The world of Pokémon cards is a vast and seemingly ever growing one. Millennials are getting back into the hobby after 20 years. They are starting to have kids who are also starting to buy, sell, and trade with their friends. And no matter where you sit in this, it’s likely you have run across some Pokémon card terminology that you don’t know, but should.
If you are one of these fine folks, you are not alone. Tons of children and adults alike are finding themselves getting into the hobby and are stumbling across terminology that you just don’t understand.
If you find yourself in that position (which we all do sometimes), then this article is for you. We will equip you with all of the basics and more so that you can take one step closer to Pokémon card mastery!
Let’s jump in!
“Raw” Pokémon Card
A “raw” Pokémon card simply means a card that has not been graded. Any card that you pull directly from a pack is a “raw” card. Any that you find in a graded case (covered below) is not considered raw.
Holo (Holographic) Pokémon Card
A holographic or “holo” card describes a card that has a special shiny surface that helps to give the card additional depth and color. Holographic cards are far more sought after than their non-holo counterparts and will almost always be more expensive (with a few exceptions of course).
If you are trying to identify your cards properly, check out my other article on how to do just that!
Reverse Holo (Holographic) Pokémon Card
A reverse holo Pokémon card refers to a card whose holo pattern is on the body of the card rather than the main picture. As we can see with our Psyduck above, the shiny holographic part is around the entire card with the exception of the main picture.
Depending on the card, the reverse holo version can be as and more sought after than the holo counterpart.
Pokémon Card “Set”
The “set” of a Pokémon card refers to a group of cards that were released together at the same time. When Pokémon cards get released, they do so mostly via these sets rather than an individual basis.
While the set won’t typically be named on cards, there will be a symbol that represents the set the card is from. On Vintage cards, the symbol will be in the center-right part of the card. On modern they will typically be along the bottom.
The best way to figure out what set a card is from is to look it up online. If I wanted to look up the Nidoqueen below, I would search “1st Edition Nidoqueen 7/64.
From there, multiple websites would populate showing it is from the “Jungle” set. If I go to the Pricecharting website, I could click on the “Pokemon Jungle” link and it would take me to the entire list of cards within that set!
Pokémon Card “Era”
The “Era” of a Pokémon Card Set refers to a group of sets. This grouping typically revolves around a certain set of Pokémon and/or a certain “theme”.
As an example, the E-Card Series “Era” is a group of sets that could be used with an E-Reader Machine that was released during that time.
The Sword and Shield set first released V and VMAX cards. These cards added a whole new dynamic to Pokémon evolution and battling that wasn’t seen before then.
1st Edition
If you hear of a card being a “1st Edition”, then it simply means that the card was part of the first print run of that particular set. It also means that it will have a stamp on the card, similar to the one shown in the above picture.
While that may not seem like a big deal, first edition cards are far more sought after and will sell for far higher prices than their non 1st edition counterparts.
Shadowless
A “shadowless” Pokémon card refers to one that does not have a shadow along the right hand side of the picture. This only applies to one particular set of Pokémon cards, which was one of the original base sets that was printed.
No other cards outside of that set will be considered shadowless. If you happen to have a few of these, know that they are more special than standard cards and that they will sell for a premium over what is known as the unlimited version of the card.
“Vintage” Pokémon Cards
Vintage Pokémon cards refer to the originally released cards and sets sometime around 15-20 years ago. Collectors agree that all Wizards of the Coast cards are vintage.
Vintage Pokémon card then particularly refer to the Base Set, Base Set 2, Jungle, Fossil, Team Rocket, Gym Heroes, Gym Challenge, Neo, Legendary Collection, and eReader card sets.
While the EX series isn’t as formally considered Vintage, it is still 15-20 years old at this point. So I can’t say anyone would be wrong for considering those cards (Dragon Frontiers, Delta Species, Team Rocket Returns, Dragon, Ruby & Sapphire) vintage also.
WOTC – Wizards of The Coast Pokémon Cards
Wizards of the Coast is a company that Pokémon originally worked with to print the original Pokémon TCG cards. They printed cards for Pokémon from 1998 to 2003 before Pokémon took over the printing process themselves.
