Rhydon · Base Set 2, what to know.
About the Rhydon card
Rhydon sits at #59 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. In the games, Rhydon evolves from Rhyhorn, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.
The flavor text on the card reads: "Protected by an armor-like hide, it is capable of living in molten lava of 3600 degrees." 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 Rhydon in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved Rhyhorn. The famous "first Pokémon ever created" in design lore. Standard Rare with steady demand thanks to design lore.
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
Uncommons grade more forgivingly than Rare Holos but the same centering and edge requirements apply. Raw copies in pack-fresh condition are easy to find. A PSA 10 submission on a clean Uncommon is a low-cost way to learn how the grading process scores Wizards-era cardstock.
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.
