Introduction
I know a lot about pokemon cards. Not as much as some people, but I know how to buy, value, sell, and trade them. I don't have all the cards memorized, and there's a lot of information that goes into figuring out exactly what card you have and how to value it, as well as avoiding scams when trading. It's not entirely straightforward. Hopefully this is helpful to someone. If not, at the very least I will be making E2 more "complete"; marginally closer to encompassing "everything".
Many cards can look almost identical to the casual observer, but there are small cosmetic elements to the card that can cause them to be
much more valuable, more rare, or even just considered a "different card". The same card may appear in different sets, have alternate-arts, secret-arts, holographic and reverse holographic variants. It may be "shadowless", or it may be "first edition". All of these are things to take into account when one is trying to figure out what type of card they have.
Card conditions
Cards can come in six different conditions: "mint", "near mint", "lightly played", "moderately played", "heavily played", or "damaged". These will often be abbreviated as M, NM, LP, MP, HP, DMG. A card that is ungraded but in perfect condition is always referred to as "near mint" even if it's fresh from the pack; a card is ONLY considered mint if it has been graded and is deemed by the grading company to be of "mint" grade (more about grading down below).
Lightly played will have very very slight damage (perhaps a small amount of whitening on the back edge), moderately played will have moderate wear (more whitening, maybe some scratches, heavily played will have heavy wear (a lot of whitening, a lot of scratches), and "damaged" means the card is ripped, torn, creased, or visably scratched even in very low light.
Holo, reverse holo, full holo, and holo-bleed
The term "holographic" or "holo" refers to a layer of reflective, sparkly foil that is integrated into the card in order to make the card, well, sparkle. They're usually just called "holos". However, people talk about "reverse holos", "full art holos", "cracked ice holos", etc. How confusing, what could it all mean?
If a card is just labeled as "holo" but there are no modifiers on the word "holo", that means that the reflective foil is solely within the box that contains the image of the pokémon, on the top half of the card. Sometimes the pokémon will be holographic, sometimes the backdrop will be holographic. The point is that the foil doesn't show anywhere else on the card.
A "reverse holo" card is the opposite: the image of the card is not holographic, but the entire card outside of the frame/box is holo.
"Holo bleed" is when the holofoil on a reverse holo "bleeds through" into the box, or the holofoil on a regular holo card bleeds through into the rest of the card.
Full art cards
"Full art" in essence means that the art of the card takes up the entire card; the card is "fully" art. Usually there is text on top of the art, but the image is not contained strictly within the little box as with a typical pokemon cards. Perhaps a person will encompass the entire surface of the card, or a pokemon, or even a nature scene. Usually, full-art cards will be holographic also throughout the entirety of the card's surface.
Shadowless and first-edition cards
The very first print run of the very first set did not have the drop-shadow around the image frame in the upper-half of the card. These cards are referred to as "shadowless" cards and are worth more than their shadowey counterparts.
The first cards printed in a print-run of a particular pokémon will have the first-edition symbol on the card. It is a small symbol below the lower-left portion of the image frame that says "edition 1". To me it looks reminiscent of a pawprint. These first editions are often worth much more than their counterparts.
The most valuable cards are an amalgam of the three: first edition shadowless holo cards sell for a LOT more than the unlimited cards. For example, I got my holographic shadowless ninetales for 25 dollars. If you tack a first edition symbol on this card, they sell for around 400 dollars.
Grading cards
There are companies that can be paid to examine a card's condition and assign a "grade" to the card. The grade signifies the condition of the card, with a high grade meaning the card is nearer to mint condition. The grading company will then place this card in a "slab", which is like a protective toploader on steroids, and will keep the card safe forever and ever. The slab will have a code that leads to the card's entry on the grading company's website/database/whatever, and the grade will be posted on the slab as well.
The value of the card is further impacted by the company that grades the card; there are several "reputable" or "primary" grading companies; PSA, CGC, and Beckett. PSA is considered the absolute highest in value, and they have a lot of clout, and as a result are the priciest. These companies also grade sports cards, comic books, and all kinds of collectibles.
(PSA were the ones to grade the One Ring card in Magic: The Gathering, which sold for over two million dollars. There is only one singular copy of that card in existence. I remember seeing the video that the guy took after having opened the card. He was trembling. Talk about clout.)
The price of grading is often steep, especially if the card has a higher declared value. Most all grading companies have an option to submit cards in bulk at a reduced price per card, but I don't own enough valuable cards to make this a financially responsible decision.
Sets and set releases
What are sets?
Every card is released along with a series of other cards, and those cards collectively are called a "set". For example, the first print runs of Pokémon cards were released in the "base" set. After the base set was finished printing, they released the "jungle" set, which had many cards from the base, but also new and unique cards. Some cards can only be found in certain sets. There are dozens of these sets, all of which were released for a limited time and before the print-run stopped (unless they re-release a set later and do another print run). For example, the very first print run of the first generation of Pokémon are in what is called the "base set".
Sometimes, subsequent sets can be in the same "series" of sets. However, even if they have cosmetically identical cards (minus set symbols and number in set), every set will always have cards unique to that set specifically. For example, there is a holographic Flareon in both the Jungle set (3/64) and a holographic Flareon in the Legendary Collection set (10/110) (However, the Legendary Collection Flareon can be reverse holographic, which is worth a lot more and is the singular card I lust after the most but will likely never own.)
I will list all the sets here, in order of release (spare the McDonalds sets, which I will place at the end.)
How to tell what set a card is in
Each card within the set contains a number which details which position it is within the set. For example, there are officially 102 cards in the "base set", and a Vulpix from that set has a 68/102. This, along with the lack of a set symbol, identifies that Vulpix as the one from the "base set", because the base goes up to 102 and has no set symbol. There may be other sets with the same number of cards; if this is the case, there will be one and only one set that has a Vulpix in the 68/102 position.
In all sets except the base set, you will also see a unique symbol for the set either in the corner of the card or in the lower-right corner of the illustration. If you are familiar with the symbols, you will know exactly what set the cards came from, because each symbol is unique to its respective set. Some sets, however, will have multiple symbols. This is fine, the principle is the same.
If you are uncertain of the set, don't know the symbol, you still have the number -- and you have the internet. If I don't know that my Dark Primeape is from the Rocket set, I would look up "Dark Primeape 43/82" on ebay, look for cards that match mine, and then look for what set the listings say it is. They usually will say. I could also look the card up on websites such as tcgplayer and do the same, though it would be a bit more work because I would not be able to use the number in the search. There are also plenty of websites that allow you to look up cards.
How to find the value of the card
There are all manner of methods for this, to various degrees of accuracy (depending on the platform you are buying and selling on). I will share my personal preferred method, and then the various other methods.
