Promo card
A promo card is a card released outside a set's packs, handed out at events or included in special products. Pokémon marks them with a Black Star Promo symbol in place of a rarity symbol.
Also called Promo.
In more detail
Promos reach collectors by routes other than packs: as gifts at events such as tournaments, inside tins and other merchandise, or as part of special products. Pokémon's English promos go back to the Wizards of the Coast era, which had a Wizards Black Star Promos series of its own, and the practice has continued since.
A promo has its own numbering and its own set name, such as SM Promo, and its price depends on how it was distributed. Look at the bottom corner: where other cards show a rarity symbol, a promo shows a black star.
Ask where a promo came from before you pay for it. An event card and a boxed card can look the same, so the listing or the grading label should name the release.
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