Why Shining Gyarados 1st Edition Pokemon Card is Such a Good Value

Shining Gyarados 1st edition is one of the most valuable Pokemon cards around. But should you buy it? Is it a good value today? Will it retain value. Let’s discuss all this and more below.

Shining Gyarados - Neo Revelation 1st Edition

Market price: $805

What makes Shining Gyarados 1st Edition such a valuable card?

Shining Gyarados comes from a very early set – Neo Revelation, arguably just around the peak of Pokemon’s popularity (barring the incredible resurgence the hobby has seen in the last few years).

Even more than this, however, Shining Gyarados (along with Shining Magikarp) is the first shining Pokemon to ever make an appearance in the Pokemon trading card game.

What are shining Pokemon?

Basically, shining Pokemon are alternate forms of Pokemon that occur naturally in the wild. They were a really cool mechanic introduced in the video games. In fact, Shining Gyarados is the first ever shining Pokemon that we ever come accross. He’s famously captured by Lance in the Gold and Silver Pokemon games (some of the best games of them all).

Introducing Shining Pokemon into the trading card game is a nod to the popularity of the mechanic in the original video games that spawned the franchise.

People still love shiny Pokemon

Real hardcore Pokemon people love shiny Pokemon. And that’s true regardless of the format of Pokemon that you are into. Shiny Pokemon are a major draw for trainers who play Pokemon GO, as are they still a draw in the video games. The same is true of shining Pokemon in the trading card game. In fact, one of the most valuable cards of all time is a Shining Charizard card.

In a game that’s all about collecting rare Pokemon, it makes sense that the rarest of all rare Pokemon – shining rare Pokemon – would be the most sought after.

Shining Gyarados is a beautiful card

Beyond being a nod to a memorable moment in the Pokemon video games, Shining Gyarados is simply a beautiful card. Personally, it is my favorite card of all time. And they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. I love the iconic, classic Pokemon card look that of course looks totally different than modern cards.

I like the way the illustrator handles shadows in this card, making it just dark enough that it’s almost easy to miss the fact that this Charizard is a deep red color, as opposed to the usual iconic blue.

Why is the first edition card so much more valuable than unlimited?

If you are a more recent Pokemon collector, you might not even be familiar with the term “1st edition”. That’s because it’s not a part of current Pokemon card collecting, where you have different types of rarities that add value to a Pokemon card instead of when it was printed.

First edition back in the day, however, simply meant it was part of the first run of cards printed from a set. Subsequent reprinted cards wouldn’t bear that marker. Of course, being from the original printing of a set or expansion adds value and rarity to a card.

First editions being worth more isn’t unique to Shining Gyarados. The most valuable Charizard card of all time, the base set Charizard 1st edition, is worth significantly more than its unlimited counterpart.

Why is the Shining Gyarados 1st Edition Pokemon card such a good value?

Given all of these factors above, Shining Gyarados is one of the best value cards from Pokemon, and a pretty safe bet for collecting. Let’s take a look at the market data from TCGplayer over the past year, and highlight a few highs and lows that show just how stable this card is from a market standpoint.

Shining Gyarados 1st Edition Market Value

As you can see, Shining Gyarados saw a ton of demand back in 2022, and dropped dramatically after that. Since then, however, it’s remained at a stable price point. Personally, I’m really glad to see this price drop as it means I might be able to get my hands on a first edition copy of this card. I think the market value it’s at right now of $805 is actually pretty reasonable given all things, and I doubt it’s going to come down substantially from that.

In general, the Pokemon card market is less hot than it was during the pandemic, but it’s still strong. There’s been a general cooling of prices, but iconic cards like this one are going to retain good value overtime, if not likely to make you rich anytime soon.