Pokémon Card Rarity Chart: Every Symbol
The rarity symbol sits in the bottom corner of the card next to the set symbol. In the current Scarlet and Violet era it runs from a solid black circle (Common) up to three gold stars (Hyper Rare). In older sets there were only three symbols: circle, diamond, and star.
Here is the full chart. Then the part that matters more, which is why a high rarity symbol and a high price are two different things.
The chart
Current era (Scarlet and Violet onward)
| Symbol | Rarity | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| ● solid black circle | Common | Base level |
| ◆ solid black diamond | Uncommon | One step up |
| ★ solid black star | Rare | Base rare, holo or not |
| ★★ two solid black stars | Double Rare | Pokémon ex, including Tera ex |
| ★★ two shiny foil stars | Ultra Rare | Full art ex and some Supporters |
| ★ one shiny gold star | Illustration Rare | Alternate art of a Common, Uncommon, or Rare |
| ★★ two gold stars | Special Illustration Rare | Alternate art of an ex or Supporter |
| ★★★ three gold stars | Hyper Rare | Gold bordered, gilded full art |
Classic era (WOTC through the pre-Scarlet-and-Violet sets)
| Symbol | Rarity |
|---|---|
| ● circle | Common |
| ◆ diamond | Uncommon |
| ★ star | Rare (a holo rare uses the same star) |
The classic system is the one people find confusing when they dig out an old binder, because it is so much simpler than the modern one. Three symbols, and the foil treatment did not change the tier at all.
Where to find the symbol
Bottom right corner on most cards, next to the set symbol and the card number. On some older and some full art cards the placement shifts, and on a handful of promos there is no rarity symbol at all.
If you cannot find it, identify the set first, then check that set's card list. The symbol conventions have changed several times across nearly thirty years of printing, so the set is always the more reliable starting point than the symbol. Everything else on the card covers reading the rest of it.
Reading the modern tiers properly
Two pairs get mixed up constantly, and the difference is money.
Double Rare versus Ultra Rare. Both use two stars. Double Rare stars are solid black, Ultra Rare stars are shiny foil. A Double Rare is the standard ex card that appears in packs at a reasonable rate. An Ultra Rare is the full art version. Same character, same set, very different card.
Illustration Rare versus Special Illustration Rare. Illustration Rare is one gold star and is an alternate art of an ordinary Common, Uncommon, or Rare Pokémon. Special Illustration Rare is two gold stars and is an alternate art of an ex or Supporter. The Special Illustration Rare is the scarcer and generally more valuable of the two, and it is where most of the modern chase money sits. What the modern SIR tier means goes into it properly.
Hyper Rare is three gold stars, the gold bordered cards. Visually the loudest tier, and worth noting that loud does not mean most valuable: the marquee Special Illustration Rares frequently out-price the Hyper Rares in the same set.
Why rarity does not equal value
This is the part most rarity charts leave out, and it is the reason people get disappointed.
The rarity symbol tells you how hard the card was to pull from a pack. It does not tell you what anyone will pay for it. Those are different facts, and they come apart constantly.
Four reasons the symbol misleads:
Print run swamps rarity tier. A modern Double Rare from a heavily printed set exists in enormous quantities in absolute terms, even though it is "rarer" within that set than a Common. A plain Rare from 1999 can be worth many multiples of it, because the entire print run was a fraction of the size.
Character demand is uneven. Demand concentrates hard on Charizard, Pikachu, Umbreon, Lugia, Mew, and Rayquaza. A Special Illustration Rare of a character nobody collects is worth a fraction of one of a beloved character in the same set at the same rarity.
Condition is most of the value on anything old. A Rare from 1999 in top graded condition and the same card creased in a shoebox are separated by multiples. The symbol is identical on both.
Foil treatment is not a rarity tier. A holo rare and a non holo rare in a classic set carry the same star. Reverse holo is a finish, not a tier is the same trap in modern sets.
So the symbol is a starting filter, not an answer. Rarity is only part of value is the full version of what actually decides price.
