Collecting Pokémon cards has become more than a hobby for many fans, who research card values extensively at a haunting pace. Card value is determined by individuality, with some cards having more value than others. Each card has a designated card rarity symbol which determines a card’s rarity. Sometimes it’s hard to parse out the meaning of each sign, but The Pokémon Company has made the symbols reasonably easy to tell apart so that every fan can handle each card.
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Rarity symbol of all Pokémon cards
There are four types of rarity symbols: a circle, a diamond, a star, and a promotional star. Each symbol represents the rarity of that specific card, and you will usually be able to see these symbols along the bottom of the card, usually in the lower right corner, but sometimes also on the left. The rarer the card, the less likely it is to find one in real life. Some rare cards even have their own categories, called Ultra Rare or Secret Rare, which are even rarer than the default rare cards.
Dark Circle – Community Cards
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A black circle at the bottom of a Pokémon card indicates that it is a common card. Most Pokemon cards are community cards and are usually for Pokemon in their basic evolution or first stage of evolution, like Pikachu or Venusaur. Common cards make up the majority of Pokémon packs and are usually not holographic.
Diamond – Uncommon Cards
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A diamond symbolizes uncommon cards, which are slightly rarer than common cards. Uncommon cards are usually designated for Pokémon at the start of their evolution or have weak final evolutions, such as Beedrill and Butterfree. Although labeled as rare, most rare cards aren’t hard to find and aren’t usually holographic.
Star – Rare Cards/Ultra Cards
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A star at the bottom of a card represents rare cards, the rarest Pokemon cards you can get in a pack. You usually get at least one rare card in a single pack, and many rare cards are holographic. Some holographic cards come with reverse holograms, and even the rarest cards come with a special holofoil pattern and are known as Holofoil Rare.
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Rare cards are reserved for some of the most popular or powerful Pokémon. Some less powerful and unpopular Pokemon receive rare cards if they get unique artwork.
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super rare the cards have the same star symbol at the bottom; the main difference is that ultra rare cards feature different artwork or have specific gameplay mechanics of their own.
secret rare cards
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Secret rare cards also have a star symbol, but their bottom card numbers must be different. Each card has a designated number of a certain quantity printed on the bottom, usually next to the rarity symbol. These numbers represent the quantity of that specific card in the market and in what order the card was first printed. For example, 140/151 means this card was the 140th printed card out of 151 currently on the market.
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If a Pokémon card has a number greater than the printed size, then that card is a secret rare card. For example, if you have a card listed with 152/151, then that card is Secret Rare. Secret Rares are the rarest cards in the TCG and are the most difficult to obtain.
promotional star
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Pokémon cards with a promotional star represent cards given out at promotional events such as movies or in-person meetings. Promo cards are often only available for a limited time in limited quantities, so many promo cards become rare collectibles that could be worth a lot.
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