Goldeen · Base Set 2, what to know.
About the Goldeen card
Goldeen sits at #76 in Base Set 2, the fourth of the Wizards of the Coast print runs. Illustration by Kagemaru Himeno. Himeno is one of the most-recognized vintage TCG illustrators. Her work shows up more in Neo-era and later sets, but earlier appearances carry a small premium with art-focused collectors.
The flavor text on the card reads: "Its tail fin billows like an elegant ballroom dress, giving it the nickname "Water Queen."" Pokédex entries from this era are short and often quirky, written by the original Japanese localization team for a specific stat-block layout that no longer exists in modern cards.
About Goldeen in the Pokémon world
A water-type goldfish Pokémon. Misty's signature Pokémon in the anime. Jungle Common with sentimental demand.
Print variants and how to spot them
Base Set 2 shipped in a single Unlimited print run. No 1st Edition stamp, no Shadowless treatment, no error prints of note. The Base Set 2 set symbol (a small "2" inside the Base mark) is the diagnostic. Holos from this set carry significantly lower prices than the original Base Set equivalents despite being the same card art.
Grading and condition
Commons grade most forgivingly of any tier in the set. Centering is the typical grade cap; the soft Wizards-era cardstock picks up edge whitening easily but the high print runs mean clean copies remain affordable. A first-time grading submission on a Common is the cheapest way to learn what each grading service is actually looking at.
If you are buying this card
Raw copies of this card are inexpensive enough that the grading math rarely justifies submission unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completionists, picking up a clean raw copy and sleeving it is the practical move.
