Pokémon card rarity symbols, explained
The circle, diamond and star have meant the same three things since 1999 — everything else was bolted on later.
Every English Pokémon card carries a small rarity mark next to its collector number. Three shapes have meant the same thing since 1999, and almost everything confusing about modern rarity is what got built on top of them.
The counts below come from this catalog — all 20,247 English cards across 174 sets — so they describe what actually exists rather than what the rulebook implies.
The three original symbols
A filled circle is Common, a filled diamond is Uncommon, and a filled star is Rare. That is the whole system, and it still covers more than half of every English card ever printed: 5,295 Commons, 4,857 Uncommons and 2,551 plain Rares in this catalog.
The symbol tells you how often the card appeared in a booster pack — not what it is worth. A Common from 1999 in good condition can be worth more than a Rare from last year. Scarcity and demand are different things, and only one of them is printed on the card.
Holo, and the reverse holo that confuses everyone
A Rare Holo has the same black star, but the artwork panel is foil. There are 1,617 of them here — the classic "shiny card" of the Wizards era.
Reverse holo is the opposite treatment: the card is foil everywhere EXCEPT the artwork. It carries whatever rarity symbol the base card had, which is exactly why it trips people up — a reverse holo Common is still stamped with a circle. It is a separate printing of the same card, and to a set collector it is a separate thing to own.
Modern rarities, and why there are 38 of them
From Sun & Moon onward the star stopped being enough, and each era added its own tier. This catalog holds 38 distinct rarity values. The ones you are most likely to be holding:
| Rarity | Cards in this catalog |
|---|---|
| Rare Ultra | 798 |
| Illustration Rare | 423 |
| Ultra Rare | 348 |
| Rare Secret | 325 |
| Rare Rainbow | 324 |
| Double Rare | 311 |
| Special Illustration Rare | 215 |
| Trainer Gallery Rare Holo | 80 |
| Hyper Rare | 74 |
The number tells you more than the symbol
A collector number above the set total is the real signal. If your card reads 238/191, it is a secret rare — printed beyond the numbered main set, and by design the hardest thing in the box to pull.
That single check is more reliable than squinting at a symbol, and it works on a card in a sleeve.
Common questions
What do the circle, diamond and star mean on a Pokémon card?
A filled circle means Common, a filled diamond means Uncommon, and a filled star means Rare. The symbol describes how often the card appeared in booster packs, not what it is worth.
Is a reverse holo rarer than a normal card?
Not by rarity symbol — a reverse holo keeps whatever symbol the base card had, so a reverse holo Common still shows a circle. It is a separate printing of the same card, and set collectors treat it as a separate thing to own.
What does it mean when the card number is higher than the set total?
It is a secret rare. A card numbered 238/191 sits beyond the numbered main set, and those are deliberately the hardest cards to pull.
Let the app do the identifying
Point the camera and Trackr names the card, the set and the exact printing — reverse holos kept separate from base cards. Free to start.
Get Trackr TCG