My personal method is to use Ebay. There are websites designed specifically for selling cards, the biggest and most reliable being TCGplayer, but there are outright just more cards on Ebay, thus a better sample size. However, I cannot stress this enough, do not just punch in the card and set number and then go with the price of items listed but not sold. A very, very large portion of the time, people will price their cards greater than their value and then accept offers. What I do, and in my opinion this is the most reliable, is to search the card, click "advanced", and then click "sold items". From there, you should be able to see what the card is actually being sold for. Be sure to examine the listings to make sure they match your card; sometimes a collection of both graded and ungradedcards in various conditions will come up. If I have an ungraded ninetales in lightly played conditon, I will want to make sure that the listings I am taking into account aren't in "near mint" or "moderately played" or "graded", which will all come into the search results. Additionally, you do not want to add "ungraded" to your search criteria because that is a keyword that almost nobody uses, so it will display less of the accurate results.
TCGplayer is another good option; if the card is being sold a lot by dozens of people, you can usually rely on the average price being accurate; TCGplayer will also automatically sort by card condition. My two problems with TCGplayer is that it just outright has less cards to aggregate this data from, and a lot of the time sellers will not share pictures of their cards, and you have to just trust the listed condition. I like Ebay because it requires pictures.
There are other methods too; tools that will pull data from hundreds of ebay listings and display an average price, but I am skeptical of the degree to which these tools are reliable because sometimes they will pull cards of various conditions or grades. Cardmavin is one such tool, and what I like about Cardmavin is that it shows you all the listings it pulls the data from, which allows you to modify your search until the cards listed are the type of card you want.
What are "ultra rares"?
You may see listings online that claim to have "ultra rare" cards. Each card has a different rarity printed onto the bottom of the card: a dot, a diamond, or a star. The dot means the card is "common", the diamond means the card is "uncommon", and the star means the card is "rare". But there is no symbol for an "ultra rare" -- what could it mean?
Essentially, ultra rare cards are EX, GX, VMAX, V, etc., or full-art cards. The pattern is is easy to identify; often, their holograph will extend beyond the typical boundaries; usually the pokemon inside the frame won't be entirely contained within the frame. With full-art cards, it's obvious, as well as rainbow rares, and so forth.
Boxes, tins, and booster packs
Cards are often sold in "booster packs". What this means is that there is a small package of cards, perhaps only ten cards, that can be bought for a few dollars. There is a percentage chance within each pack of receiving a holographic or ultra rare or whatever, and people buy packs by the dozens of hundreds in hopes of "pulling" out an ultra rare card, or even one of those cards that sell for hundreds.
If someone wants to buy a huge quantity of packs, they may choose to buy an "elite trainer box", which is a box that contains a dozen packs on top of various miscellany, such as high-quality and aesthetically pleasing card sleeves, dice, coins, and a guarunteed promotional card or ultra-rare.
A "tin" or "booster box" are bundles that are similar to an Elite Trainer Box in principle, but not as expensive. Within these tins a person can find numerous packs and various miscellany.
Good practices when buying and selling
If you're buying cards individually on eBay, you cannot simply go with the listed condition; you must see an image of both the front and the back. On the back, it will be very very very easy to spot damage around the border of the cards, in which the border will become white because the ink on the edge has been worn away. This is called "whitening". On the front, look for scratches, especially on the holofoil. Several times I've seen cards listed as "near mint" when, in fact, they were "lightly played" or "moderately played". If you're buying on TCGPlayer, this may not be necessary if the person has a good reputation, but I find images preferable to trust.
If you're selling, take a lot of pictures. Take different angles. Take a picture of how you package the card, take a picture of how you ship the card. If someone argues that they received a damaged card, pictures will help.
Additionally, do not rely on direct transfer such as venmo or cashapp if you are buying or selling; if you're using paypal, be sure to select "goods and services" and in the comments box leave a detailed description of exactly what you are selling and buying. In a perfect world though you should use an additional third party such as TCGPlayer or Ebay, because that's an extra layer of protection. Ebay has a reputation of always siding with the buyer.
How to sell and package cards
Selling the cards
Make sure you take a photo of BOTH the front and the back. You will need good lighting. If your card has any scratches on the surface, include extra photos at angles in which these scratches are visible. You want the buyer to know the exact extent of the damage, or else he might leave you a bad review.
You must list your card as follows: "card name" "number in set" "holo/reverse holo/full art" "ultra rare (if applicable)". For example, if I'm selling a shadowless ninetales in the base set, I will say "Ninetales 12/102 shadowless holo". If I'm selling a Gardenia's Vigor rainbow rare, I will write "Gardenia's Vigor 202/189 Full Art Holographic Ultra Rare". In this case, I might replace "Ultra Rare" with "Rainbow Rare"; it can be moderately arbitrary which keyword you use. The most important part is the name and the set number.
Packaging the cards
To ship an individual card, you will need:
A toploader is a transparent plastic shell that is just big enough for a card to slide into through the top of the shell (hence the name). A team bag is a little plastic sleeve with an adhesive strip that you can slide the toploader into. A bubble mailer is a little insulated and padded shipping envelope with bubbles in the lining.
Firstly, sleeve the card. Then, insert the card into a toploader. Insert the toploader into a sealable team-bag and pull off the adhesive strip and seal the bag. Then, you can slide the toploaded and sealed card into the 4x8 bubble mailer, tape on the shipping label, and send it off. This is how 99% of the cards you will buy will be packaged; this is not a method invented by myself, this is the standard method.
I sold a $300 card once. I packaged it like this, but I was so so so so nervous about it because I had a lapse of judgement and forgot to buy shipping insurance. I've sold a lot of cards, nobody's ever complained about damage. Thankfully the guy got his card and left me a good review.
If you are selling a graded card, you will want to wrap the graded cards in a layer or two of bubble wrap. You will need to go a size or two up for your bubble mailer; it might cost more to ship, but it will be worth the safety. Some people buy little boxes for graded cards; I've never had a problem with bubble mailers, but if I sold a super expensive graded card I would probably use a rigid box too.
Trading cards
Now that you know how to buy or sell, you know how to trade! Find the value of a card, find the value of the card you want to trade for, calculate shipping, and if it seems reasonable, go through with the trade! If you're trading for a more valuable card, and the other guy wants you to pay the difference, I recommend using Paypal and doing "goods and services", and then in the comment box be sure to explain in detail exactly what it is you hope to receive. I have never had a problem with trading, so I couldn't tell you who paypal tends to side with, but it's an extra layer of protection.
List of all primary sets and what makes them unique
(and my personal favorite cards.)
