolves from Erika's Bulbasaur, which places Erika's Ivysaur deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.

Erika is the Grass-type Gym Leader of Celadon City, a calm tea enthusiast who tends the city's gardens. Erika's Ivysaur 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.

The middle stage of the Bulbasaur line. The bud on its back has swollen and begun to open. The transitional stage in a line collectors usually buy as a set. Almost always purchased as part of a Bulbasaur to Venusaur evolution run rather than as a standalone, which keeps prices honest.

Erika's Ivysaur is an Uncommon, so raw copies are inexpensive and easy to find. The value is in condition: a genuine PSA 10, especially 1st Edition, can still reach a surprising figure for an otherwise common card. The live price above breaks it down by grade.

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

Erika's Ivysaur grades forgivingly, but the same centering and edge standards apply. Pack-fresh raw copies are easy to find, which makes a clean PSA 10 submission a low-cost way to learn how the cardstock behaves under grading.

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