Gyarados Pokemon Card
With its fierce temper and intimidating loch ness monster-type appearance, Gyarados is by far one of the more memorable and powerful water Pokemon. Gyarados live in water but can go on land. However, they can only be played with water decks and water energy. Furthermore, Gyarados is the second evolution of one of the weakest Pokemon ever created, the Magikarp.`
Easy evolution from Magikarp
Players can evolve from a 30 hitpoint Magikarp to a powerful 120 hitpoint Gyarados with 1 evolution, which is both fun and exciting when played in a game. The opponent might never expect the wrath to be unleashed on their fully evolved Pokemon. If the player has numerous water energy in their deck, then the hitpoint multiplier increases by 20X! Which is insane. Another great thing about Gyarados Pokemon is that they are great for battling Charizard!
Gyarados is a fan favorite
Gyarados is a fan favorite for both collecting and battling for a number of reasons. It has the ability to annihilate Charizard, turn from a weak and helpless fish into a water monster in 1 evolution, and has an intimidating fighting ability with the hit point multiplier. Gyarados is also an intimidating Pokemon in the show. It is a rare and very powerful Pokemon.
So what are some of the more rare and valuable Gyarados Pokemon Cards? Let’s find out!
#7
2004 EX Team Rocket Reverse Foil
Dark Gyarados Pokemon card #36
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $795
Overview
The 2004 Team Rocket set is notorious amongst collectors for many reasons. The most notable feature is being the first set with Gold Star cards. In addition to the Gold Star cards, this set featured many desirable holographic and EX cards as well. The Gyarados #36 is uncommon in the set and is 1 of 35. The reverse foil finish offers a nice look that compliments the detailed artwork nicely.
Population Report
94 have been submitted to PSA for grading so far. 24 were graded PSA 10 Gem mint condition. With such a low supply, there have not been many sales, however, in November of 2021, a PSA 10 sold at auction for $795.
#6
2000 Gym Challenge Giovanni’s
Gyarados Holographic (1st Edition) #5
A PSA 10 recently sold for $898
Overview
One of the earliest Gyarados Pokemon cards can be found in the 2000 Gym Challenge set. Similar to the 1999 base set, the Gym Challenge had 1st edition cards printed. These are the ones you want to look for. 1st edition cards have the 1st edition stamp located near the bottom left of the image box and are much rare than the base Gym Challenge set.
There are 2 Gyarados cards in this set. Misty’s Gyarados #13 and Giovanni’s Gyarados #5. Each card has different artwork, however, Giovanni’s sells for a bit more than Misty’s.
Population Report
Misty’s 1st edition Gyarados has 274 PSA 10’s while Giovanni’s Gyarados has 152. The difference between the 2 is not big enough to justify the price difference. I personally prefer the artwork on Misty’s Gyarados over Giovanni’s however, the market is dictating Giovanni’s being more valuable.
#5
1996 Japanese (No Rarity Symbol)
Gyarados Pokemon card #130
PSA 9 Recently Sold for $2,513
Overview
The very first Gyarados Pokemon game card ever printed can be found in the 1996 Japanese basic set. Similar to the 1st edition cards, the (no rarity symbol) cards offer an ultra-rare print run. These are said to have been printed for 2 weeks before production discovered there were no rarity symbols. Any Pokemon card from this set, without the rarity symbol, is considered valuable. So double-check your Japanese holos for the symbols!
Population Report
PSA has seen just 96 Gyarados holos with no rarity symbol. Of those 96 only 5 were found in gem mint condition with just 18 grading mint 9. With such an insanely low population, these cards are considered extremely rare in high grades. A PSA 9 sold at auction on 1/28/2021 for $2,513!
#4
2003 Skyridge
Gyarados Pokemon card Holographic #130
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $2,938
Overview
One of the more unique Pokemon card sets ever printed, was the 2003 Skyridge set. Each card had the ability to be inserted into a Nintendo e-reader for interactive content. The horizontal lines running vertically up the left side of the card (the Dot code strip) are how the e-reader reads the card.
This is a very unique set and is considered a rare set due to the decrease in Pokemon popularity in 2003. In addition to the rarity, this set is also known as the last Pokemon card set printed by Wizard of the Coast before Nintendo took over the license.
Population Report
As of today, 363 Gyarados Skyridge Holographics have been submitted to PSA for grading with only 88 being found in gem mint condition. Considering these cards were intended to be inserted into an e-reader, having 88 gem mint examples is impressive.
