Card Variants Explained

Pokémon

• Holo: shiny artwork.
• Reverse holo: shiny everywhere except the artwork.
• Full art: artwork covers the whole card.
• Illustration rare / special illustration rare: full-card artwork, usually numbered above the main set.
• Secret rare: a number higher than the set size, like 215/203.
• 1st Edition: a stamp on early vintage print runs.

One Piece

• Parallel / alternate art: same card code, different artwork.
• SP: special versions of popular cards added to later sets.
• Manga: artwork drawn in black-and-white manga style, among the most wanted cards.
• DON!! cards: come in many art versions, some very valuable.

Yu-Gi-Oh!

• Rarity is shown by the foil: Rare, Super, Ultra, Secret, Ultimate, Ghost, Starlight and Quarter Century Secret, among others.
• The same card is reprinted in many sets — the set code (like DDS-001) tells you which printing you have.

Magic: The Gathering

• Foil versions of most cards.
• Borderless, showcase and extended art frames.
• Serialized cards with a printed number, made in very small runs.

Disney Lorcana

• Foil versions of regular cards.
• Enchanted: rare full-art versions with their own card number.

Why it matters

Versions of the same card can differ in price by hundreds or thousands of dollars. U.C.M looks for the exact print, and when a few versions look alike it shows the closest matches side by side so you can pick the right one.

How to tell which version you have

• Read the card number printed on the card, usually in a bottom corner. It identifies the exact print inside a set.
• Match the set symbol or set code to the set list. The same card name appears in many sets.
• Compare the rarity symbol and the foil pattern with the lists above.
• Look at the artwork. Alternate-art and parallel versions show a different picture from the regular card.
• Check the language. Japanese and English prints of the same card are priced separately.
• Still not sure? Scan the card and compare the official pictures side by side. Scanners by game: Pokémon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic, Lorcana, Dragon Ball Super, Digimon.

What is the difference between holo and reverse holo?

On a holo Pokémon card the artwork is shiny. On a reverse holo, the whole card is shiny except the artwork.

What is an alternate art card?

A version of a card with different artwork from the regular print, usually rarer and more valuable. In One Piece these are often called parallels.

What is a secret rare?

In Pokémon, a card numbered higher than the size of its set, such as 215/203. Secret rares are among the hardest cards to pull.