Beginner

You are collecting. Now do it without wasting money or wrecking cards.

Who this is for: You own some cards, you buy the odd pack, and you want a direction and a routine.

Buyer's guide: what to consider when buying Pokémon cards

Before you buy any Pokémon card or sealed product, check five things: what exactly is being sold, its condition, the current market price, whether it is genuine, and what happens if it arrives wrong. This guide walks through each in order.

7 min read

How to open packs safely without damaging your cards

Most damage to a valuable card happens in the sixty seconds after the pack is opened. A clean surface, clean hands and a sleeve within reach solves nearly all of it.

2 min read

How to store and protect Pokémon cards: sleeves, toploaders and binders

A three-tier system — sleeve, rigid holder, binder or box — covers everything from bulk commons to your best card. Here is what each layer is for and the mistakes to avoid.

2 min read

Understanding rarity: commons, holos, reverse holos, ultra rares and secret rares

Rarity is how often a card appears in packs. It is printed on the card as a symbol, and it is related to — but not the same as — what a card is worth.

2 min read

How to read a Pokémon card: set symbols, numbers and printings

Everything you need to identify a card exactly — which set it is from, which number it is, which printing it is, and who illustrated it — is printed on the card itself.

2 min read

How to tell if a Pokémon card is fake

Counterfeits are common, and most are caught with checks you can do in under a minute: text and font, colour and foil, edge and feel, and the plausibility of the deal itself.

2 min read

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