Misty's Poliwhirl 1st Edition #53 — Gym Heroes Pokémon card

Misty's Poliwhirl 1st Edition #53 Value

Name: Misty's Poliwhirl 1st Edition #53 — Gym Heroes
Brand: Pokémon

Gym Heroes · Card 53/132 · Uncommon · 2000

Misty's Poliwhirl is one of those Gym Heroes cards that quietly reminds you how much charm the early sets had, a 1st Edition uncommon numbered #53 with artwork from Ken Sugimori, released back in 2000. If you're checking Misty's Poliwhirl value today, a raw copy runs about $10, which feels right for a card that's easy to find but still carries that gym-trainer nostalgia. It's not a chase card in the flashy sense, but for anyone building out a Gym Heroes run, it's a small, satisfying piece of the puzzle.

See all Gym Heroes chase cards →

Market value & price

Raw / Ungraded

$10

Grade 9

$40

PSA 10

$196

PSA 10 is 19.0× the raw price

Value by grade

Where it drops

Pulled 22× on PackSpy across Tilt Rips, Collector Crypt · biggest hit $35.

Found in packs: Pokemon Starter Pack · Pokemon Premium Pack · Pokemon Expert Pack · Elite Pokémon Gacha Pack

Want to pull Misty's Poliwhirl?

Rip a live pack on the sites that drop cards like this:

Rip on Tilt Rips →Rip on Collector Crypt →Rip on Packs.com →Rip on LastPack →

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission. 18+.

PriceCharting history ↗eBay sold listings ↗PSA price guide ↗

Misty's Poliwhirl price history

Ungraded value is $10, up 21% over the past year, with an all-time high of $10 in July 2026.

Market value over time by grade. Hover for any month; tap a grade to toggle its line.

Card details

Set: Gym Heroes
Card number: 53 of 132
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Water
HP: 70
Stage: Stage1
Weakness: Grass ×2
Retreat cost: 2
Illustrator: Ken Sugimori
Released: 2000

Attacks

Rapids20
Water · Colorless
If the Defending Pokémon has any Energy cards attached to it, flip a coin. If heads, choose 1 of those Energy cards and discard it.
Water Punch30
Colorless · Colorless · Colorless
Flip a number of coins equal to the number of Energy attached to Misty's Poliwhirl. This attack does 30 damage plus 10 damage for each heads.

Misty's Poliwhirl — collector's take

Is Misty's Poliwhirl worth grading?

So is Misty's Poliwhirl worth grading? Here's the honest math: a raw copy sits around $10, a Grade 9 climbs to $40, and a true PSA 10 jumps all the way to $196, which works out to roughly 19.0 times the raw price. That's a real gap, but gem mint 10s are genuinely hard to land, especially on cards from this era where centering and edge wear crept in during printing. Grading costs money and takes time, and there's no guarantee your copy comes back a 10 instead of a 9, so weigh the submission fee against what you'd actually pocket if it grades a notch lower.

How rare is it?

We don't have official population counts to lean on here, but Misty's Poliwhirl carries an uncommon rarity tag from a set that's over two decades old now, which naturally thins out how many well-kept copies are still floating around. Uncommons from Gym Heroes weren't chased as hard as the holo rares back in the day, so fewer people bothered to protect them long-term. That's part of why a clean PSA 10 commands such a premium over the raw price, gem mint survivors from this print run just aren't sitting in drawers waiting to be found.

Where to pull it

PackSpy has tracked this card being pulled 22 times across the sites we monitor, specifically tilt-rips and collector-crypt, with the best recorded hit coming in at $35. We've also seen it show up in the Pokemon Starter Pack, Pokemon Premium Pack, Pokemon Expert Pack, and the Elite Pokémon Gacha Pack. That said, worth remembering that opening packs is a gamble no matter which site you're on, most rips don't beat what you'd pay buying the card outright, so treat any pull as a bonus rather than the plan.

Questions people ask

How much is Misty's Poliwhirl worth?

A raw or ungraded copy of Misty's Poliwhirl is worth about $10 right now. Graded copies climb from there, with a Grade 9 landing around $40 and a PSA 10 reaching $196.

Is Misty's Poliwhirl worth grading?

It can be, since a PSA 10 sells for roughly 19.0 times the raw price. Just know that gem mint copies are tough to pull off this era of cards, so factor grading fees and the risk of a lower grade into your decision.

What set is Misty's Poliwhirl from?

Misty's Poliwhirl comes from the Gym Heroes set, released in 2000, and this particular copy is the 1st Edition version numbered #53, illustrated by Ken Sugimori.