The original series sets
This is the first "set of sets" ever released; they are known as the "original series" for that reason.
Base Set // Released in January of 1999, the very first set ever released. There are three types of cards in this set: the first edition cards, the shadowless cards, and the unlimited series. First edition cards are more valuable, and have a symbol on the bottom-left of the image frame (or bottom of the card for supporters) that reads "edition 1". Shadowless cards do not have a drop-shadow around the border of the image on the card, and are also more valuable. Otherwise, the cards will have not have the symbol, nor will they lack a shadow, and are in the "unlimited" print-run. There were two unlimited print runs, and the second one will have a copyright that says 1999-2000. There are 102 cards in this set. It has no set symbol. My favorite card in this set is the Ninetales Holo 12/102. I have a shadowless one that I treasure greatly.
Jungle Set // Released in June of 1999, it was the second set ever released, and there are two types of cards in this set: first editions, and unlimited. The Japanese language Jungle Set only had 48 cards, while the English language Jungle Set contains 64 cards, because the English set has 16 holographic cards (which are "shiny" variants of the regular cards). It can be identified by a strange-looking flower, reminiscent of Venasaur's flower. My favorite card in this set is the Snorlax Holo 11/64. I don't have one but I would really like to eventually.
Black Star Promos // The "Wizards Black Star Promos" was a set that was released from 1999-2003. These cards weren't found in booster packs, but were given out in tournaments, events, and magazines. It can be identified by a symbol near the rarity symbol, a black star with the word "promo" on it. My favorite card in this set is the Mew Holo 9/53. I had the 8/53 which is a non-holo, but I think I sold it.
Fossil Set // The fossil set contains 64 cards, and was released in October of 1999. It can be identified by a "fossilized hand" symbol. I have no favorite card in this set, but if I had to pick it would have to be one of the three birds.
Base Set 2 // This is a re-run of much of the Base and Jungle sets, and was released in February of 2000. It contains cards from both sets (though not all), a total of 130 cards. It can be identified by the symbol of a pokeball on top of a black line reminiscent of a "2". Favorite card is still the ninetales.
Team Rocket // This set was released in April of 2000, and "officially" contains 82 cards, but it has a secret card that extends beyond the set number; Dark Raichu possesses the Team Rocket symbol, but is numbered 83/82, and was the first secret card ever released. The symbol for this set is a bold letter "R". This is the first set to have holographic trainers and energies. I don't hvae a favorite card in this set.
The gym series sets
Gym Heroes // This set was released in August of 2000, and it contains 132 cards. All of the pokemon in this set belong to a "gym leader" from the series; for example, "Blaine's Vulpix", or "Brock's Mankey". They're neat cards. This set has a weird-looking disk-esque symbol, reminiscent of a vinyl record (but white). My favorite card in this set is Misty's Seadra, which I had at one point but traded for a rainbow secret rare Gardenia's Vigor
Gym Challenge// This set was released in October of 2000, and much like the Gym Heroes set, it contains 132 cards. All of the pokemon in this set also belong to trainers, it's simply a new set of these cards. It can be identified by a symbol that is nearly identical to the Gym Heroes set, except that it is black. I have no favorite card in this set.
The Neo Series Sets
Neo Genesis // This set is the first set to contain the Metal and Dark variants of pokemon. It was released in December of 2000 and contains 111 cards. This is the first ever set to contain the new Metal and Darkness elemental variants, and the first 19 cards are holographic. Unfortunately none of the cards in this set really appeal to me, so I don't have a favorite.
Neo Discovery// This set was released in June of 2001, and it contains 75 cards. My favorite card in this set is one of the two Umbreons, and I can't choose between them.
Southern Islands // This set was released in July of 2001 while the Japanese version of this set was released two years earlier in 1999, and only has 18 cards. None of these cards have a rarity symbol. These cards were released in promos as well as the boosters, but another distinct thing about this set is that they were sold with post cards. My favorite card in this set is the Mew Reverse Holo 1/18. I adore it.
Neo Revelations// This set contains 66 cards, and was released in September of 2001. The "shining" variant of Pokemon cards first appeared in this set, which are rare cards that in gameplay use multiple energy types. My favorite card in this set is the Shining Magicarp 66/64, though I like all the holos.
Neo Destiny // This set contains 105 cards, plus an additional 5 cards for a total of 113 cards. The set symbol looks like six-pointed star that has been skewed diagonally. My favorite card in this set is the Light Arcanine 12/105, though I also like the Espeon.
Legendary Collection
Legendary Collection // This set is the only set in the Legendary Collection series, and was the first set to introduce reverse-holographic cards. It was released in May of 2002, and has 110 cards, the majority of which are from former sets. It can be identified by a symbol that looks like a medal on a ribbon. I have for a very very long time lusted after the Flareon Reverse Holo 10/110. I have the regular holographic version of this card, but the reverse holo is absolutely gorgeous. It's hundreds of dollars though. If I ever get one I am going to send it in to get graded.
The E-Reader Series Sets
*All of the sets in this series are compatible with the E-Reader peripheral for the Gameboy Advance -- there is a
barcode on the left-portion of the cards face that can be scanned with
the e-reader for in-game benefits or minigames. Nifty!
Expedition // This set is comprised of 165 cards. It was released in September of 2002, and was the first of the sets with the barcodes on the card. It can be identified by a symbol that looks like an Unknown pokemon, a circle with a dot in the center and a line striking through the whole thing. I don't know if I have a favorite card in this set, but if I do it's the Fearow Holo 11/165.
Aquapolis // This set contains 182 cards -- 147 regular cards, 32 holographics, and 3 secret rares. It was released in January of 2003, and can be identified by what looks like a tier-pyramid inside of a water droplet. Oddly enough, this set is not comprised of mostly water types, despite the name.
E-Series Black Star Promos // Another promo set, this time with the E-Reader cards. Released in October of 2003, it contains 40 cards, some of which were only released at championship events.
Skyridge // Released May 12 of 2003, the Skyridge set contains 144 cards, in addition to 32 holographics and 6 secret rares. It can be identified with a symbol of two mountains, a halo around the mountain on the left.
The EX Sets
These are the first sets to introduce the "EX" series of cards
Ruby and Sapphire // This set was released in June of 2003 and contains 109 cards. It can be identified by a symbol that looks like a little cut gemstone.
Sandstorm // This set was released in September of 2003 and contains 100 cards. It can be identified by a weird rigid looking blob. I can't really describe it otherwise.
Dragon // This set was released November of 2003 and contains 97 cards, plus three secret rares (100 cards in total). The three secret rares are Charmander and its evolutions Charmeleon and Charizard. It can be identified by what looks like a Catholic crucifix with an eye in the middle.
