Quick answer
We have answered 2,295 questions across the site. This page is the subset we actually get asked most often, grouped by what people are trying to decide: what a card is worth, how to grade and store it, how to read the language and the set codes, and how to buy. Every answer here is the same answer we give in the relevant guide, collected in one place.
Questions that name a single card are answered on that card’s page rather than here, because the answer changes with the card. What follows is the part that holds whichever card you are holding.
Pricing and value
Can a Chinese card be exclusive even if the Pokemon is common?
Yes, and it happens often. Exclusivity applies to the illustration and the product line, not to how famous the Pokemon is. A Meowth or a Cubone can hold an exclusive artwork while a legendary sits in a set that exists in five languages.
Can one card belong to two branches?
No. The branches are mutually exclusive by construction: a card either has an illustration that exists in another language or it does not, and it is either printed in Simplified Chinese or it is not. Every card in the catalogue lands in exactly one branch.
Are Chinese Exclusive cards always more expensive?
No. Exclusivity removes the substitute, but it does not by itself determine price. Within branch 1 the range runs from accessible exclusive artwork to a lottery promo capped at 1,510 copies, and the distribution mechanism behind a given card matters more than the fact of the label.
How do I shop only Chinese-exclusive cards?
Use the Chinese Exclusive category — every card there is in branch 1 by the artwork test above. For the other two branches, Chinese holds prints of shared artwork and OtherLanguages holds the comparison printings.
Does rarity determine how much a card is worth?
No, and the numbers on this page show why. Illustration Rare covers a 45.7× price range, while Ultra Rare and Hyper Rare each cover only 1.6×. The four gold UR cards top out below the median price of the whole page. Rarity describes a printing treatment; it does not describe demand.
Why is there such a large gap between the lowest and the highest card?
Two reasons. Most of the ladder is Art Rares from comparable print runs, so prices stay inside a band. At the very top sits a different kind of object: four Collect 151 Pikachu Art Rares from a four-part release, plus a lottery promo documented at 1,510 copies. Four cards hold 81.3% of the value on this page; the other 38 share the remainder between them.
Are these cards in stock?
Every PSA 10 listing on this site is a pre-order. We source the specific certification number after you order, which is why the dispatch window runs 15 business days from the order rather than immediately. Sealed boxes and card protectors are stocked separately and ship sooner.
Is this list ranked by sale price or by asking price?
Sale price, in every case. Each entry carries the month, year and venue of the sale, and the plate on the card records them. Asking prices are ignored entirely, which is why some cards that appear on other “most valuable” lists do not appear here: they have no documented sale at a level that would place them.
Grading and slabs
Is a slab the same thing as a graded case?
If the case came from a grading company with a grade on its label, they are the same object and “slab” is the hobby’s word for it. If there is no grade, there is no slab — there is a rigid holder, and it is a different product with a different purpose.
Does putting a card in a rigid holder protect its value?
It protects the card, which is not the same thing. Value follows the grade and the population at that grade. Physical protection keeps a card from losing condition; it does not create a grade.
Should I grade my own cards before selling?
Sometimes. It depends on the expected grade, the fee, and the population at that grade. The arithmetic is different for every card, and it is not our business to advise on it. What we can do is show you what the finished article looks like: how to read a slab label and what a slab will and will not fit.
Will a graded slab fit in a binder?
No — not in a standard 9-pocket page. The sizes are in the binder page. Slabs need slab-sized pockets, a foam-lined case, or a display frame.
Do 9-pocket pages exist that fit slabs?
Not in the standard format. A 9-pocket page is defined by a 2.5 × 3.5 in pocket. What is sometimes sold as a “graded page” is a page with fewer, larger pockets — four is common — and it is a different product, not a 9-pocket page that happens to fit.
Can I put a PSA 10 slab in a top loader?
No, and there is no reason to. A top loader is sized for a raw card, and a slab is already a rigid case. The sleeve that goes over a slab is a different product from the sleeve that goes over a card.
Should graded cards be stored flat or upright?
Either, with one rule: never store a slab on its short edge under the weight of other slabs. Pressure on the short edge is what cracks holders over time. Flat, or upright in individual channels, both avoid it.
Does a BGS slab fit in a case made for PSA?
Face dimensions, usually yes. Depth, usually no. BGS runs about 9 mm against PSA’s 6 mm, so a PSA-sized channel leaves the lid unable to close or forces it. Measure the inside depth before buying, and leave a millimetre of clearance.
Storage and protection
Are penny sleeves good enough?
For storage in a binder or box, yes — if they are acid-free and PVC-free. A penny sleeve is thin because it does not need to be thick: the page or the box is doing the structural work. Where a penny sleeve is not enough is shipping or handling, where you need a rigid layer as well.
