Collector notes · 2026-10-24

How to read a Pokémon card: number, set symbol, holo, reverse holo

The bottom line of a card tells you its set, number, rarity and tournament status, and the shine tells you which version it is.

Almost everything that identifies a card is printed at the bottom. On modern cards the left side shows the illustrator (“Illus. 5ban Graphics”), the regulation mark, the set symbol or set code, the card number and the rarity mark. Below that runs the copyright line, today “©2023 Pokémon / Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK”. On early Wizards cards such as Base Set and Jungle, the number sits bottom right and the set symbol right below the artwork. Even the copyright line can matter: the fourth print of the English Base Set reads “©1999–2000” instead of “©1999”. Name and artwork are often not enough, because the same card exists in several sets and versions. Set and number pin it down.

Read the number as “card 4 of 102”. The figure after the slash is the official set size. If the number is higher, such as 83/82 or 215/203, the card is a secret rare. The first was Dark Raichu 83/82 from Team Rocket. Since Scarlet & Violet, every card above Rare, Double Rare and ACE SPEC sits outside the set size, including every Illustration Rare. Since Sword & Shield, numbers are printed with three digits and a leading zero (025/202); before that it was 25/236. When searching, try both forms.

Some cards have letters in front of the number and therefore their own count. H1 to H32 are the holo runs of Aquapolis and Skyridge. SH marks the shiny Pokémon from Stormfront, Platinum and Supreme Victors, RC the Radiant Collection from Legendary Treasures and Generations. SV means Shiny Vault from Hidden Fates and Shining Fates, not Scarlet & Violet. TG is the Trainer Gallery from Brilliant Stars to Silver Tempest, GG the Galarian Gallery from Crown Zenith. None of these runs has a reverse holo.

The set symbol tells you the set. Base Set has none; from Jungle on, a small symbol is printed on the card. Since Scarlet & Violet, cards print a code with a language tag in a box instead of the symbol, for example “OBF EN” for Obsidian Flames. Japanese cards print a code too, plus the number and the rarity as letters, for example “sv2a 201/165 SAR” for a Charizard ex from the Japanese 151 set. Japanese sets have different sizes and contents than the Western ones. Japanese vintage cards up to 2001 have no card number at all.

The letter in the small box next to the symbol or code is the regulation mark. It decides whether a card is allowed in the Standard tournament format. Internationally it arrived with Sword & Shield in February 2020, starting at D because Japan had already used A to C since Sun & Moon. E came with Battle Styles (2021), F with Brilliant Stars (2022), G with Scarlet & Violet (2023), H with Temporal Forces (2024), I with Journey Together (2025) and J with Ascended Heroes (January 2026). Each rotation drops the oldest letter. Since 10 April 2026, H, I and J are legal. Basic Energy cards carry no mark and are always legal. For collectors, the letter is mainly a dating aid.

On a holo the artwork shines; on a reverse holo everything except the artwork shines. Pokémon officially calls it “parallel foil”. Reverse holos exist since Legendary Collection of 24 May 2002, which was released in English only. In German they start with Expedition. Since then every booster holds one reverse, and since Scarlet & Violet two. Usually every card has one except Ultra Rares, Secret Rares and Full Arts. You can spot a modern reverse without tilting it: the set code box is white with black text instead of black with white. Since Scarlet & Violet, every Rare in a booster is also holo. Before that, holo and regular Rares carried the same black star.

The holo pattern gives away the era. Base Set, Jungle and Fossil show a starburst pattern. From Base Set 2 to Call of Legends holos use the “Cosmos” pattern of dots and circles, which later lives on mostly on promos. “Cracked Ice” looks like shattered glass and appears mainly in theme decks and blister promos. Poké Ball and Master Ball patterns came first in Japan with 151 and in English only from Prismatic Evolutions (January 2025). Full Art means the artwork covers the whole card, introduced with Black & White in 2011. “Alt art” is not an official term. Collectors use it for Sword & Shield cards with a completely new scene, such as Umbreon VMAX 215/203 from Evolving Skies. Since Scarlet & Violet there are official rarities for this: Illustration Rare (one gold star) for commons, uncommons and rares, and Special Illustration Rare (two gold stars) for Pokémon ex and Supporters.

For the price, the version matters. In old sets the holo is rarer than the same Rare without shine and usually costs more. For modern commons and uncommons, reverse and regular copies barely differ in our sales data, partly because many sellers do not write “reverse” in the title. For e-Card cards the reverse is often worth much more. Master Ball patterns are rarer than Poké Ball patterns and trade higher. At the top of modern sets you usually find Special Illustration Rares and the older alt arts. When you buy or sell a card, always state the set, the number and the version.

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