Auction Prices
Looking at the graph to the left, we see the value of the PSA 10 increasing from May 2020 to May 2021 significantly. The value dipped a little from a little of $3,000 to just at $3,000 in the middle of 2021. High-grade cards from this set are proving to be terrific investment options when investing in Pokemon cards. PSA 8 and PSA 9 graded cards should also be considered when investing in Pokemon cards.
#3
2001 NEO Revelation (1st Edition)
Shining Gyarados Pokemon card Holographic #65
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $7,100
Overview
The Pokemon Neo Revelation set was released in September of 2001 as an expansion to the Pokemon game. The set consists of 57 cards in the Japanese version, with nine additional promotional cards were in the English set, bringing the total to 66. This set is best known for introducing Shining cards to Pokemon. They were very difficult to pull being inserted roughly 300:1 rate.
Neo Revelation was also the first set to not have preconstructed theme decks. The set symbol is a representation of the Legendary beasts departing the Burning Tower.
Population Report
885 Shining Gyarados Pokemon cards have been pulled from packs and submitted to PSA to date. Of those 885, just 105 were found to be in Gem mint condition. 438 were given a PSA 9 grade. Because the Shining cards were chase cards, they were more than likely taken care of straight out of the pack.
Auction Prices
The value of a Shining Gyarados, in PSA 10 condition, was holding steady between $600 and roughly $900 for 2 years. However, due to the recent explosion in the hobby, the value has skyrocketed to over 10X that! The all-time high for a PSA 10 example is $13,500. However, the most recent example was sold at auction in December of 2021 for $7,100.
#2
1999 (1st Edition)
Gyarados Pokemon Card Holographic #6
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $8,601
Overview
The 1999 1st Edition Pokemon Game set was what started it all. This set will always be desirable and collectible for this fact alone. Because it is the first set, it’s the one everyone remembers and wants to collect. WOTC printed the 1st edition set with a much lower quantity than the unlimited base set, which does not have the 1st edition stamp.
Another version known as “shadowless” has no 1st edition stamp or a shadow behind the image. All 3 versions are valuable, however, the 1st edition will always be the most valuable due to rarity.
Population Report
1,389 of the 1st edition Gyarados holographic have been submitted to PSA. Incredibly, just 86 have been found in PSA 10 Gem mint condition. TO put it in perspective, roughly 6,500 unlimited base set cards have been submitted with 437 being found in gem mint condition. So, there’s a huge difference in supply.
Auction Prices
Viewing the price chart on the left, we can see just how much value a PSA 10 example gained in a matter of months. This card, in a PSA 10 case, has an all-time high selling price of $16,570. It has recently come back down but is still valued at almost triple what it was worth in 2019.
#1
2006 Pokemon EX Holon Phantoms Gold Star
Gyarados Pokemon Card Holographic
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $8,601
Overview
The number 1 most rare and valuable Gyarados pokemon card is the Gold Star Shiny Rare Holographic #102 from the 2006 EX Holon Phantom set. This card features Gyarados as a fire Pokemon with a red body as opposed to his standard blue body. This is a Shiny Rare Gold Star which is 1 of 3 that can be found in booster packs. Mewtwo and Pikachu are the other Gold Star and are both quite valuable and collectible as well.
Population Report
492 of the Gyarados Gold Star holographic have been submitted to PSA so far. With just 32 being found in PSA 10, gem mint condition, this is one of the more rare Gyarados cards on the market in a PSA 10 case.
Auction Prices
The value of this specific Gold Star Gyarados Pokemon card has always been high. Selling for over $2,500 in 2017 and 2020 is evidence. The value has since skyrocketed from its previous all-time high to a new high of $11,110.
Conclusion
Gyarados has quite a few special and rare Pokemon cards to collect. These are the top 7 Gyarados Pokemon cards I have found to be the most valuable and collectible. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite Gyarados cards are or which ones I may have missed on this list.
From a young age, Matt dove deep into sports card valuation, turning to esteemed price guides like Beckett and Tuff Stuff. Eventually he extended to Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh!. With a vision to sustain and nurture the hobby he loved, Matt established the ‘Graded Card Investor’ YouTube channel and website. He aims to foster a healthy community and offer invaluable insights to those entering the world of sports cards and TCGs. His depth of understanding, from the card market’s 2020 pinnacle to its 1990s valleys, is consistently fortified by meticulous research.
