Giovanni's Nidoran ♂

Numbered 76 of 132 in Gym Challenge, released in October 2000, Giovanni's Nidoran ♂ is a Common, a Basic Grass-type carrying 40 HP.

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

Giovanni is the Ground-type Gym Leader of Viridian City and the secret boss of Team Rocket. Giovanni's Nidoran ♂ 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 male half of the Nidoran split-evolution line. Different evolution path and final form from the female counterpart. A cleaner Common card than the female variant. Quietly traded by collectors who want both halves of the line.

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

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