Guides
Collecting basics
Collecting basics5 min read
How to tell a reverse holo from a holo
Identify holo, reverse holo and normal Pokémon cards, check modern foil borders and special patterns, and record the printing you actually own.
Collecting basics4 min read
Pokémon holo patterns and foil types
Holo, reverse holo and named foil patterns like cosmos, Poké Ball and Master Ball: where the foil sits, how to compare them and how to record each printing.
Collecting basics5 min read
What counts toward a master set
Master set vs complete set, and what a Grand Master set means: choose your printing scope, count the right slots and turn missing printings into a want list.
Collecting basics4 min read
Why a Pokémon set’s card count differs: 151 has 207 cards
Numbered cards, secret rares, related subsets and master-set printings: why one set shows several card counts, with 151’s 165 numbered and 207 total.
Collecting basics5 min read
What does 001/165 mean? How to read a Pokémon card number
What the two numbers on a Pokémon card mean, plus set codes, gallery prefixes and promo series. Check the artwork, language and printing before adding a copy.
Collecting basics5 min read
How to organize a Pokémon card binder
Plan a Pokémon binder by set, printing or theme. Count pockets correctly, label missing cards and turn a digital checklist into a physical layout.
Collecting basics5 min read
What is a Pokémon TCG prerelease?
Pokémon TCG prerelease explained: what the Build & Battle Box contains, the 40-card format, and how to sort your expansion cards and stamped promo afterward.
Collecting basics5 min read
What card grades mean: PSA, CGC and Beckett
Compare PSA, CGC and BGS grades, legacy CGC 9.5 labels and BGS Black Labels. Check a slab’s cert and keep its exact grading details in your collection.
Collecting basics4 min read
Pokémon card conditions explained
Pokémon card condition from NM to Damaged: Near Mint, Lightly Played and Moderately Played compared by edges, surface and bends, and how to record it.
Collecting basics5 min read
How to track your Pokémon card collection
What to record for each card, the main ways to track a collection (a spreadsheet, Collectr, Dex, Pokéllector or House of Holos) and how to choose between them.
Collecting basics4 min read
How to collect a living Pokédex
One card of every Pokémon, from Bulbasaur to Pecharunt: what counts, rules collectors add, how to plan the binder and how to track it.
Collecting basics3 min read
Collecting Pokémon cards by illustrator
Where to find the artist on a card, who has drawn the most cards, ways to scope an illustrator collection, and how to track it.
How to
How to8 min read
Bring your collection over from another app
Export your collection, try a no-account preview of the first 200 rows, then review printings, quantities, folders and costs before saving after sign-in.
How to5 min read
Make a binder for the cards you love
Every set gets a binder with empty sleeves for what’s missing. Make, arrange and share your own too, for chase cards, a favorite Pokémon or trade bait.
How to4 min read
Log a rip, then share your pulls
Record the packs and boxes you open and what you paid, see what came out, and share your collection or a set with a link or a picture.
How to2 min read
Add a graded slab by its cert number
Type the cert number from the label, find the card, and your slab shows its grade and links back to the grader’s record.
How to3 min read
Record what you paid for your cards
Record purchase costs, see your total paid and find cards without a cost. These are your spending records, not market valuations.
How to2 min read
Keep a wishlist and print a want list
Keep your chase cards together, note how many you want and print a want list for a card show. Move a card into your collection when you get it.
How to5 min read
Prepare for a Pokémon card show
Build an exact-printing want list, check quantities and physical extras, choose what to print or share, and reconcile your collection after the event.
How to2 min read
Search tips: find any card fast
Typos and accents are forgiven, a number narrows it down, and set codes and artists work too.
How to6 min read
Move your collection from a spreadsheet
Prepare a Pokémon collection CSV, preview the first 200 rows without an account, choose columns and check quantities before the full signed-in import.