Where to find the number and set on a Pokémon card

A name isn’t enough to identify a Pokémon card: the same Pokémon exists in dozens of printings. What sets a card apart is the combination of its set and number. Both are printed small, at the very bottom.

On a recent card: bottom left

On recent cards, it all fits on one line in the bottom left corner. Here, for example, is the line from a card in the 30th anniversary set, as we read it off the card:

• The regulation mark: it is for competitive play, not for identifying the card. Poképédia explains that with each rotation, the oldest allowed letter stops being allowed: it leaves the Standard format.
• The set code: the most useful one. Poképédia lists OBF for Obsidian Flames and MEW for 151, among others.
• The language code: FR, EN and so on. It stops you confusing two printings that look alike (why that matters).
• The number and total: see below.
• The rarity symbol: circle, diamond or star, just to the right of the number.

On an older card: bottom right

Poképédia places the number in the bottom right corner, followed by the set total, with the rarity to its right. That is the classic position on older cards. So the number has changed sides over the years: if you don’t see it on the left, look on the right.

The set symbol then tells you the set. Poképédia warns not to confuse it with the First Edition stamp.

What number/total means

The total is the announced number of cards in the set, not counting secret cards. A secret card is therefore numbered above it. Poképédia gives the historic example of Dark Raichu, number 83/82 in Team Rocket.

Our catalogue shows how wide that gap can get:

Set	Printed total	Cards in the catalogue
Team Rocket	82	83
Obsidian Flames	197	230
Ascended Heroes	217	295

So a set can hold far more cards than its printed total. That is worth knowing if you plan to complete a set: the figure on the card doesn’t tell you how many cards there really are to find.

Numbers that don’t look like numbers

Not all numbers are plain digits. Our catalogue has, for example, 307 numbers starting with SWSH, 216 with SV, 120 with TG and 70 with GG. Some mark promos, others subsets, such as a set’s gallery.

The same number can exist in several sets: TG01, for example, is in several sets, including Astral Radiance and Lost Origin. So always note the set along with the number. Promo cards aren’t part of a particular set and have their own numbering.

How the app uses this

FastScan TCG reads the printed number and set code, then compares the card’s image with its catalogue. If the reading and the image don’t clearly point to one card, the app asks you to confirm instead of choosing for you (the method in detail).

A reading can be wrong: in our binder test, a 062 was read as 052. That is also why a small, sharp line of text matters so much: the more readable it is in the photo, the more confident the answer.