Pokémon card rarity symbols explained, from the circle to three gold stars
Vishwen Labs
The small symbol at the bottom of a Pokémon card is its rarity: a circle for common, a diamond for uncommon, a star for rare, and a black star with PROMO across it for promotional cards. Scarlet & Violet cards, from 2023 onward, added tiers on top of the star: double rare with two black stars, ultra rare with two silver stars, illustration rare with one gold star, special illustration rare with two gold stars and hyper rare with three. A card numbered above its set's advertised size is a secret rare. Rarity is a strong hint about value and not the same thing as value.
The three base symbols, and the promo star
TCGplayer's rarity guide lists them: “Common cards have a black circle. Uncommon cards have a black diamond. Rare cards have a black star.” Promos carry “a black star with the word PROMO printed over it,” and cards from certain products “do not have a rarity symbol. Instead, they have a colored silhouette of the main Pokémon associated with the product.” Within the star tier, “Rare Holo cards have a black star and a shiny (foil) illustration,” and in many English sets a holo rare has a non-holo twin at a lower rarity under a different collector number.
Reverse holo is a finish, not a rarity
Any card at rare holo or below can also come as a reverse holo, “foil on every part of the card except the illustration,” and TCGplayer notes that this “does not change its rarity or collector card number.” Because every booster pack contains one, reverse holos “are not usually much more valuable than their regular versions,” with exceptions for a few sought-after cards and sets. The app's price data keeps normal, holo and reverse holo apart.
Scarlet & Violet's tiers
pokemon.com described the 2023 revamp itself. Double rare cards “are represented with two solid black stars” and hold Pokémon ex. Ultra rare cards “are represented by two shiny foil stars” and are the full-art versions of Pokémon ex and some Supporters. Illustration rare “will be represented by one shiny gold star,” alternate-art full-art versions of common, uncommon and rare Pokémon. Special illustration rare covers alternate-art Pokémon ex and Supporter cards with two gold stars. Hyper rare cards “will be represented with three shiny gold stars,” the gilded cards “previously known as secret rare.” Later Scarlet & Violet sets added coloured stars for other tiers, such as ACE SPEC and shiny cards; the star colour is the tell.
Older ultra rares and the secret rares
Before Scarlet & Violet the top tier was simply called ultra rare: foil cards with a distinct mechanic or look, and TCGplayer's list runs from Pokémon ex and Pokémon star through LV.X, LEGEND, Prime, EX, GX, V, VMAX and VSTAR. Secret rares are the numbered-above-the-set cards, “usually foil with a unique appearance,” and, like holo rares, often a fancier twin of a card that exists at a lower rarity. Radiant Pokémon, Amazing Rares and Shiny Vault cards each had their own marks in their eras; a set's card list on pokemon.com names every rarity it uses.
Rarity and price
Rarity sets the odds of pulling a card, and price follows demand for a particular card at those odds. An illustration rare of a beloved Pokémon can outsell a hyper rare of an unloved one; a common from 1999 in a 1st Edition set can outsell a modern double rare. The rarity symbol tells you where to look first and never what to expect: check the print's actual sales, which is what the value guide is about, and treat the symbol as the reason a price is high rather than the proof.
TCG Card Scanner is an unofficial, independent app from Vishwen Labs. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or associated with The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, Creatures Inc. or GAME FREAK. Pokémon and all related names, marks and card artwork are trademarks and copyrights of their owners. Card data and prices come from the public sources named on these pages, and nothing here is advice to buy, sell or grade a card.
Questions people also ask
What is the rarest Pokémon card symbol?
On current English cards, three gold stars, the hyper rare tier, which pokemon.com describes as the cards previously known as secret rare. Rarest symbol is not the same as most valuable: an older 1st Edition holo with a plain black star can be worth far more.
Is a reverse holo rarer than a holo?
No. Reverse holo is a finish that any common, uncommon or rare can come in, one per booster pack, and TCGplayer notes it does not change a card's rarity or collector number. A holo rare has the foil on the illustration and its own place in the set.