How to tell if a Pokémon card is rare
Working order, most reliable first:
- Identify the set. Set symbol plus the card number. This bounds everything else, because rarity conventions differ by era.
- Read the rarity symbol against the chart for that era, not the current one.
- Check the print run era. Vintage roughly 1999 to 2003 is genuinely scarce in absolute terms. Modern is not, regardless of tier.
- Check the print run within the set. On vintage, 1st Edition and Shadowless copies are far scarcer than Unlimited. This is where the largest value gaps in the hobby sit.
- Check the population report if the card is graded. A card can feel rare and still have tens of thousands of copies at that grade. Populations are published, so use them instead of guessing.
- Then price it. Recent sold results for that exact card, set, print run, and grade. Find out what yours is worth covers the method.
Step 5 is the one people skip, and it is the one that turns "this feels rare" into an actual number.
The rarity mistakes that cost money
Treating a gold star as a guarantee. A Special Illustration Rare of an unpopular Pokémon from an over-printed set is a nice card and a modest one.
Assuming holo means rare. It never has. Foil is a finish.
Confusing Double Rare with Ultra Rare because both show two stars. Check whether they are black or foil.
Ignoring the print run on vintage. A Base Set Rare star is on the 1st Edition, the Shadowless, and the Unlimited copy. Same symbol, wildly different value.
Pricing against the wrong grade. A raw card compared to graded sold results is not a comp. Neither is a PSA 9 compared to PSA 10 results.
That last one is worth dwelling on, because it is how people talk themselves into overpaying. FoilSide prices every card against grade matched comps for exactly this reason: a CGC 9 gets valued against CGC 9 sales, never against a blended average that quietly folds in PSA 10 results and makes ordinary listings look like bargains.
Where the symbol actually helps you
The honest use for a rarity chart is not valuation, it is triage. It tells you which cards in a stack are worth looking up and which are bulk, quickly.
After that, the money question is different: not "is this card rare" but "is this card priced below what it currently sells for." Those come apart all the time. Plenty of unremarkable Uncommons are correctly priced, and plenty of genuinely scarce cards sit in independent storefronts at prices set months ago, before the comps moved.
FoilSide scans thousands of those storefronts continuously, matches each listing to the exact card and print run, prices it against grade matched comps, drops the fakes and mislabeled listings, and shows what is left with the comp and the arithmetic visible so you can check the reasoning yourself.
FAQ
What do the symbols on Pokémon cards mean? The bottom corner symbol is the rarity: a solid black circle is Common, a black diamond is Uncommon, a black star is Rare. Modern Scarlet and Violet sets add higher tiers using multiple stars in black, foil, or gold, up to three gold stars for Hyper Rare.
What is the rarest Pokémon card rarity? In the current era Hyper Rare (three gold stars) is the top listed tier, though Special Illustration Rares (two gold stars) often sell for more. Neither compares to genuinely scarce vintage cards, where the entire print run was small.
Is a star on a Pokémon card rare? A single solid black star means Rare, which is the base rare tier and appears in most packs. It is the least scarce of the rare tiers. A gold star is a different and scarcer thing entirely.
Does the rarity symbol tell me the value? No. It tells you how hard the card was to pull from a pack in its own set. Value comes from print run size, character demand, condition, and what buyers are currently paying. A 1999 Rare can be worth far more than a modern Double Rare.
What is the difference between Double Rare and Ultra Rare? Both show two stars. Double Rare uses solid black stars and covers standard ex cards. Ultra Rare uses shiny foil stars and covers the full art versions.
How do I check a card's rarity if there is no symbol? Some promos and older cards have no rarity symbol. Identify the set and card number, then check that set's card list, which will state the rarity.
Related: what makes a card valuable, the Special Illustration Rare tier, and reverse holo explained.
Has collected Pokémon cards for over 20 years and handled more than 10,000 of them. A marketing professional by trade, he writes FoilSide's identification and valuation guides, covering print runs, rarity tiers, grading economics, and counterfeit detection.