First Edition Nidoking from the 1999 Base Set is a mid-tier holographic rare that currently sells for roughly $100 to $300 in raw near-mint condition, with graded PSA 10 copies commanding anywhere from $2,000 to $4,500 or more depending on auction timing and buyer demand. Card number 11/102, it sits in a collectible sweet spot — not as headline-grabbing as Charizard, Blastoise, or Venusaur, but consistently sought after by collectors who want a complete set of the original 16 Base Set holos without paying five or six figures for the top-tier cards.
For example, a PSA 9 First Edition Nidoking that might have sold for $100 in 2019 now regularly trades in the $400 to $800 range, reflecting the broader price appreciation that hit the vintage Pokemon market during and after the 2020-2021 boom. This article covers the specific card details and gameplay attributes of First Edition Nidoking, how its graded values break down across PSA tiers, the critical differences between First Edition, Shadowless, and Unlimited printings, what drives its collectibility, and practical advice for buying, selling, and authenticating this card. Whether you are considering your first vintage holo purchase or rounding out a high-grade Base Set collection, the information here should help you make a more informed decision.
Table of Contents
- What Makes First Edition Nidoking Valuable Compared to Other Base Set Holos?
- First Edition Nidoking Price Breakdown by Grade
- First Edition vs. Shadowless vs. Unlimited — The Differences That Matter
- How to Buy First Edition Nidoking Without Overpaying
- Authentication Concerns and Common Issues With Vintage First Edition Cards
- Nidoking’s Card Stats and Gameplay Legacy
- Where Does First Edition Nidoking Go From Here?
- Conclusion
What Makes First Edition Nidoking Valuable Compared to Other Base Set Holos?
First Edition Nidoking derives its value from the same fundamental source as every other card in the 1999 First Edition Base Set print run — scarcity. First Edition cards were printed before the much larger Unlimited run, and they are identified by a small black “1” inside a circle stamped on the left side of the card. That stamp is the single most important marker of this variant. Because the First Edition print run was comparatively small, and because many of those cards were played with, damaged, or lost over the past two and a half decades, surviving copies in top condition carry a significant premium over their Unlimited counterparts.
Among the original 16 holographic rares in the Base Set, Nidoking occupies what collectors generally call the mid-tier. Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur dominate the top of the market due to a combination of starter pokemon nostalgia and mainstream cultural recognition. Cards like Alakazam, Chansey, and Gyarados compete with Nidoking in the middle range. Nidoking tends to trade slightly below some of these peers but holds steady demand because of its recognizable design — Ken Sugimori’s illustration of the Poison-type towering forward — and its role as a fan-favorite Pokemon from the original 151. Compared to lower-tier holos like Magneton or Hitmonchan, Nidoking commands a noticeable premium, making it a reliable barometer of the mid-range Base Set holo market.
First Edition Nidoking Price Breakdown by Grade
The gap between a raw First Edition Nidoking and a PSA 10 copy is enormous, and understanding that spread is essential before you buy or sell. A raw, ungraded card in near-mint condition typically sells for $100 to $300, with price variation driven by the seller, the platform, and the subjective assessment of condition. Move up to a PSA 8, graded as Near Mint to Mint, and you are looking at roughly $150 to $350. A PSA 9, graded Mint, jumps to the $400 to $800 range. And a PSA 10 Gem Mint copy — the highest grade PSA assigns — typically sells between $2,000 and $4,500 or more. That final leap from PSA 9 to PSA 10 reflects both the scarcity of the grade and the collector psychology that prizes perfection. However, if you are buying a raw card with the intention of grading it to a PSA 10, temper your expectations.
PSA has graded thousands of First Edition Base Set Nidoking cards over the years, and the PSA 10 population remains relatively low compared to total submissions. That means the overwhelming majority of cards submitted do not achieve a Gem Mint grade. Common culprits include slight edge whitening, minor print lines visible only under magnification, and centering that falls outside PSA’s tight tolerances. If you pay $250 for a raw card that looks flawless to the naked eye but comes back as a PSA 8, you have not necessarily lost money, but you have not achieved the multiplier you were hoping for. Grading is a gamble with these vintage cards, and the economics only work consistently if you can source cards cheaply or have a trained eye for condition. It is also worth noting that prices have stabilized from the peaks seen during 2020 and 2021 when the Pokemon card market experienced an unprecedented surge driven by pandemic-era collecting, celebrity attention, and speculative buying. First Edition Base Set holos have corrected from those highs, but they have not collapsed. The current market represents a more rational equilibrium, and Nidoking’s prices reflect that correction.
First Edition vs. Shadowless vs. Unlimited — The Differences That Matter
One of the most common mistakes new collectors make is confusing the three major variants of Base Set Nidoking. The First Edition has the Edition 1 stamp — that small circled “1” on the left side of the card, below the artwork. The Shadowless variant lacks that stamp but also lacks the drop shadow behind the card’s right border artwork frame, a subtle design element that Wizards of the Coast added in later print runs. The standard Unlimited version has no First Edition stamp and includes the drop shadow. These three variants sit at very different price points, and misidentifying one for another can be a costly error on either side of a transaction.
A Shadowless Nidoking in comparable condition is worth meaningfully less than its First Edition counterpart, though it still carries a premium over Unlimited because of its own relative scarcity and its status as an early print run card. An Unlimited copy, produced in far greater quantities, is the most affordable option and often sells for a small fraction of the First Edition price. For example, a PSA 9 Unlimited Nidoking might sell for under $100, while the same grade in First Edition trades for $400 to $800. If you are buying online and a deal seems too good to be true for a “First Edition” Nidoking, check the listing photos carefully for that stamp and the absence of a drop shadow. These details are easy to miss in low-resolution images, and some sellers — intentionally or not — mislabel their cards.