Team Magma vs. Team Aqua // This set was released in March of 2004 and contains 95 cards, plus 2 secret rares (97 cards in total). It can be identified by a stretched-out looking X.
Trainer Kit - Latias and Latios // This set was sold solely as pre-composed decks; it contains 20 cards in total, and two 10 card decks. One is based on the Pokémon Latias, while the other is based on Latios. The symbol on the card will be either of the two, depending on which deck you pulled the card from.
Hidden Legends // This set was released in June of 2004 and contains 101 cards, plus one secret rare (102 cards in total). It can be identified with a symbol that looks like a strange box surrounded by circles.
Fire Red and Leaf Green // This set was released in August of 2004 and contains 112 cards, and 4 secret rare cards in addition, 116 cards in total. The symbol for this one looks like a pokeball, simplified down to line art.
POP 1 // This set was given out at Pokémon League events, and contains a mere 17 cards (plus holo variants). It can be identified by a pokeball next to a number one (1).
Team Rocket Returns // This is the "second" Rocket set, and features "dark" variants of the Pokemon, much like the first Rocket set. This one contains 111 cards in total: 109 base plus 2 secret rares. The set symbol is a shield with an "R" on it.
EX Deoxys // This set was released February of 2005 and contains 107 cards, plus 1 secret rare. As you may have guessaed, the "star" of this deck is the card Deoxys EX. The set symbol is a shooting star -- a five-pointed star with a triangle tail.
Emerald // This set was released in May of 2005 and contains 107 cards: 106 plus one secret rare. The symbol is a rectangular gemstone.
POP 2 // This set was released August of 2005 and contains 17 cards plus 7 holographic variants. This set also was only given away at events, and was only supposed to be available for 6 months, but was extended because POP 3 wasn't available in time.
Unseen Forces // This set was released in August of 2005 and contains 145 cards: 115, plus 2 secret rares and 28 Unown cards. (Unown is a type of Pokemon, and one exists for each letter of the alphabet.) Its set symbol is two wings overlapping to form a sort of "X" shape.
Delta Species // This set was released October of 2005 and contains 114 cards: 113 plus 1 secret rare. Its set symbol is something that looks akin to a "T" with a trapezoid behind it.
Legend Maker // This set was released February of 2006 and contains 93 cards total: 92 plus 1 secret rare. Its symbol is three pine trees in a triangle (I suppose they look more like spades, but in my head they look like pine trees.)
Trainer Kit 2 - Plusle and Minun // The second trainer kit set in the EX series, it was released in March of 2006 and contains 24 cards in two decks: 12 cards in the Plusle deck and 12 cards in the Minun deck. This set has two symbols; either a blue Minun or a pink Plusle. This set has no secret rares, and was not released in Japan. Like most trainer kits, it comes with a rule book, a playmat, damage counters, a coin, and an extra booster pack. (Fun!)
POP 3 // This set was released April of 2006 for the Regional Championships tournament. It contains 17 cards plus 7 holographic variants, just like the other POP sets. Some of these cards were released exclusively in collectors tins. The set symbol is a pokeball with the number 3 beside it.
Holon Phantoms // This set was released in May 2006 and contains 110 cards plus 1 secret rare. The set symbol is extremely reminiscent of a fidget spinner.
POP 4 // Like the prior POP sets, this one contains 17 cards plus 7 holographic variants, and was released at the World Championship in August of 2006.
Crystal Guardians // This set was released August of 2006 and contains 100 cards, no secret rares. The symbol is supposed to be a long crystal with two pointy ends.
Dragon Frontiers // This set was released in November of 2006 and contains 101 cards. The set symbol is a mountain with waves below it.
Power Keepers // This set was released in February of 2007 and contains 108 cards. Its set symbol is the front half of a rotated pacman with a star coming out of it. (Hard to explain. Imagine the pacman rotated 90 degrees to the right, cut off the top half, and add a six-pointed star to the top.
POP 5 // Released in March of 2007 for the Pokémon Organized Play program. This contains 17 cards plus 16 holos for a total of 23 cards.
Diamond and Pearl sets
D&P Promos // These cards have DP appended to the set number, numbered from DP01 to DP56. Released in May of 2007.
Diamond and Pearl // This set was released in May of 2007 and contains 130 cards.
Mysterious Treasures // This set was released in August of 2007 and contains 123 cards plus one secret rare, for a total of 124 cards.
Trainer Kit: Manaphy and Lucario // The D&P series trainer kit contains two decks, as usual, and 23 total cards between the two decks. The set symbol is either an orange Lucario or a blue Manaphy. It comes with a playmat, coins, all the jazz. It was released in September of 2007.
POP 6 // This was the first set POP to feature cards from the Diamond and Pearl series. (The first released in the series.) It was released in September of 2007 and like other POP sets it was released for organized play events. It contains 17 cards plus holo variations, for a total of 24 cards.
Secret Wonders // This was released in November of 2007 and it contains 132 cards. No secret cards. The set symbol is a whirlpool
Great Encounters // Released in February of 2008 and contains 106 cards. No secret cards. The set symbol is a hexagon split into three equally-sized parts.
POP 7 // Released March of 2008 with 17 cards plus 6 holos for a total of 23 cards. Released for Organized Play tournaments.
Majestic Dawn // Released in May of 2008, this set contains 100 cards. No secret cards. The set symbol looks like a sunrise inside of a circle.
Legends Awakened // Released in August of 2008, this set contains 148 cards. The set symbol looks somewhat like a fidget spinner.
Stormfront // Released in November of 2008, this set contains 100 cards plus 3 shiny pokemon and 3 secret rares, for a total of 106 cards. The set symbol looks like a circle with a lightning bolt passing vertically through it.
POP 8 // This is the last of the POP sets released under the Diamond and Pearl expansion series. It contains 17 cards plus 12 holo variants for a total of 29 cards. The symbol looks like a pokeball with an "8" next to it.
The Platinum series sets
Platinum Base Set // The platinum series was released in February of 2009 and contains 127 cards plus six secret rares -- three of which are numbered with "SH" (SH4, SH5, and SH6 respectively). Its set symbol looks like a geometric-diamond with four crescent beetle wings.
POP 9 // This set released in September of 2008 and contains 17 cards, just like most POP sets, plus 5 holographic variants. The set symbol looks like a pokeball with a "9" next to it.
Rising Rivals // This set was released in May of 2009 and contains 111 cards plus three secret rares plus six "RT" cards numbered RT1 through RT6 respectively. The set symbol looks like a jagged letter "X"
Supreme Victors // This set was released in August of 2009 and contains 147 cards plus three secret rares plus three "SH" numbered secret rares, "SH07" "SH08" and "SH09" respectively. The set symbol looks like two vertical down-ward facing jagged spikes.
