Info
Plain-English answers to the questions collectors ask — grading, rarities, and how to get the most out of PokeHive.
Grading
- How does card grading work?What the grading companies actually look at, how the 1–10 scale is built, and how to read a slab label.Updated Sep 2, 2026
- Is it worth grading? A quick methodThe simple money math for deciding whether a card should be sent to PSA, BGS or CGC — with a worked example.Updated Sep 3, 2026
Collecting
- Pokémon card rarities explainedRarity symbols, holo vs reverse holo, and the modern Scarlet & Violet rarity ladder from Common up to Hyper Rare.Updated Sep 2, 2026
- Pokémon card value guide: what makes a card worth moneyThe six things that actually drive a Pokémon card's price, how to check what yours is worth, and where to sell.Updated Sep 3, 2026
- How to spot a fake Pokémon cardThe quick physical checks that catch most counterfeits — texture, light, print pattern, colour and weight.Updated Sep 3, 2026
- 1st Edition vs Shadowless vs UnlimitedHow to tell the three Base Set printings apart, and why the price gap between them is so large.Updated Sep 3, 2026
- How to store and protect your Pokémon cardsThe sleeve-and-holder hierarchy, what to use for which value of card, and the storage mistakes that quietly ruin cards.Updated Sep 3, 2026
- Pokémon TCG set list by yearEvery main English era and the years it ran, from Base Set in 1999 to Scarlet & Violet — with links to browse each.Updated Sep 3, 2026