The Secret to Secret Rare Pokemon Cards
For Pokemon: The Card Game (TCG) collectors and completionists, there’s just one goal. Finding every last Pokémon card to round out a collection is the top prize. We see you. After all, we’re collectors ourselves!
But did you know that your collection might not be as complete as you think it is? In addition to the rare and ultra rare cards you desire, rarity goes deeper. There is an entire category of secret cards that are even rarer, known as secret rare Pokemon cards.
But what is a Pokemon secret rare card? And what is a secret rare Pokemon you might find if you hunt for one? In this guide, we’ll break it all down.
Collection Numbers
Before we dive in, it’s important to learn about collection numbers. Every Pokémon card is part of a series and is numbered in accordance with their place in the series. This number is typically found in the lower right corner of your card. It is displayed in this format: XX/XX.
The number on the left of the slash is the card’s collection number. The number on the right of the slash is the total number of cards in that collection.
So, for instance, take the N card from the X/Y—Fates Collide series. If you look in the lower right corner of the card, you’ll see 105/124. This means that the N card is card number 105 out of a total of 124 cards in the collection.
Identifying a Secret Rare
Now that you know how to identify a card’s collection number, the hunt for secret rares begins. You’d think there are only a total of 124 cards in the N card’s collection. But you’d be wrong. There actually are more, as evidenced by the Alakazam EX card.
Take a look at the lower right corner of the card. You’ll notice it has a collection number of 125/124. This is how you know you’ve found a secret rare: the card number is greater than the collection number!
Secret Rare Card Rarity
As their name implies, secret rare Pokemon cards are quite rare. Gaming resource TCGPlayer estimates there are only about one secret rares in the wild for every 10 ultra rares. So don’t expect to see a lot of them in the wild.
Still, it’s worth perusing your collection. You might already have some secret rares without even knowing it!
Secret Rare Card Value
Pokemon secret rare cards are often as valuable as they are rare. While they likely won’t fetch prices akin to a Crystal Charizard Holo Skyridge or a Rayquaza Gold Star Holo Ex Deoxys, their value is still much higher than your common or uncommon cards. Expect average values to hover somewhere around a few hundred dollars (plus or minus, of course).
An Extra Level of Rarity
You’d think that we’ve covered everything about secret rare Pokemon cards, but would you believe there’s another layer? Yep, even secret rares have a secret rare variant: Gold secret rare Pokemon cards. If you’re feeling Drowzee, we’ll keep it simple.
Essentially, gold secret rare Pokemon cards are secret rares that feature a heavy dose of gold in their design. This could be a gold border around the card, as in the Fairy Energy card from the Burning Shadows series. Or it could be a top-to-bottom gilding, as in the Solgaleo-GX card from the Ultra Prism series. This card is so gold, you can hardly make out Solgaleo in the design (save for its silhouette)!
Let the Secret Rare Hunt Begin!
To level up your search for the very best Pokemon secret rare cards, don’t waste your time. Work with an authorized Pokémon card seller.
At Lightning Card Collection, we specialize in packaging rare and ultra rare boxes for our customers. And unlike the competition, we never, ever pull the good stuff for ourselves. Browse our collection of Pokémon TCG cards and catch ‘em all today!