Arceus // This set was released in November of 2009 and contains 99 cards plus 9 "AR" numbered cards and 3 "SH" numbered cards. The set symbol looks reminiscent of an eyeball.
The Heart Gold and Soul Silver sets
HGSS Black Star Promos // This set, like the other black star promos, has a symbol of a black star with the word "promo" on it. The cards in the set are numbered "HGSS" (HGSS01, HGSS02, etcetera). This set contains 25 cards and was released in February of 2010.
HeartGold and SoulSilver // This set was released in February of 2010 and contains 123 cards plus 1 secret rare for a total of 124 cards. This set introduced a new card layout. The symbol looks like a flame that is half golden and half silver.
Trainer Kit: Garydos and Raichu // The trainer kit contains 60 cards, which are split evenly into two half-decks. This is a deck kit, so it comes with a playing mat, coins, and all that jazz. The symbols are a blue Garydos and a yellow Raichu respectively.
Unleashed // This set was released in May of 2010 and contains 95 cards plus 1 secret rare, for a total of 96 cards. The set symbol looks a bit like a three-leaf clover, but jagged.
Undaunted // This set was released in August of 2010 and contains 90 cards plus one secret rare, for a total of 91 cards. Its symbol looks like a leaf with a spike coming out of its left side.
Triumphant // This set was released in November of 2010, and contains 102 cards plus one secret rare, for a total of 103 cards. Its symbol looks like two crowns (one upside-down, the other right-side up) with a curved line between them, within a circle.
Call of Legends // This set was released in February of 2011 and contains 95 cards plus 11 secret "SL" numbered cards, for a total of 106 cards. The SL cards are numbered "SL01" to "SL11" respectively. The set symbol looks like a spiral stretched vertically.
The Black and White series sets
These were the sets that were newish when I got into the tcg as a kid. I played the game back then. Now, I don't play, I just sell the cards. I tried getting back into Pokemon Blue for the Gameboy when I was 20ish, but I just didn't enjoy it. I think this era was when Sylveon debuted.
Black and White // The base set for Black and White, this set was released in April of 2011. It has 114 cards plus 1 secret rare, for a total of 115 cards. Its set symbol is a 2x2 black and white checkerboard.
Emerging Powers // This set was released in August of 2011 and contains 98 cards. It has no secret rare cards. The set symbol is a geometric diamond cut down the middle to form an arrow.
Trainer Kit: Excadrill and Zoroark // This set was released in September of 2011. Much like the other trainer kits, this set is split into half-decks and contains 60 cards in total. The set symbol is either a orange Excadrill or a black Zoroark depending on which deck you have. This kit also came with various playing miscellany such as coins, damage counters, rule sheets, etcetera.
Noble Victories // This set was released in November of 2011 and contains 101 cards plus one secret rare, for a total of 102 cards. There are 5 full-art cards in this set. The set symbol looks like a curved and thick letter "V".
Next Destinies // This set was released in February of 2012 and contains 99 cards plus 4 secret rare cards for a total of 103 cards. 12 of these cards are "EX" cards, which are ultimately more valuable than their non-EX variants. The set symbols looks like two small hexagons side-by-side sitting on top of a larger hexagon.
Dark Explorers // This set was released in May of 2012 and contains 108 cards plus 3 secret rare cards for a total of 111 cards. The set symbol looks like a hexagon with a bite taken out of the top.
Dragons Exalted // This set was released in August of 2012 and contains 124 cards plus 4 secret rare cards for a total of 128 cards. This is the set in which "dragon type" cards were released; an entire new type of pokemon. Its set symbol looks like two overlapping outline almond-shapes.
Dragon Vault // This set was released in October of 2012 and contains 20 cards in the base set plus one secret rare card, for a total of 21 cards. This is a small subset in the Black and White series, and is the second set to contain dragon cards. Its set symbol looks like small S-shaped coiled dragon.
Boundaries Crossed // This set was released in November of 2012 and contains 149 cards plus 4 secret rare cards for a total of 153 cards. Its set symbol looks like an asterisk, half black and half white, inside half of a hexagon.
Plasma Storm // This set was released in February of 2013 and contains 135 cards plus 3 secret rare cards for a total of 138 cards. There are 12 EX cards in this set. The set symbol looks like a black and white shield with chevrons.
Plasma Freeze // This set was released in May of 2013 and it contains 116 cards, plus 6 secret rare cards, for a total of 122 cards. The set symbol looks like a black hexagon with icicles hanging down from the upper-left face.
Plasma Blast // This set was released in August of 2013 and contains 101 cards plus 4 secret rares, for a total of 105 cards. The set symbol looks like a shield with bites taken out of it and a smaller shield cut out of the top. I know that may be hard to visualize; it's hard to explain with text.
Legendary Treasures // This set was released in November of 2013 and it contains 113 cards, plus a number of RC-numbered cards and secret rares. The RC-numbered cards go from RC1 to RC25 respectively. The set symbol is a hexagonal meteor with five tails (or perhaps it is a paw and they are claws.)
The XY Series Sets
XY Black Star Promos // This black star promo set was released in October of 2013 and contains 216 cards. 5 of these cards are alt-arts. Its set symbol is the same as every other black star promo; a black star with the word "promo" on it.
Kalos Starter Set // This starter kit, much like the other kit sets, came with a deck and various play paraphernalia such as a playmat, game rules, a coin, etc. It was released in November of 2013 and contains 39 cards. Its set symbol looks like two intersecting geometric letter "X"s
XY // This is the first full set release in the series (the promos and starter kit don't qualify as full sets). It was released in February of 2014 and it contains 146 cards. This set introduced Fairy Pokemon and was the first set to feature Mega evolutions as well. The set symbol looks like three intersecting hexagons in the shape of a heart with an "X" running through them.
Flashfire // This set was released in March of 2014 and contains 106 cards plus 3 secret rare cards, for a total of 109 cards. This set revolves around Charizard, who is the fire-type starter of the original pokemon video games. There are three Charizard EX cards and four Mega Charizard EX cards -- that's a lot of charizards!! The set symbol is a wispy and spindly flame (I think it's supposed to be a flame, anyway.)
Trainer Kit: Sylveon and Noivern // This set was released in March of 2014 and contains two half decks, one centering aroudn Sylveon and the other centering around Noivern. Sylveon is one of my favorite pokemon, so I think it's nifty that it got a trainer kit. Unlike prior trainer kits, there are no reprints; all of these cards are unique to this set. It still came with the rule book, damage counters, and other playing miscellany. The set symbol is a pink sylveon or a green Noivern, respectively.