The Pokémon Card sets that were printed by Wizards of the Coast included Base Set, Base Set 2, Jungle, Fossil, Team Rocket, Gym Heroes, Gym Challenge, Neo, Legendary Collection, and eReader card sets.
Error Card
Error cards are cards that were printed incorrectly from what they were supposed to be from the factory. I’ll have to write another entire article to cover what some of these are but some of the common ones are things like a no symbol Jolteon, holo bleeds, or missing HP or damage cards.
If you are able to find out that you have one, know there is a market for them and people will typically pay more because they are more rare than the original card itself.
Mis-Cut Card
A mis-cut Pokémon card is a card that has been cut poorly enough that there is a tiny black alignment dot showing on the edge of the card. Interestingly enough, that alignment dot is the only thing separating a mis-cut card from an off-center card.
An off-center card refers to a card that is not centered very well. This means that there is more border showing on one side or another, which is something that collectors look for.
Ultimately then, an off-center card hurts the value of the card overall.
A mis-cut card however is quite sought after. They have a unique buyer base that will actually pay a lot more for a mis-cut card than one in its original form.
If you want to read into this topic more deeply, check out my other article doing just that!
Pokémon Card Swirl
A swirl refers to a literal swirl in some holographic Pokémon cards. They aren’t in every card, but they do show up a decent amount of the time.
A nicely placed swirl can indeed get you more money for your cards. It won’t be anything massive, but you can see people pay a slightly higher price for cards that have them.
At the very least, I think we can all agree that they look pretty dang cool.
Pokémon Card Whitening
Whitening when speaking about Pokémon cards refers to the amount of white showing on the back of the card. This typically shows itself around the edges of the card and signifies that a card has been played or used.
If we look at the picture above, the card on the left has no whitening at all and could be considered Near Mint (NM). The middle has a bit more and would be considered Moderately Played (MP) the right card has a lot (and has certainly seen better days).
Whitening is important because it will determine the condition of the card, which can net you a higher grade and earn you more money for your cards. In other words, the less whitening you have on your cards, the better!
Proxy Pokémon Card
A Proxy Pokémon card refers to a card that was created by someone and not the official Pokémon Company. People create proxy cards so that others can get the nostalgia of having an old card without spending the hundreds or thousands of dollars it may take to get it.
Unfortunately though, a number of people try to sell proxy cards as real. Check out my other article on how to spot fake Pokémon cards if you would like to dive into that further.
Conditions of Pokémon Cards: NM, LP, MP, HP, DMG
When browsing online for Pokémon cards, you will likely run across the above letters in the description of the card being sold. The meanings of these are as follows.
- M – Mint – The card is in perfect condition and has no scratches, dents, marks, or otherwise
- NM – Near Mint – The card has very little to no scratching, whitening, or otherwise
- LP – Lightly Played – The card has very minimal scratching, whitening, or otherwise
- MP – Moderately Played – The card has noticeable scratching , whitening, or otherwise
- HP – Heavily Played – The card has a lot of scratching, whitening, and otherwise
- DMG – Damaged – The card has a bend, tear, folding, or warping. Regardless of how nice the card is, a small bend, bulge or otherwise will drastically reduce the value of the card.
Pokémon Card Packaging Terminology
Penny Sleeve
A Penny Sleeve is a clear plastic casing that you use to protect your Pokémon cards. Most binders at this point are made so that you can fit your Pokémon cards in a penny sleeve to protect them from scratching while storing them safely.
I highly recommend keeping your cards in sleeves, especially your nice ones. My favorite is Ultra Pro Clear Card Sleeves, but you can’t go wrong with Dragon Shield or TitanShield as well.
Sleeved
A “sleeved” Pokémon Card simply means a card that is in a penny sleeve. So if you hear or see someone say to “get that card sleeved”, that’s what it means.
To restate the above as well, sleeving your Pokémon cards is a great way to protect them from dings and scratches. They are incredibly cheap but can keep your cards looking in great shape!
Double Sleeved
You can probably guess what this means based on the above. Some people recommend double sleeving cards for even more card protection.
To do this, you would put your card in a perfect fit sleeve first then put it into a second case, with the openings fitting the opposite direction from one another.