Do I need sleeves for cards that are already in a slab?
A different product, yes. A slab is the case; a slab sleeve goes over the case to keep scuffs and fingerprints off the plastic. It adds no protection to the card, which the slab already handles.
Can sleeves cause damage?
PVC sleeves can, over years, through plasticiser migration. Tight sleeves can bow a card. Dirty sleeves trap grit against the surface. Sleeve damage is slow, which is exactly why the material claim on the packet is worth reading before price.
How many times can a card be re-sleeved?
As few as possible. Each insertion is a chance of a corner ding, and the risk is not shared evenly — it is worst on the first attempt in a tight sleeve. Sleeve it once, correctly, and leave it.
Can a bent card be flattened again?
Not back to factory condition, and attempting it usually makes things worse. Pressure and humidity are what bent it; more of both will not undo it. A slightly bowed card can be stabilised by storing it flat under gentle, even weight in a stable, dry environment — but treat that as stopping further movement, not as a repair.
How long does fading take?
There is no useful number, because it depends on how much UV the card receives. Face-on to a sunny window, a noticeable tone shift can happen in a single season. In a closed box in a room with no direct sun, the same card can look unchanged for years. What is certain is that it never goes back.
Are binders or boxes better?
Boxes are better for anything valuable and anything you do not look at often, because a box can be sealed against humidity and light and a binder cannot. Binders are better for a collection you actually read. Plenty of collectors use both: box for the top cards, binder for the set.
Do penny sleeves damage cards?
No — a clean, correctly sized polypropylene sleeve does not scratch a card by itself. Wear comes from two places: grit already on the card face gets sealed in against it, and square sleeve corners catch the card’s own corners on the way in. Check the face against light before sleeving.
Language, codes and versions
How many Simplified Chinese-exclusive Pokemon cards are there?
Our catalogue documents 42 as of September 2026, spanning 20 set lines from 2023 to 2026. It is a documented count rather than a closed official checklist: the number rose from 2 cards in 2023 to 4 in 2024, then 26 in 2025 and 10 more in 2026, and new Simplified Chinese releases continue to add exclusive artwork.
Which Simplified Chinese set has the most exclusive cards?
Gem Pack. Across the six volumes released so far, Gem Pack accounts for 19 of the 42 cards on our list — more than the next three set lines combined. Gem Pack Vol. 3 alone contributes five exclusive illustration rares. Collect 151 follows with four, all of them Pikachu Art Rares drawn by Oswaldo KATO.
Are all the cards on the list Illustration Rares?
No, but they dominate. 23 of the 42 are Illustration Rares and 9 are Special Art Rares, so 32 of 42 come from those two artwork-driven rarities. The remaining ten split into four Ultra Rare (gold) cards, three Radiant cards, two Hyper Rares and one promo.
Can the list get shorter?
Yes. A card comes off the list if its illustration is later printed in another language, which would make it a Chinese printing rather than a Chinese exclusive. No card on the current list has lost exclusivity as of September 2026, but the test is applied continuously rather than once.
What does the set code on a Simplified Chinese Pokemon card mean?
The code identifies the product, the card’s slot inside it and the card’s rarity print. The prefix names the set — CBB1C through CBB6C are Gem Pack Vol. 1 to Vol. 6, 151C is Collect 151, and the csv and cs prefixes cover the Scarlet & Violet era Chinese main sets and subsets. The set code always ends in the letter C, which marks the Simplified Chinese print run.
How do I read a Gem Pack card number like CBB2C 06 15/15?
Gem Pack is organised by Pokemon rather than by one running set number, so the code has four parts: CBB2C is the volume, 06 is the group number for the Pokemon, 15 is the treatment within that group, and the second 15 is the total number of treatments in the group. The highest-numbered treatment in a group is the Art Rare, so 15/15 identifies the group’s artwork card.
Why is the card number higher than the set total, like 155/130?
A card numbered above the printed size of its set is a secret rare — it sits past the end of the numbered checklist. Arcanine from Fearless Terastal prints as csv3C 155/130 SAR, and Brock’s Scouting from Chasing Glory Together prints as csv10C 276/222 SAR. The numerator is the card’s position and the denominator is the size of the numbered set, so a higher numerator is expected rather than an error.
What do AR, SAR, UR and HR mean on a Chinese card?
They are the rarity suffixes printed on the card. AR is Illustration Rare, the gold-star rarity introduced with the Scarlet & Violet expansion. SAR is Special Art Rare, UR is Ultra Rare, HR is Hyper Rare and K is Radiant. They are printed on the card itself, so the rarity never has to be inferred from the artwork.