Furious Fists // This set was released in August of 2014 and contains 111 cards plus 2 secret rare cards for a total of 113 cards. This set centers around a specific pokemon, much like the Flashfire set, but the pokemon in question this time is Lucario; there are 2 Lucario EX cards and 2 Mega Lucario EX cards. The set symbol looks like a hexagonal boxing glov.e
Phantom Forces // This set was released in November of 2014 and contains 119 cards plus 3 secret rare cards for a total of 122 cards. The set symbol looks like a crown on top of a pyramid (or two "V"s depending on how you look at it.)
Trainer Kit: Bisharp and Wigglytuff // This set was released in March of 2014 and contains 60 cards; 30 in each half deck, just like each other trainer kit. The set symbols are a pink Wigglytuff and a brown Bisharp respectively.
Primal Clash // This set was released in February of 2015 and contains 160 cards plus 4 secret rare cards. The set symbol looks like the top three-quarters of a geometric diamond with an eye inside of it.
Double Crisis // This set was released in March of 2015 and is rather small; it contains a mere 34 cards and does not contain any secret rare cards. (The valuable cards are the holographics). The set symbol looks like a pyramid with an "O" at the bottom, and the top half is blue while the bottom half is red.
Trainer Kit: Latias and Latios // This is the second trainer kit themed after Latias and Latio. There are two: the XY one, and the EX one.
Roaring Skies // This set was released in May of 2015 and contains 108 cards plus two secret rares for a total of 110 cards. This set has many Rayquaza cards; there are seven of them: three EX, three Mega EX, and one Spirit Link. The EX cards, despite having the same name, have different abilities and attacks in addition to having different artwork. My favorite cards in this set are Hydreigon EX 103/108 and Wally 107/108. (I wish there was a rainbow one.) The set symbols looks like two little "V" shapes or chevrons stacked inside each other, the bottom one folding outward.
Ancient Origins // This set was released in August of 2015 and contains 98 cards plus 2 secret rare cards for a total of 100 cards. There are 23 EX cards (7 of which are Mega EX), and the two secret rares are item cards. Most sets do not have so many EX cards. The two secret rares aren't anything special visually; they're not crazy full-art rainbow holographics, they are simply item cards. My favorite card in the set is the Steven Full Art 95/98. The set symbol looks like a circle subdivided into eight segments with a ring around it that is also subdivided.
Breakthrough // This set was released in November of 2015 and contains 162 cards plus two secret rares for a total of 164 cards. This is the first set to feature the "break" evolution type, and contains 6 cards of that type. It also contains a whopping 19 EX cards, four of which are Mega EX. I don't really have a favorite in this set unfortunately, none of the cards visually appeal to me. The set symbol looks like two blockey "M"s bilaterally inverted on each other horizontally.
Breakpoint // This set was released in February of 2016 and contains 122 cards plus one secret rare for a total of 123 cards. There are 20 EX cards, four of which are Mega, and five BREAK cards. The set symbol looks like three white spikes jutting upward on a black circular background. My favorite card in this set is the Espeon EX 117/122, but that is because I'm a sucker for eevee evolutions.
Generations // This set was also released in February of 2016 and contains 115 cards in total -- 83 base cards and 32 "Radiant Collection" cards, which are this set's equivalent to secret rares. There are 18 EX cards, four of which are Mega EX. My favorite card is the Sylveon EX RC42.
Trainer Kit: Pikachu Libre and Suicune // This set was released a couple of months later, in April of 2016. It is composed of two half-decks, and it is the very last trainer set found in the XY series of sets, and contains a total of 60 cards -- 30 in the Pikachu deck and 30 in the Suicune deck. It came with a rule book, guide, playmat, damage counters, deck box, and coins. There are two versions of the coin for this set; one holographic pikachu coin and one non-holographic.
Fates Collide // The Fates Collide set was released the very next month in May of 2016, and contains a total of 125 cards; 22 EX and Mega EX, 5 "BREAK" cards, and 1 secret rare. I don't really have a favorite card in this set, but if I had to pick it would be the second Umbreon EX.
Steam Siege // The Steam Siege was released in August of 2016, and contains 116 cards, including 2 secret rare cards. There are 7 Break cards, 8 Ultra Rares, and numerous EX cards. The professor sycamore card is pretty neat.
XY Evolutions // This set is particularly special because it reprints a lot of the cards found in the original base set of cards. It contains "modern" cards such as EX and Break, but contains numerous base set reprints, with the original art. As a result, my favorite card is the reprint of the base set ninetales reprint (15th in the set), because I love that card in the base set too. It was released in November of 2016 and contains 113 cards, including 6 secret rares. The secret rares are nothing special.
The Sun and Moon Series Sets
Sun and Moon Promos // This set was released in November of 2016 and contains 244 cards -- however, this set in particular is interesting because many of the cards have multiple versions created for the purpose of tournemant rewards or company sponsorship (there were card versions promoting Build A Bear). The card numbers are numbered as "SM1, SM2, etc", SM stands for Sun and Moon. These cards have the typical black star promo symbol in place of rarity symbols.
Sun and Moon Base Set // This set was released in Rebruary of 2017 and was the first set to introduce "GX" card vairients. It contains 149 cards plus 14 secret rares, and 27 of those cards are GX cards. My favorite card is the rainbow rare Espeon GX. Beautiful card.
Sun and Moon Trainer Kit: Lycanroc and Alolan Raichu //This set was released in April of 2017. It is also the first trainer kit in the Sun and Moon series, and contains 30 cards in the Lycanroc deck and 30 in the Alolan Raichu deck, for a total of 60 cards. Most of the cards in this set are reprints. Like the other trainer kits, it came with various miscellany (rule book, matt, counters, and a coin featuring Alolan Raichu.
Guardians Rising // This set was released on May 5 of 2017 and contains 39 GX and 24 secret rares for a total of 169 cards, including 15 rainbow rares. My favorite card in this set is the Sylveon GX Rainbow Rare (158)
Burning Shadows // This set was released on August 4 of 2017, and contains 169 cards (including 22 secret rares). I don't really have a favorite card in this set, but if I had to pick it would be Lycanroc GX.
Shining Legends // This set was released October 6 of 2017 and contains only 78 cards, including 5 secret rares. "Shining" cards return in this set, which haven't appeared since the Neo series sets. I really really really really like the art of the Shining Mew.
Crimson Invasion // This set was released November 3 of 2017 and contains 124 cards, including 13 secret rares. The "Ultra Beast" cards first appeared in this set, which are cards that interact with a player's opponent's prize cards. This set also includes 24 GX cards.