This is an incredibly common practice if you are playing the Pokémon card game. It will keep your cards in great condition even through shuffling, dealing, and flipping cards over and over again.
If you’re not playing with them though, most would agree one sleeve is more than enough protection.
Top Loader
A top loader is a rigid plastic case that is used to protect your Pokémon card from damages. It is a great way to ship cards safely without needing a ton of protective padding.
**When putting a Pokémon card inside a top loader, be absolutely sure to put it in a penny sleeve first.** Because of it’s rigidity, the case can damage a card if not protected first with a penny sleeve.
My favorite are once again by Ultra Pro. I’ve found that they have a wide enough “mouth” that the card doesn’t get pressed on or messed with vs some other brands that I’ve tried.
In protecting your cards without a binder, a penny sleeve (potentially two) inside a top loader will make it very difficult to do any damage to your cards, even if you move and shuffle them around.
Card Savers / Semi-Rigid Card Holders
Similar to top loaders, card savers (aka semi-rigid card holders) are another great way to protect your Pokémon cards. Card Savers are one actual brand for these sleeves and are the gold standard in card protection
When sending cards in for grading, these are what is recommended (with your penny sleeves of course). While top loaders are great, they are tougher to get cards out of and can cause damage more easily.
The most picky of collectors prefer card savers to top loaders when shipping and storing their cards. As you may have gathered though, they are not as sturdy as top loaders and will need extra protection if shipping your cards in them.
Pokémon Card Grading Terminology
Pokémon card values have spiked several times over since their inception. And with that spike in value, collectors and sellers are trying to maximize their card value through a process known as “grading”.
If you don’t know what that means, then you are in the right place. Let’s get to it!
“Graded” Pokémon Cards
A graded Pokémon card is one that was sent to a company to designate a grade to that card. Typically, these grades range from 1-10 with some giving .5 ratings in between. A 10 is considered “Pristine” and will sell for more than any other grade. The lower the grade, the worse condition it is in.
The above Venusaur is graded by PSA and is an example of what a graded card would look like. If you’d like to learn more about graded cards, check out my other article covering some card grading basics.
If you’re curious about what grade your card may get, then check out my article on figuring that out.
Slabbed
If a Pokémon card is “slabbed”, it simply means that the card is graded. In other words, slabbed is a synonym for graded.
CGC, PSA, BGS (Beckett)
When you hear about Pokémon card grading, the three main companies that you will hear about are PSA, BGS (Beckett), and CGC. If you hear CGC 8, BGS 9.5, PSA 6 then, know that is referencing the company that was used to grade the card you are looking into and the respective grade the card got. There are quite a few others, but in the U.S. these are the gold standard for grading.
If you are looking to get your cards graded, I would highly recommend sticking with one of these three. If you would like to dive more into grading, check out my other article here!
Crack and Re-Send
If you hear about someone “cracking” their graded card, it literally means cracking or breaking the case open to get the card out. Why would someone do this? Ultimately, the grading process is not perfect and is mostly done by a person.
This said person may or may not be more judgmental of a particular card on a particular day, so some people will resend cards that they felt should have a better grade than it got. How should you go about cracking your case if you’re interested in doing this? I’ll let this YouTube video describe it.
Pokémon Card Centering
When looking into grading your cards, you will hear people discuss the “centering” of the card. This refers to how centered the picture of the card is to the card itself. This is most easily seen on the back of the card.
If we take a look at the picture above, would you consider that to be good or bad centering?
While likely not the worst you’ve ever seen, the above card has poor centering. You can see how much more blue edge shows on the left and bottom of the card vs the top and right.
The reason centering is so important is that poor centering will hurt the grade and ultimately the value of a card. And the unfortunate part is that pack fresh cards can be perfect in every other way, but can still be off-centered. So the card above would unfortunately not get a 10 because of that.
Summary
There you have it! Some common terms to know in the Pokémon card world. If there’s any I missed, send me an email at [email protected]!
Wondering if Pokemon cards are a good investment? Check out my article here!
Want to see some expensive Charizard cards? Look no further.
Looking to sell some Pokémon cards? Send me an email at [email protected] and check out my other article!