Sets and counting
What is a Gem Pack in the Pokemon TCG?
Gem Pack is a series of Simplified Chinese all-foil mini sets released for the mainland China market. Each volume carries its own set code — CBB1C through CBB6C — and contains artwork commissioned for the Chinese release only, with no English or Japanese equivalent. Six volumes have been released, from Gem Pack Vol. 1 through Gem Pack Vol. 6.
How many cards are in Gem Pack Vol. 2?
Published checklists list 140 foil treatments for Gem Pack Vol. 2 (CBB2C). The volume is organised by Pokemon rather than by one running set number, so each species has its own group of treatments — Eevee runs from 01 to 15 in group 01, and the four connected-art cards all sit at treatment 15/15 of their respective groups. A sealed Vol. 2 booster box holds 15 packs of four foil cards.
Are Gem Pack cards exclusive to Simplified Chinese?
The artwork is. Every Gem Pack volume has included original artwork commissioned for the Chinese release only, in limited print runs, and no reprint has been confirmed for any volume. That is why a Gem Pack card is classified as Chinese Exclusive rather than simply as a Chinese printing.
Can you source a specific Gem Pack card for me?
Yes. We source and grade to order, so a card does not have to be in the catalogue for us to find it. Tell us the card, the volume and the printed identifier, and we will confirm a price and a lead time before you pay anything. Pre-order items are dispatched within 15 business days of order confirmation, and most ship in 5 to 10 business days.
What is the difference between Hope and Surprise?
Setting and supporting cast. Hope is the sunlit grassland scene with Pikachu beside a sleeping Psyduck, released 18 April 2025, and it is the calmest of the four. Surprise is the moonlit forest scene with Gengar filling the frame behind Pikachu, released 18 July 2025. Surprise carries the higher price because it is the only card in the series pairing Pikachu with a second headline Pokemon.
What is the Art Rare pull rate in Collect 151?
Roughly one Art Rare per booster box. That rate is why the four Pikachu cards are the series’ chase: a box is a single attempt at one of them rather than a step towards completing a set of four. Collect 151 shipped in two formats — Jumbo boxes of 6 packs at 20 cards per pack, and Slim boxes of 15 packs at 5 cards per pack.
Why are the card numbers above 151?
Because a card numbered above the printed size of its set is a secret rare — it sits past the end of the numbered checklist. Collect 151 numbers its Pikachu Art Rares 170 through 173, above the 151 cards the set is named for. The numerator is the card’s position and the denominator is the size of the numbered set, so a higher numerator is expected.
How does CardSpicy decide how many Simplified Chinese cards a Pokemon has?
Every count comes from PriceCharting, read on 27 September 2026. A printing is matched to a character by name with the set number and variant tags stripped, counted once, and added to the character’s Simplified Chinese total. Sealed product is excluded, and the Chinese-only promo and anniversary sets are left out of all three language counts.
Collecting strategy
What does “one Pokemon per trainer” mean?
It describes a set of cards where a single trainer and a single partner Pokemon appear together, with both names printed in the card’s title. Gem Pack Vol. 1 and Vol. 5 each contain four such Illustration Rares — Friede with Captain Pikachu, and Liko, Roy and Dot with their starters — for eight cards in total across the two volumes.
Which Gem Pack volumes have the Pokemon Horizons trainer pairs?
Two. Gem Pack Vol. 1 (CBB1C, 2025) has the four pairs with the starters in their base forms, and Gem Pack Vol. 5 (CBB5C, 2026) returns to the same four trainers with Floragato, Crocalor, Quaxwell and Captain Pikachu. The eight cards together are the complete theme.
Do the Vol. 1 and Vol. 5 trainer cards use the same artwork?
No. They are different illustrations by different artists, and the Pokemon are at different evolutionary stages — Sprigatito in Vol. 1 against Floragato in Vol. 5, and so on. Captain Pikachu appears in both volumes, but as two separate scenes rather than as a progression.
Can you source a specific Gem Pack card that is not in the catalogue?
Yes. We source and grade to order, so a card does not have to be listed for us to find it. Give us the card name, the volume and the printed identifier — for example CBB5C 24 07/07 — and we will confirm a price and a lead time before you pay anything. Pre-order items are dispatched within 15 business days of order confirmation, and most ship in 5 to 10 business days.
What should I buy someone who collects Pokemon cards?
It depends on how much you know about their collection. If you know the exact card they want, buy that card graded. If you know roughly what they collect, buy a small closed theme — a group of cards that belong together by design, so you do not have to guess which single card is missing. If you know only that they collect, buy a gift card or a sealed product and let them make the choice.
Is a gift card a good present for a card collector?