Ultra Prism // The Ultra Prism set was released Febrary 12 of 2018 and is the origin of "Prism Star" cards. Only one Prism Star card can be in a deck, and when they're discarded they get exiled instead of into the discard pile. There aer 17 secret cards and 173 cards total, including 6 Prism Star and 27 GX cards.
Forbidden Light // This set was released May 4 of 2018 and contains 26 GX, 5 Prism Star, and 15 Secret Rares. It contains a total of 146 cards. I rather like the Naganadel GX card.
Celestial Storm // This set was released in August 3 of 2018, and contains 183 cards in total: 168 cards plus 15 secret rares. It contains a lot of ultra rares, but otherwise it is nothing special. I love the Rayquaza GX.
Dragon Majesty // This set was released September 7th of 2018 and contains only 78 cards: 70 plus 8 secret arares. This set is special for containing over 20 Dragon type cards; also, single booster packs for this set were never sold -- they were only sold in collector sets of 3 packs each.
Lost Thunder // This set was the biggest set ever released, and contained 236 cards in total including 22 secret rare cards. It was released November 2 of 2018. Otherwise, it's nothing special.
Teams Up // This set was released February 1st of 2019, and contains 196 cards, including 15 secret rares. The Japanese variant of this set is smaller and contains only 118 cards. This is the first set to release Tag Team GX cards.
Detective Pikachu // This set was released on March 29 of 2019 and was released to promote the Pokemon movie entitled Detective Pikachu. It contains only 18 cards and no secret cards. The booster packs included only 4 cards each, and they're nothing special.
Unbroken Bonds // This set was released May 3 of 2019 and contains 234 cards, which is just two cards fewer than Lost Thunder. This includes 20 secret rares; however, the Japanese edition of this set is entitled Double Blze and contains less than half the number of cards. What a bummer! I rather like the Venomoth rainbow rare.
Unified Minds // This expansion was released on August 2 of 2019, contains 258 cards, making it the biggest set ever released at the time. It contains 236 cards in the base set and 22 secret rares. There's a lot of cool cards in this set, but I don't really have a favorite.
Hidden Fates // This set was released August 23, 2019, and contains a "Shiny Vault" subset that contains Shining pokemon cards. There are 163 cards in the set -- 69 cards in the set, but only one of them is a secret rainbow rare, and then 94 in the Shiny Vault subset. All cards in the Shiny Vault set are either Shiny, Shiny GX, Ultra Rare, or Secret Rare, which makes them especially valuable. The SV60 full art shining Espeon is super cool. I kind of want to buy it right this instant lol.
Cosmic Eclipse // This set was released on November 1st of 2019, and is the final set in the Sun and Moon series. It possesses 271 cards, making it the largest one ever released at the time (wow, this is like the third time!) It contains a whopping 35 secret rares. My favorite card is the Pikachu 241. It has a retro and classic flare to it.
The Sword and Shield series sets
Sword and Shield base set // This set was released February 7th of 2020, and is the first set in the Sword and Shield series (hence being called the Sword and Shield "base set"). This set introduced V and VMAX cards, which are the most valuable cards in the set. Additionally, this set contains 14 secret rare cards, for a total of 216 cards.
Rebel Clash // This set was released May 1st of 2020, and contains 192 cards in the base set plus 17 secret rares, for a total of 209 cards. There are a LOT of cool cards in this set, but I don't feel particularly drawn to any of them.
Darkness Ablaze // This set was released August 14th of 2020, and contains 189 cards plus 12 secret rares, for a total of 201 cards. It contains V, VMAX, and secret rares, but otherwise it's nothing special. I like the rainbow Butterfree.
Champion's Path // This set was released on September 24th of 2020. No packs for this set were released for individual sale; to get cards from this set, a person had to buy collection boxes or trainer boxes that included various miscellany, including exclusive packs. There are 80 cards in this set, including 7 secret rares. The Piers rainbow rare is kind of neat. It contains plenty of V/VMAX cards as well, but not as many as the prior set.
Vivid Voltage // This set was released November 13th of 2020, and is the set that introduced "Amazing Pokemon". It5 contains 185 cards plus 23 secret rares, within which are numerous V and VMAX cards.
Shining Fates // This set was released on February 19 of 2021. It is comprised of two sets; a base set of 73, and a "Shiny Vault" of 122 cards. This is the first set to have a Shiny Vault since Hidden Fates, and all cards within this subset are shiny pokemon. A lot of people really love Charizard VMAX SV107.
Battle Styles // This set was released on March 19 of 2021, and contains 163 cards plus 20 secret rares, including V, VMAX, ultra, and other secret cards. This is the set that first introduced Single Strike and Rapid Strike pokemon to the game. I really like the rainbow rare Cheryl 173/
Chilling Reign // This set was released on June 18th, and is comprised of 198 base set cards and 35 secret rares, for a total of 233 cards. At least 40 of these cards are V, and 19 VMAX. I love all the rainbow rares.
Evolving Skies // This set contains 203 base cards, and 34 secret rares, for a total of 237 cards. Very very cool set with a lot of visually appealing cards. This is one of my favorite sets visually.. It also contains a substantial number of ultra rare cards. I really like Leafeon V 007, Sylveon VMAX 075, Leafeon V 166, Leafeon V 167, Flareon V 169, Vaporeon V 172, Glacion V 175, Espeon V 179, Espeon V 180, Sylveon V 183, Sylveon VMAX 211 (rainbow rare). Really all the rainbow rares are cool.
Celebrations // The Celebrations set was released on the 25th anniversary of the TCG. There are 25 original cards, and 25 reprints of previous cards, which they call the "classic collection". Thus, the total number is 50 cards. The Mew 025 is really cool.
Fusion Strike // There are 264 cards in this set, plus 20 secret rasres, for a total of 284 cards. This set is the first set to feature "Fusion Strike" cards. I rather like both Mew V cards. It was released November 12th of 2021.
Brilliant Stars // This set contains 172 cards plus 14 secret rares and 30 Trainer Gallery cards. This is one of my favorite sets, I adore the trainer gallery cards. This is also the first set to introduce VSTAR cards, and was released February 25 of 2022. I personally own a graded PSA 9 Flareon TG01 and a PSA 9 Vaporeon TG02. The Eevee TG11 and Sylveon V TG16 are also super cool.
Astral Radiance // Astral Radiance was the newest set when I started writing this writeup back in 2022. It was released May 27 of 2022, and contains 189 base cards, 27 secret rares, and 30 Trainer Gallery cards. It also is the first set to feature Radiant Pokemon. Players are only allowed one Radiant card in their deck. The Gardenia's Vigor 202 was the first rainbow rare card I ever owned, so it holds a special place in my heart. The trainer gallery cards are super cool too.
