Gyarados
Gyarados — Base Set #6/102
Water Rare Holo · Holofoil · Stage 1
Print variants & how to tell them apart
1st Edition
The 'Edition 1' stamp — a black circle containing the number 1 — sits just left of the artwork, below the art box. Shadowless template (no drop shadow). Rarest / most valuable.
Shadowless
Same first-print template as 1st Edition but WITHOUT the stamp. No drop shadow behind the art box; brighter, more zoomed-in art. Key tell vs Unlimited: the extra '99' in the copyright line.
Unlimited
No stamp; a drop shadow appears behind the right edge of the art box (Pokémon only — Trainers never got the shadow). Bolder HP text, slightly zoomed-out art. Copyright omits the '99'. By far the most common (print runs 2–7).
1999–2000 (4th Print)
Visually identical to Unlimited EXCEPT the copyright reads ©1999-2000. The eighth and final (smallest) English print run — collector shorthand calls it the '4th print'. Distributed mainly in the UK, also Australia and the USA.
Shown: the Unlimited scan -- the 1999-2000 print is identical except the (c)1999-2000 date. A true scan is coming.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 2–6 | 1 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edition | ||||||||
| PSA | 2,543 | 89 | 502 | 548 | 372 | 981 | 45 | 6 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Shadowless | ||||||||
| PSA | 6,545 | 61 | 769 | 1,264 | 1,191 | 3,087 | 166 | 7 |
| SGC | 100 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 55 | 0 | 1 |
| Unlimited | ||||||||
| PSA | 24,189 | 533 | 4,435 | 5,956 | 4,524 | 8,372 | 362 | 7 |
| SGC | 491 | 2 | 35 | 117 | 117 | 215 | 2 | 3 |
| 1999–2000 (4th Print) | ||||||||
| PSA | 359 | 7 | 67 | 97 | 59 | 121 | 8 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
PSA & SGC graded population by printing & grade. PSA Unlimited includes copies graded before PSA flagged the 1st Edition / Shadowless varieties; SGC does not separate the 1999-2000 print.
Card details
Type
Water
Stage
Stage 1
HP
100
Evolves from
Magikarp
Weakness
Grass ×2
Resistance
Fighting -30
Retreat
3
Artist
Mitsuhiro Arita
Pokedex #
130
Attacks
50Dragon Rage [Water Water Water]
40Bubblebeam [Water Water Water Water]
Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
Rarely seen in the wild. Huge and vicious, it is capable of destroying entire cities in a rage.
Prices & where to buy
Unlimited market $54.85 via TCGplayer (holofoil)
| Variant | Market | TCGplayer | eBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edition | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Shadowless | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Unlimited | $54.85 | TCGplayer | eBay |
| 1999–2000 (4th Print) | — | eBay |
Market = the Unlimited printing, live from TCGplayer. As an eBay Partner & affiliate we may earn from qualifying purchases.
Notable variant / error
All Unlimited and 1999-2000 Gyarados have the set number (6/102) spaced too far to the left.
About the print variants
Base Set cards come in four printings: 1st Edition (Edition-1 stamp), Shadowless (no stamp, no drop shadow, the extra '99' in the copyright), Unlimited (drop shadow, most common), and the 1999-2000 (4th print) (like Unlimited but the copyright reads (c)1999-2000). Machamp is the exception -- it is always 1st-Edition-stamped.