What do the symbols mean on Pokemon cards?

Learn all about the different symbols on a Pokemon TCG card, including their set identifiers, symbols, rarity, promotional stamps, and their effect on a trading card’s value.

Pokemon TCG cards contain several helpful symbols that have changed since the base set, as well as different stamps to set the card apart. Here we are covering the different symbols you’ll find on a Pokemon card, as well as what they can tell you about a card.

Once you learn all these symbols, you’ll find it a lot easier to determine if your Pokemon card is real or fake, determine how much a card is worth, play Pokemon TCG, and to organize your collection.

Contents

• What do the symbols on Pokemon cards mean?
• Pokemon card Set Identifiers and set Symbols
• Pokemon card rarity symbols
• Stamped Pokemon cards

Pokemon card symbols explained

Even the color scheme of a Pokemon card tells you something. For example, the Roaring Moon ex-card below is a Golden Pokemon card. This color is typically used for Secret and Hyper Rare Pokemon cards, represented by the three golden stars in the bottom left corner of the card.

• Series set symbol:
  • shows this Roaring Moon ex is from the English Paradox Rift set
  • Previously to these set identifiers, there was a symbol like this Chilling Reign symbol instead:

• Regulation checkmark: Left of the series symbol is the regulation checkmark ‘G’. These determine if the card is legal in standard tournament play.
• Collector Number: On the right of the set identifier symbol is the collector number that tells you the number of the Pokemon card within the total cards in the expansion it belongs to.
• Rarity symbol: On the right of the collector number is a rarity symbol, in the case of Roaring Moon it has three stars, meaning the card is a secret rare.
• Type symbol: This energy symbol denotes that the card is Darkness-type. These energy symbols also appear next to its attacks, showing which energy needs to be attached to the Pokemon in question so that can use its moves.
• Health points: On the left of the energy symbol is a Health Point number, HP for short. This tells you how much damage the card can take before it is removed from the field.
• Trait: below the HP and Type symbols is a trait box, introduced in the Paradox Rift expansion to Scarlet & Violet. This Roaring Moon ex is an Ancient type, there are also Future types. These cards have special supporters that can only be attached to these kinds of Pokemon.
• Rule box: ex, V, Tag Team, Pokemon, etc. have these, certain card effects will target Pokemon with rule boxes.

Pokemon card set identifiers and set symbols

Of the Pokemon symbols in the bottom left corner, one is either a set identifier, as seen in post-Scarlet & Violet expansions, or a set symbol from the 1999 Jungle set onwards.

You can find the different set identifiers and symbols in the table below from the base set until the present day.

Pokemon card rarity symbols

These rarity symbols are stamped in the bottom left of your Pokemon cards. The designations go from common, represented by a circle, to Hyper Rare, represented by three golden stars.

An illustration of the above table showing the rarity symbols on Pokemon cards.

Stamped Pokemon card symbols

Some Pokemon cards will have stamps to designate the set they came from. For example, the Pokemon holiday calendar cards all have a silvery snowflake.

Above is a Vivid Voltage Charizard with a STAFF stamp from 2020, a league promo Pikachu with a Play! Pokemon stamp and a Professor Oak’s Research card with a Professor Program stamp.

• STAFF cards – First given out in 2007 during Diamond and Pearl for promos, the STAFF stamped cards were typically given to stores and for staff at events. They were discontinued after Vivid Voltage in 2020 and typically add value to a Pokemon card.
• Play! Pokemon watermark stamps were awarded from 2010 onwards, especially to championship and league competitors.
• Pokemon Professor stamped cards are handed out at Pokemon Professor cups, such as the 2022 Stuttgart cup where the top 8 were given Professor Stamped “Friends in Galar” cards, where the winner received the card with an additional “Champion” stamp. These cards are scarce and therefore valuable.
• Anniversary stamped cards are given out for landmark anniversaries, some of these cards can be quite pricey, and others not so much – like this Professor Burnett, 25th-anniversary card.

There are a lot of miscellaneous stamped cards, for pre-releases, as well as for stamped cards within a set. For a more comprehensive guide on these, watch this space.

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