How to Buy First Edition Nidoking Without Overpaying
The most reliable way to buy First Edition Nidoking at fair market value is through graded card sales on established platforms. PSA-graded copies sold through eBay auction tend to reflect real-time market pricing because competitive bidding pushes the final sale toward the card’s actual demand level. Fixed-price listings on eBay, TCGPlayer, or specialty sites can be useful, but they often carry a premium because sellers price above the last comparable sale, hoping to catch an eager buyer. Checking recently sold listings on eBay, rather than active listings, gives you the most accurate snapshot of what the card is actually trading for right now. If you prefer to buy raw, the tradeoff is straightforward: lower upfront cost but higher uncertainty. A raw near-mint First Edition Nidoking at $150 might grade as a PSA 9 and suddenly be worth $500 or more.
Or it might grade as a PSA 7 and be worth roughly what you paid minus grading fees. The risk-reward calculus depends on your ability to assess condition and your tolerance for downside. Buying raw from reputable sellers who provide high-resolution photos of the front, back, corners, and edges reduces some of that risk. Avoid listings with a single blurry photo or vague condition descriptions. If a seller describes a 27-year-old card as “mint” without showing close-up images, proceed with skepticism. For those building a complete graded First Edition Base Set, Nidoking represents a reasonable entry point relative to the marquee holos. Acquiring a PSA 9 Nidoking for $500 to $700 is far more accessible than the five-figure prices required for a comparable Charizard, making it a practical card to pick up early in a long-term collection build.
Authentication Concerns and Common Issues With Vintage First Edition Cards
Counterfeiting is a real concern in the vintage Pokemon card market, and First Edition Base Set holos are among the most frequently faked cards in the hobby. Common red flags on counterfeit First Edition Nidoking cards include incorrect font weight on the HP or attack text, a First Edition stamp that looks slightly too large or poorly positioned, card stock that feels too thin or too glossy, and colors that appear oversaturated compared to authentic prints. The holo pattern on genuine Base Set cards has a specific star-shaped foil pattern (often called “cosmos holo”) that is difficult to replicate precisely, so examining the holographic surface under light can be revealing. Buying PSA-graded cards reduces but does not completely eliminate authentication risk. PSA slabs themselves have been counterfeited, though modern PSA cases with their certification number lookup system make this less common.
Always verify the certification number on PSA’s website before finalizing a purchase of any high-value card. The cert number lookup will show you the card’s description, grade, and population data. If the number does not match the card in the slab, walk away. Another issue specific to older graded cards is the possibility of “cracked and resubmitted” copies — cards that were removed from an older PSA slab and resubmitted in hopes of receiving a higher grade on a second attempt. This is a legitimate practice, but it means that a card graded PSA 9 today may have been a PSA 8 in a previous submission. The grade on the current slab is the only one that matters for market value, but awareness of this practice can inform your expectations about the card’s actual condition within the slab.
Nidoking’s Card Stats and Gameplay Legacy
As a card, First Edition Nidoking is a Stage 2 Grass-type Pokemon with 90 HP. Its two attacks — Thrash, which deals 30 damage with a coin flip that either adds 10 damage or deals 10 to Nidoking itself, and Toxic, which deals 20 damage and applies double poison — were functional but never dominated competitive play in the original Base Set era. Thrash’s coin-flip mechanic introduced an unwelcome element of randomness, and 90 HP, while respectable, did not make Nidoking a tank. The card saw casual play but was overshadowed by more efficient attackers and the dominant Haymaker and Rain Dance decks of the period.
That gameplay mediocrity, ironically, has little bearing on its collectible value today. Almost no one buying a First Edition Nidoking in 2026 intends to play it. The card’s value is driven entirely by nostalgia, set completionism, the Ken Sugimori artwork, and the broader First Edition Base Set mystique. Collectible markets and competitive play markets diverged long ago, and Nidoking is a clear example of a card whose financial worth has nothing to do with its power level.
Where Does First Edition Nidoking Go From Here?
The long-term outlook for First Edition Base Set holos, including Nidoking, depends on the continued cultural relevance of the original 151 Pokemon and the size of the collector base willing to pay premium prices for vintage cards. The 2020-2021 boom demonstrated that new buyers can enter the market rapidly when conditions align, and the subsequent correction showed that speculative excess gets wrung out over time. What remains is a stable collector market with genuine demand driven by nostalgia and the finite supply of surviving First Edition cards.
Nidoking’s position as a mid-tier holo may actually work in its favor over a long horizon. Cards like Charizard have already priced out many collectors, pushing demand toward the more accessible holos. If you are looking at First Edition Nidoking as a collectible with historical significance and moderate entry cost, the fundamentals are sound. Just remember that no collectible market guarantees appreciation, and buying primarily as an investment rather than for the enjoyment of ownership carries inherent risk.
Conclusion
First Edition Nidoking from the 1999 Base Set is one of the original 16 holographic rares and a solid mid-tier collectible in the most iconic print run in Pokemon TCG history. Current market prices range from around $100 to $300 for raw near-mint copies up to $2,000 to $4,500 or more for PSA 10 gems. Understanding the distinction between First Edition, Shadowless, and Unlimited variants is critical, as is recognizing that the jump from PSA 9 to PSA 10 represents the largest price multiplier in the grading spectrum for this card.
Whether you are buying your first vintage holo or filling a gap in a graded set, focus on authentication, condition assessment, and realistic grading expectations. Use sold listings rather than asking prices to gauge fair value, verify PSA certification numbers before buying graded copies, and inspect raw cards carefully before committing. First Edition Nidoking is not the flashiest card in the set, but it remains a legitimate piece of Pokemon history with a stable collector market behind it.