It is the correct present in one specific situation and an awkward one in another. It is correct when you do not know their collecting specifics, because a card is a specific object rather than a category and the wrong one cannot be returned. It is awkward when the occasion expects a wrapped object. Our gift card is delivered by email, has no expiry, and can be redeemed against any product in the store.
Should a card gift be graded or ungraded?
Graded, for a present. Condition is the only thing about a card that cannot be changed afterwards, and an ungraded card’s condition is an opinion you are handing to someone else to hold on your behalf. A graded card also carries a certification number that the recipient can verify independently, which makes it a more certain gift than a raw card.
How far ahead should I order a card as a gift?
We source PSA 10 slabs to order, and dispatch them within 15 business days of your order — usually within 5 to 10 business days. If the gift has a fixed date, order several weeks ahead or choose something that is already in stock. Sealed boxes and protectors are held in stock and dispatched within 2 business days after payment confirmation (excluding weekends and holidays).
Ordering and shipping
How long does a pre-order take to ship?
Pre-order items are dispatched within 15 business days of order confirmation, and most orders ship in 5 to 10 business days. The 15-business-day window is our maximum commitment rather than our usual timeline. In-stock items ship faster — within 2 business days — and the 15-business-day window does not apply to them. You receive progress updates on business day 1, business day 5 and business day 10 after your order.
What happens if you cannot find the card I ordered?
You are refunded in full automatically, and you do not need to request it. Refunds are issued to your original payment method within 1 business day. The same 1-business-day refund applies if you cancel the order yourself, which you may do at any time before dispatch, for any reason and without giving one.
Do I have to pay customs or import tax on delivery?
No. We ship on a Delivered Duty Paid basis, so any customs duty, import tax or clearance fee charged by the destination country is covered by us and already included in the price and shipping shown at checkout. If a carrier or customs authority asks you for an additional payment, do not pay it — contact support@cardspicy.com first and we will resolve it.
Is it worth opening a sealed booster box?
It depends entirely on why you bought it. If you want the cards inside, open it — a sealed box of cards you never touch is a claim about contents rather than a collection. If you bought it as a sealed object, opening it permanently removes the thing you paid for, and there is no way to restore it.
Does opening a box reduce its value?
Yes, in the sense that matters: a sealed box and its contents are two different assets, and opening converts one into the other. What remains after opening is not worthless — it is simply the contents rather than the sealed product, and it can never be converted back.
Is a card pulled from a fresh box automatically a PSA 10?
No. Packaging protects a card from handling, not from manufacturing variation. Centring, edges, corners and surface all vary between copies, which is the reason grading exists at all. A card that has never left a pack is still a card that has to be graded on its own merits.
Which 30th Celebration products actually contain booster packs?
The Booster Box holds 20 packs and the Charizard Figure Gift Box holds 15, alongside its figure and jumbo card. The Futuristic Box contains no booster packs at all — it is a set of accessories with two Pikachu ex promo cards.
When did the US de minimis exemption end?
In stages. Duty-free de minimis ended for low-value imports from China on 2 May 2025, then for all origins and all modes of entry on 29 August 2025. It was continued by executive order on 20 February 2026, made indefinite in CBP’s own regulations on 24 June 2026, and is scheduled for permanent statutory repeal on 1 July 2027.
Frequently asked questions
What is this page for?
It collects the questions we are asked most often about Simplified Chinese Pokemon cards, grouped by subject, with a short answer on each. Every answer points to the guide page that covers the same ground in full.
Where do these answers come from?
Each answer is reproduced from the answer already given on the relevant CardSpicy guide page rather than written fresh here, so the two always agree. The list of sources below names the pages used.
Does this page quote prices?
No. Where an answer touches on value it points to the card’s own page, where the figure is refreshed. Prices on this site are secondary-market observations at the dates cited, not a listed price.
Sources
Sources and further reading
- CardSpicy — every answer on this page is reproduced from the answer already given on the relevant guide page, read on 4 October 2026.
- CardSpicy guides — card protection, Chinese versus Japanese cards, how we count and rank, and pre-order dispatch, for the long version of the answers above.
- The official Simplified Chinese product announcements, read at pokemon.cn on 4 October 2026.
Prices quoted on this site are secondary-market observations at the dates cited, not a listed price. Where an answer refers to a card’s value, the figure lives on the card’s own page and is refreshed there.
Related reading
If your question is about one card, start from the per-character table. If it is about a set, the set checklists and the set timeline cover what each one holds and when it shipped.
Where to go next
- The CardSpicy card index — every card we track, with its PSA 10 population and market history (195 cards).
- The illustrator index — every artist behind those cards, card by card (110 artists).