Pokemon GO // This set was a collaberation between Pokemon GO (the mobile game you can download from the app store) and the TCG. It contains only 78 cards plus 10 secret rares. This set is unique because the cards bear the Niantic logo. (Niantic is the company that owns and runs Pokemon GO.) Some cards in this set also bear the cosmetic appearance of having been sketched with pencil, which gives them a distinct appearance.e I think all the rainbow rares in this set look cool, especially the Mewtwo VSTAR and all the trainers.
Lost Origin // This set is the third set to contain the Trainer Gallery subset, and contains 196 base cards, plus 21 secret rares and 30 trainer gallery, for a total of 247. The trainer gallery cards are all super cool. The Mew VMAX TG30 is also very cool.
Silver Tempest // This set contains 195 cards, 30 secret rares, and 30 trainer gallery cards. There are a LOT of ultra rare cards and powerful cards in this set, but otherwise it's not terribly unique. It was released November 11th of 2022.
Crown Zenith // This set is special because it is the last set before the big change in the Scarlet and Violet series, in which they did away with set symbols and fundamentally altered a cosmetic trait of the cards. The base set contains 160 cards, and an additional Galarian Gallery contains 70 cards. Cards in this set were not sold in packs, but instead in "elite trainer boxes", containing 10 packs of cards each and a promo card, along with game miscellany. It contains V, VMAX, V STAR, Radiant, and Ultra Rares. I love a lot of cards in this set; I particularly like Leafeon VSTAR 014, Leafeon VSTAR GG35, Lumineon V GG39, Simisear VSTAR GG37, and Gardenia's Vigor GG61.
Scarlet and Violet Series Sets
These sets are especially significant because they mark the end of set symbols for identifying sets. From here forward, all sets are textually identified. Additionally, they fundamentally alter the default cosmetic quality of the cards; for over 25 years pokemon cards have traditionally had a yellow border, but now the border color is gray.
Scarlet and Violet base set (SVI) // This is the first set in the Scarlet and Violet series, and contains 198 cards, plus 650 secret rares and some alternate styles. This is the first set to use the new set symbol system, and the first set to feature the new gray border style. A lot of the secret rares are super cool, but I don't have a favorite. This set was released March 31st of 2023.
Paldea Evolved (PAL) // This set was released June 9th of 2023 and contains 193 cards in the base set and 86 secret rare cards, for a total of 279 cards. Wow, that's a lot of secret rares! The Magikarp 203 is super cool.
Obsidian Flames (OBF) // This set can be identified with the text "OBF" and, of course, the card numbers. It was released in August of 2023 and contains 197 base cards, 33 secret rares, and some promotional variants of these cards. There are a LOT of valuable cards, including four Charizards. I particularly like and own Ninetales 199.
Scarlet and Violet 151 (MEW) // This set is a special set because it features only Generation I pokemon (the first 150 Pokemon in the Pokedex). It is important to note that this is not a reprint of the base set or early sets, but rather original cards of generation 1 Pokemon. It was released September 22 of 2023, and contains 165 cards plus 42 secret rares for a total of 207 cards. It has a lot of cool cards, I really like the Dragonair 181. Mew EX 193 is also cool, as is Venasaur EX 198.
Paradox Rift (PAR) // This set contains 182 base cards plus a whopping 84 secret cards, for a total of 266 cards. It is the first set to introduce Paradox cards, and was released on November 3rd of 2023. I love pretty much all the full arts in this set. The Yveltal 205 has an almost religious dark-fantasy feel to it.
Paldean Fates (PAF) // This set was released on January 26th of 2024, and contains 91 cards plus 154 secret rares, for a total of 245 cards. Wow, that's a lot of secrets! A huge huge huge number of these cards are shiny pokemon. Packs for this set cannot be bought directly; booster packs for this set can only be found in elite trainer boxes and other such bundles. All of the shining cards are super cool.
Temporal Forces (TEF) // This set was released on March 22nd of 2024, and contains 162 cards plus 56 secret rares, for a total of 218 cards. It heralds the return of ACE SPEC cards, and contains a lot of beautiful full art secret rares. I rather like the Arbok 176.
Twilight Masquerade // This set was released May 24 of 2024, and contains 167 cards plus 59 secret rares, for a total of 226 cards. It has numerous Ultra Rares, and every single one of its 59 secret rares is full-art. I think the Scream Tail EX 197 is pretty cool, but they're all cool too.
Shrouded Fable // Booster packs of this set were not available for individual sale, but could be found in Elite Trainer Boxes and other such sets. It was released August 2nd of 2024. It is a smaller set, with only 64 cards in the base set, plus 35 secret rares, for a total of 99 cards. The secret rares are all pretty standard secret rares, nothing to write home about. They're cool.
Stellar Crown // This is a much bigger set, with 142 cards plus 33 secret rares, for a total of 175 cards. It was released September 13th of 2024, and contains a bunch of cool cards in the secret rare subset. None are my favorite, frankly I just wish they'd release more rainbow rares.
Surging Sparks // This is a MASSIVE set, with 250 cards plus 2 secret rares. It was released November 8th of 2024, and contains a HUGE number of full art and ultra rare cards. The Kecleon 213 is super cool, it kind of reminds me of those Mayan epigraphs.
Prismatic Evolutions // This set was mainly distributed through tins and Elite Trainer Boxes, but contains 131 cards + 49 secret rares, which does not make it a small set by any means. It was released January 17th of 2025, and I really like the Leafeon EX 6, Flareon EX 14, Vaporeon EX 23, Sylveon EX 156, really all the eeveelutions are super cool. If you decided to read this entire writeup and all the set descriptions, you will notice a theme; I really love eeveelutions.
Other sets
Pokemon TCG also released other super small sets; holiday sets, halloween sets, McDonald's sets (tiny packs found in kids' happy meals), and so forth. I am not listing them here because they are not considered main series sets are are hardly considered sets; HOWEVER -- if you have a card from one of these sets, it should be easy enough to find what card you have using the methods provided above.
Resources
Here are a few online resources. I don't use all of them, so your mileage may vary.
Miscellany
I haven't done much buying or selling recently because I have been without money, but it would be nice to get back into the swing of it soon. It's a lot of fun. I really want to get into Magic: The Gathering, but pricing and trading Magic cards is supposedly a lot more complex.
I remember when I went in on splitting a box of packs with an internet friend. It shipped to her, she took her half and sent it to me, but she took more than her half. I was pissed but she said she didn't know what happened to them. It's what I deserve for believing there's such a thing as an honest person. I stopped responding to her messages.
This writeup took me three years to write.