How to Decipher Any Pokémon Card 🔍
Every card tells you exactly what it is — if you know where to look. Here’s what all the numbers, symbols and letters mean, from common circles to secret-rare gold stars.
The Card Number — your card’s address
Deep dive: what the numbers mean →
In the bottom corner of every card is a number like this:
Left number — this card’s position in the set. Combined with the set name, it identifies your exact card: “025/185” from Vivid Voltage can only ever be one card.
Right number — the official printed size of the set.
Rarity Symbols — common to super rare
Deep dive: every rarity symbol explained →
Next to the card number sits a tiny shape. That shape is the rarity ladder:
| Symbol | Rarity | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| ● | Common | A black circle. The everyday cards — most cards in any booster pack. |
| ◆ | Uncommon | A black diamond. A step up — usually stage-1 evolutions and useful trainers. |
| ★ | Rare | One black star. Roughly one per booster pack. Holofoil (shiny picture) versions of these are “Holo Rares” and worth more. |
| ★★ | Double Rare | Two black stars (Scarlet & Violet era). Used for the powerful Pokémon ex cards. |
| ★★ | Ultra Rare | Two silver/grey stars. Full-art, textured Pokémon ex and Supporter cards. |
| ★ | Illustration Rare | One GOLD star. Gorgeous alternate-art cards showing Pokémon in scenic artwork — hugely popular with collectors. |
| ★★ | Special Illustration Rare | Two GOLD stars. Premium alternate-art ex/Supporter cards — chase cards of the set. |
| ★★★ | Hyper Rare | Three gold stars — gold-foil cards. Along with older “Rainbow Rares”, these live in Secret-Rare number territory. |
| PROMO | Promo | A black star with “PROMO” — from tins, boxes and events, with their own numbering (e.g. SWSH250). |
Set Symbols & Set Codes
The same Pikachu can appear in dozens of sets at wildly different values, so the set matters as much as the name.
Set symbol — a small icon printed near the card number (a stylised letter, gem, or emblem). Every expansion has a unique one.
Set code — modern cards (2023+) also print 3-letter codes like SVI (Scarlet & Violet base), PAL (Paldea Evolved), OBF (Obsidian Flames) in the bottom-left. This is the easiest way to name the set exactly.
No symbol at all? — you may be holding a 1999 Base Set card, the very first English print run. Handle with care!
Regulation Marks — the letter in a box
Since 2019, cards carry a letter in a small box on the bottom-left. It has NOTHING to do with rarity — it controls which cards are legal in official Standard tournaments. Older letters “rotate out” each year.
Vintage Cards — 1st Edition, Shadowless & friends
1st Edition stamp — a round “Edition 1” badge on the left-middle of 1999–2003 cards. First print run = biggest premium. A 1st Edition Base Set Charizard is a five-to-six-figure card in top grade.
Shadowless — early Base Set cards missing the drop-shadow on the right edge of the art box. Rarer than the later “Unlimited” print, and worth much more.
Holo vs Reverse Holo — Holo: the picture is shiny. Reverse Holo: everything EXCEPT the picture is shiny. Same card, different value — holo usually wins for rares.
Condition is king — centering, edges, corners and surface decide the grade. The jump from “played” to PSA 10 can be 10–100× the price on vintage cards.
Japanese Cards — letters instead of symbols
Japanese cards work the same way, but the rarity is printed as LETTER CODES in the bottom corner instead of shapes:
C — Common · U — Uncommon · R — Rare · RR — Double Rare (ex) · SR — Super Rare (full art) · AR — Art Rare · SAR — Special Art Rare · UR — Ultra Rare (gold)
Set codes — Japanese sets use lowercase codes like sv4a or s12a next to the card number, and their numbering (e.g. 025/165) differs from the English release of the same card.
Values differ! — Japanese prints are often cheaper than English for modern chase cards, but can be MORE valuable for vintage (Japanese Base Set, promos). Never assume the English price applies.
Spotting Fakes
Deep dive: how to spot fakes →
Before celebrating a valuable find, run these quick checks:
Font & spelling — fakes often use slightly wrong fonts, odd energy symbols, or typos.
The light test — real cards have a thin black/dark layer inside the cardboard; shine a torch through the card — genuine cards block most light, fakes glow.
Colour & texture — washed-out or over-saturated printing, glossy-all-over surfaces, and missing holo texture are red flags.
Compare online — the scanner on this site matches your photo to the official card database — if the artwork or number doesn’t match anything, be suspicious.
The Trainer’s Journey — what you can earn here
Card Dex isn’t just a scanner: every card you file, set you chase, pack you rip and battle you win grows your Trainer Score, mints Dex Coins on the public ledger, and unlocks badges — some serial-numbered, a few that only ONE collector on this site will ever own.
The Level Ladder
The Badge Book
Coloured = earned. Grey = still out there. Serial numbers are claim-order, forever.
Dex Coins — earn by playing, spend in the shop
Daily missions pay 10 each (25 bonus for all three, 150 every 7th streak day), packs pay 10, arena wins pay 50, and binder saves pay 5. Spend them on avatar pokéballs, arena budget boosts and Badge Gacha pulls — every coin is minted on a public, tamper-evident ledger with a 5,000,000 circulating cap. See the live ledger →
Ready to test it? ✨
Grab any card, snap a photo, and let the scanner decode it for you — number, set, rarity and today’s market value.