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.

Being able to identify a card precisely is the single most useful practical skill in collecting. It is how you price a card, how you avoid buying the wrong version, and how you spot a fake.

The bottom of the card

• ▪Card number: shown as a number over the set total, for example 4/102. A number higher than the total means a secret rare.
• ▪Set symbol: a small icon identifying the expansion. Modern cards also print a short set code.
• ▪Rarity symbol: circle, diamond, star or a set-specific marker.
• ▪Illustrator credit: the artist's name, printed as 'Illus.' on older cards.
• ▪Copyright line: includes the year and the publisher, which places the card in an era.

Regulation marks and era

Modern cards carry a small letter — the regulation mark — used to determine which cards are legal in tournament play. For collectors it is a quick way to date a card. Older cards instead tell you their era through the copyright line and the publisher named on them.

Printings and why they matter

The same card can exist in several printings, and the price differences can be large. Common distinctions include first print runs marked with an edition stamp, cards with and without a drop shadow beside the artwork frame in the earliest English sets, reverse holo versions, promotional stamped versions, and later reprints in newer sets. Two cards showing the same Pokémon and the same number are not necessarily the same product.

How to identify a card in practice

1. 01Read the name and the card number over set total.
2. 02Match the set symbol to a set list to confirm the expansion.
3. 03Note whether the card is holo, reverse holo or non-holo.
4. 04Check the copyright year and any edition or promo stamp.
5. 05Only then look up a price — for that exact printing, in that exact condition.

A video version of this guide is planned for the DeuxyDex channel.