Open a Pokémon TCG price guide and the first thing that hits you is a wall of symbols — circles, diamonds, stars, and combinations of all three. Here's what they actually mean, and why two cards pulled from the same booster pack can sit at completely different price points.
The four core rarities
Every modern expansion is built on the same base structure:
Common (circle) — the Basic Pokémon and simple Trainer cards that make up the bulk of the set. Not exciting to pull, but essential to actually building a deck.
Uncommon (diamond) — typically the evolved forms and slightly stronger Trainer cards. Still plentiful, but scarcer than Commons.
Rare (star) — a step up in pull rate, usually printed in a holo finish across the full artwork.
Double Rare (two stars) — reserved for ex Pokémon, always foil, and the tier most players are hoping to see when they open a pack.
Reverse Holo: the exception that applies to everything
Alongside the four core rarities, almost any Common, Uncommon, Rare or Double Rare can also exist as a Reverse Holo. The artwork and card text stay identical — what changes is a foil pattern that covers the background and border instead of the illustration itself. A full master set of a modern expansion includes a Reverse Holo of every card from Common up to Double Rare, on top of the Normal print run.
Where the real money sits
Above Double Rare, expansions carry a run of secret rares numbered beyond the main set — Illustration Rares, Ultra Rares, Special Illustration Rares and the odd Hyper Rare. These are the alternate-art chase cards that dominate price guides. It's worth knowing that the standard Double Rare print of a headline Pokémon and its Special Illustration Rare alternate art are two completely different cards with very different values, even though they show the same Pokémon.
Building towards a full set
If you're working through a checklist rather than chasing chase cards, Commons and Uncommons are the cheapest and easiest part of any expansion to complete. We stock singles from Pitch Black and Phantasmal Flames in both Normal and Reverse Holo finishes, alongside Rares like Armarouge and Double Rares such as Mega Darkrai ex. If you'd rather open packs than buy singles, our booster boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes are stocked too.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a Rare and a Double Rare?
A Rare is a single-star card, usually a standard Pokémon in a holo finish. A Double Rare carries an ex Pokémon and always prints as foil, sitting above Rare in both pull rate and typical value.
Do Reverse Holo cards use the same artwork as the Normal version?
Yes — identical artwork and text, with a foil pattern across the background and border instead of the illustration.
Are Common and Uncommon cards worth collecting?
They carry little individual resale value, but completing a full run of Commons and Uncommons is a genuine collecting goal, and they're essential for actually building a deck.