CARD SCAN LAB / Card guides
How to identify a Pokémon card by set and number
Start with the small print, rather than the artwork alone. Reprints can show the same Pokémon and a very similar picture while belonging to different releases. You can build a useful identification record with the name, full collector number, set mark, language and any edition stamp before checking a price.
1. Copy the complete number
On the annotated card, the bottom-right corner reads 4/102. Copy the numerator and denominator together, and keep letters or prefixes when present. A number such as GG50 belongs to a different numbering sequence from plain 50. Do not replace the printed identifier with a catalog’s internal sequence number.
The denominator is a clue, not a unique set ID or a promise that the set ends there. Official checklists may include cards numbered beyond the main set total. Match the card name and the set as well as the number.
- Name and language: Charizard, English text.
- Collector number: 4/102, including both sides of the slash.
- Edition stamp: a separate detail to compare after finding the set.
2. Find the symbol or expansion code
Inspect both lower corners and the area below the artwork on older cards. The example has no expansion symbol beside the illustration; the separate stamp on the left is an edition mark. Avoid using an empty symbol position as the only evidence for a set.
Pokémon introduced expansion codes at the bottom left with the Scarlet & Violet Series. Keep the code separate from the card’s language and regulation mark. A regulation letter concerns play eligibility; it does not identify a unique expansion.
3. Cross-check a checklist
Find the publisher’s checklist for the suspected release. Compare name, exact number and illustration, then note the language and any stamp or special printing. For example, the linked Scarlet & Violet checklist lists Pineco as 001 and also includes separately numbered illustration cards. A match in one field alone is insufficient. Save the checklist title and the identifier you matched, so another collector can repeat the comparison without relying on your photograph alone.
4. Keep uncertainty visible
If two candidates remain, photograph the entire front straight on and make a second close-up of the small print. Record what is unreadable rather than guessing. In Card Scan Lab, compare the candidates or use the set-and-number recovery after a scan. The interface has nine languages; supported card languages remain English, Italian and Japanese. Identification does not establish authenticity, finish or physical condition.