Guides
Pokémon card guides
Every guide answers one question people type about their Pokémon cards, with the definitions quoted from TCGplayer, Cardmarket, PSA and pokemon.com and dated, since prices and fees move. No sign-up, no email wall.
Value
What a card is worth, what the two marketplaces' numbers mean, and whether grading pays
Where prices come from and what moves them, TCGplayer's Market Price against Cardmarket's Trend in two currencies, and PSA's scale and 2026 fees put into a sum.
How much are my Pokémon cards worth, and how do you check?A Pokémon card is worth what buyers recently paid for that exact print in that condition. Where the numbers come from, what moves them, how to check.Read the guide →
TCGplayer Market Price vs Cardmarket Trend price: what each number meansTCGplayer's Market Price, Listed Median and Most Recent Sale in its own words; Cardmarket's Trend, Average Sell, Low and day averages; why they differ.Read the guide →
Is grading Pokémon cards worth it?PSA's Gem Mint 10 and Mint 9 standards, what grading cost in 2026 after PSA paused its Value tiers, and the sum that decides whether to send a card.Read the guide →
Identifying
The set symbol and number, the rarity symbols, the variants, and the fakes
Reading the bottom edge of a card, every rarity symbol from the circle to three gold stars, holo, reverse holo, 1st Edition and shadowless, and the checks that catch a counterfeit.
How to identify a Pokémon card: the set symbol, the set code and the collector numberRead the bottom edge: the set symbol or set code, the collector number like 025/198, the regulation mark and the copyright year say which print you hold.Read the guide →
Pokémon card rarity symbols explained, from the circle to three gold starsCircle, diamond, star; promo; double, ultra, illustration, special illustration and hyper rare by their stars; secret rares. What each means for the price.Read the guide →
Holo, reverse holo and 1st Edition: the Pokémon card variants that change the priceThe variants that change a card's price: holo and reverse holo, 1st Edition and shadowless Base Set, promo stamps, Japanese prints. How to tell them apart.Read the guide →
How to tell if a Pokémon card is fakeThe Pokémon Company's light test, the texture, print, font and back checks collectors use, the too-good price, and what a scanner app cannot tell you.Read the guide →
The collection
Cataloguing a collection, and judging condition
A step-by-step method from a shoebox to a valued list with a wishlist and an export, and TCGplayer's five condition grades in its own words.
How to catalog your Pokémon card collectionSort by set, scan or search each card, confirm the print, record condition, quantity and price paid, keep a wishlist, and export the list.Read the guide →
Pokémon card condition guide: Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played, DamagedTCGplayer's five conditions in its own words, Cardmarket's seven, how condition moves the price, and how to judge a card under a light.Read the guide →
TCG Card Scanner is free to start on the App Store: five scans a month and a 15-card collection, with unlimited scanning and the market prices in Premium.
Download on theApp Store