Home

Nidoking

Nidoking — Base Set #11/102

Grass Rare Holo · Holofoil · Stage 2

The Nidoking is card #11/102 in the 1999 Pokemon Game Base Set (Wizards of the Coast) — the set that launched the Pokemon Trading Card Game. It is a rare holo Grass-type Stage 2 card, issued across four printings: 1st Edition, Shadowless, Unlimited and the 1999-2000 (4th) print. Across PSA and SGC, roughly 22,317 copies have been graded, with only 523 earning a PSA 10 (Gem Mint) — a sense of how scarce top-grade examples are.

Print variants & how to tell them apart

Nidoking 1st Edition — 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.

Nidoking Shadowless — 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.

Nidoking Unlimited — 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).

Nidoking 1999–2000 (4th Print) — 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	2,595	90	611	506	398	938	43	9
SGC	21	0	3	0	5	12	1	0
Shadowless
PSA	3,720	53	551	940	661	1,458	55	2
SGC	46	0	4	5	9	27	1	0
Unlimited
PSA	15,532	374	3,040	4,315	2,994	4,686	120	3
SGC	299	2	24	85	70	116	1	1
1999–2000 (4th Print)
PSA	104	4	17	33	21	27	2	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

Grass

Stage

Stage 2

Evolves from

Nidorino

Weakness

Psychic ×2

Retreat

Artist

Ken Sugimori

Pokedex #

Attacks

30+Thrash [Grass Colorless Colorless]

Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 30 damage plus 10 more damage; if tails, this attack does 30 damage and Nidoking does 10 damage to itself.

20Toxic [Grass Grass Grass]

The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned. It now takes 20 Poison damage instead of 10 after each player's turn (even if it was already Poisoned).

Uses its powerful tail in battle to smash, constrict, then break its prey's bones.

Prices & where to buy

Unlimited market $38.33 via TCGplayer (holofoil)

Variant	Market	TCGplayer	eBay
1st Edition	$305	TCGplayer	eBay
Shadowless	$146.41	TCGplayer	eBay
Unlimited	$38.33	TCGplayer	eBay
1999–2000 (4th Print)	—	—	eBay

Market values are live TCGplayer prices for each printing. A dash means TCGplayer has no separate or active listing for that variant (e.g. 1999-2000). As an eBay Partner & affiliate we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Shop our Pokemon inventory

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 1999 Pokemon Base Set Nidoking card?

The Nidoking is card #11/102 in the 1999 Pokemon Game Base Set by Wizards of the Coast, the first English Pokemon Trading Card Game set. It is a rare holo Grass-type card and exists in four printings: 1st Edition, Shadowless, Unlimited and the 1999-2000 print.

How can I tell which printing of the Nidoking I have?

Check three tells: a 1st Edition has the black 'Edition 1' stamp at the lower-left of the artwork; a Shadowless has no stamp AND no drop shadow on the right of the art box (plus an extra '99' in the copyright line); Unlimited has the drop shadow and is by far the most common; the 1999-2000 print looks like Unlimited but its copyright reads (c)1999-2000.

How rare is a graded Nidoking?

Across PSA and SGC, roughly 22,317 copies of the Nidoking have been graded, of which only 523 earned a PSA 10 (Gem Mint). Mid-grade copies are obtainable, but gem-mint examples are genuinely scarce.

Which printing of the Nidoking is most valuable?

The 1st Edition is the most valuable printing - around $305 on TCGplayer versus about $38.33 for Unlimited, with Shadowless in between. Holofoil and condition push values higher still.

More Grass-type Base Set cards

Sources: pokemontcg.io, PSA & SGC population reports, and live TCGplayer market data. Card data, variants & population compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-06-30.

← Back to the full interactive checklist