Pokémon Life

Every Pokémon card tells you exactly where it comes from, once you know where to look. Two marks, the set symbol and the collector number, identify any card printed since 1999.

The set symbol

On the right side of the card, next to the card number at the bottom (or beside the HP on the oldest layouts), sits a small icon unique to each expansion: Jungle's flower, Fossil's claw, Team Rocket's R. One famous exception: the original Base Set has no symbol at all, so a vintage card with no set symbol is a Base Set card by definition.

The collector number

The number in the corner reads like 25/102: card 25 of a 102-card set. A first number higher than the second (like 104/102) marks a secret rare. Combined with the rarity mark (circle, diamond, star), the number pins the exact card and its pull rarity. Our rarities guide explains that half of the equation.

Reading the era at a glance

1999-2003	Wizards logo on the back bottom, classic yellow border
2003-2006	EX era: Nintendo replaces Wizards in the copyright line
2007-2011	Diamond and Pearl era: silver bottom bar, LV.X chase cards
2011 on	Modern layouts: Black & White onward, bolder frames and full arts

Once you can read symbol, number and era, you can identify any card in a binder in seconds, which is the first skill of both the player building a legal deck and the collector checking a purchase. For the history behind each era, see the history of the TCG.