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
- PSA vs BGS vs CGC: which grading company should you use?How PSA, BGS, CGC and SGC compare for Pokémon cards on cost, turnaround, subgrades, label style and resale value.Updated Sep 6, 2026
- How to photograph a card for AI gradingLighting, background, angle and framing tips for a clean scan — so a camera pre-grade or card identifier reads corners, edges, surface and centring accurately.Updated Sep 6, 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
- What do the symbols on a Pokémon card mean?The set symbol, rarity mark, regulation letter, 1st Edition stamp and energy icons on a Pokémon card — what each one tells you, and where to find it.Updated Sep 6, 2026
- How much is my Pokémon card worth?A step-by-step way to value a Pokémon card: identify the exact printing, judge its condition, and check real raw and graded prices.Updated Sep 6, 2026
- Holo, reverse holo and every Pokémon card finish explainedNormal, holo, reverse holo, cosmos, textured, full art, alt art, secret rare, gold and rainbow — what each Pokémon card finish is and which are worth more.Updated Sep 6, 2026
- The most expensive Pokémon cards ever soldThe Pikachu Illustrator, 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard, Trophy and Gold Star cards, and the error cards — why the rarest Pokémon cards sell for six and seven figures.Updated Sep 6, 2026