Guides, page 5

Topps Chrome explained: Refractors, rookies and autographs

How Topps Chrome baseball works: the 300-card base set, the Refractor ladder by print run, which box holds which Refractors, and the rookie autographs.

Temporal Forces: the Pokémon set explained

Pokémon 8 min read

Pokémon's Temporal Forces set: its 218 cards, the ACE SPEC rarity, six Pokémon ex in four versions, every rarity counted, and the products Pokémon lists.

TAG grading explained: scores, reports and prices

Grading 9 min read

How TAG Grading scores a card out of 1,000, what its DIG report and slab show, which cards it takes, and its prices and waits.

Surging Sparks: the Pokémon set explained

Pokémon 7 min read

Pokémon's Surging Sparks set: its 252 cards, Pikachu ex in four versions, which of its Pokémon ex also appear in Japan's sets, and the products Pokémon lists.

Stellar Crown: the Pokémon set explained

Pokémon 7 min read

Pokémon's Stellar Crown set: its 175 cards, the Stellar Tera Pokémon ex, which ex get higher versions, every rarity counted, and the products Pokémon lists.

Star Wars: Unlimited rarities and variants explained

Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece and Lorcana 7 min read

Common to Legendary, Special cards, and the Hyperspace, Showcase and Prestige versions: what Star Wars: Unlimited packs hold and what changed in 2026.

Sports card sets by tier: what each hobby box holds

Sports cards 7 min read

A map of baseball, football and basketball sets from big base-set boxes to one-pack boxes, by the cards and autograph or relic cards each hobby box lists.

Shrouded Fable: the Pokémon set explained

Pokémon 7 min read

Pokémon's Shrouded Fable special expansion: its 99 cards, Pecharunt ex, how to spot its parallel foils, every rarity counted and the 8 products that held packs.

Scarlet & Violet: the Pokémon base set explained

Pokémon 8 min read

Pokémon's Scarlet & Violet base set: its 258 cards, the card design changes it began, every rarity counted, its 12 Pokémon ex by version, and its products.

Prismatic Evolutions: the Pokémon set explained

Pokémon 7 min read

Pokémon's Prismatic Evolutions set: its 180 cards, Eevee ex and its eight Evolutions, the Poké Ball and Master Ball cards, and what each product holds.

Pokémon's Mega Evolution set explained

Pokémon 7 min read

Pokémon's Mega Evolution set, first of its series: its 188 cards, the 10 Mega Pokémon ex and their versions, the Japanese sets that share them, and each box.

Pokémon ex, EX, GX, V, VMAX and VSTAR cards explained

Pokémon 7 min read

How to tell Pokémon ex, EX, GX, V, VMAX, VSTAR and Mega ex cards apart: the years of each label, how it is printed, and where each version sits in a set.

Pokémon Elite Trainer Boxes: what each one holds

Pokémon 6 min read

What a Pokémon Elite Trainer Box holds in each recent set, how its Energy cards and dividers changed, and what the Pokémon Center edition adds to the box.

Pokémon Center exclusives: what differs from retail

Pokémon 6 min read

What Pokémon Center sells that other stores do not, how its Elite Trainer Box differs from the retail box by set and by year, and how its preorders work.

Pokémon card errors and misprints explained

Pokémon 8 min read

How a Pokémon error differs from a misprint, damage or a fake, the error types CGC names on its labels, and what The Pokémon Company will exchange.

Pokémon 151 set explained: cards, rarities and products

Pokémon 7 min read

Pokémon's 151 set: 207 cards with the original 151 Pokémon in Pokédex order, every rarity and its numbers, what each product holds, and how to check prices.

Phantasmal Flames: the Pokémon set explained

Pokémon 6 min read

Pokémon's Phantasmal Flames set: its 130 cards, Mega Charizard X ex in four versions, every rarity and its numbers, and what each product holds.

Patch cards and RPAs explained: what the terms mean

Sports cards 7 min read

What memorabilia, patch and rookie patch autograph cards are, how makers and graders label the material, and how four sets number their patch versions.

Paradox Rift: the Pokémon set explained

Pokémon 8 min read

Pokémon's Paradox Rift set: its 266 cards, Ancient and Future Pokémon, all 20 Pokémon ex by version, which Japanese sets share them, and the products listed.

Panini Select explained: the tiers and parallels

Sports cards 5 min read

How Panini Select splits its base set into tiers from Concourse to Field Level or Courtside, why one color's print run shrinks by tier, and the boxes.

Panini Prizm explained: Silver Prizms, colors and rookies

Sports cards 6 min read

How Panini Prizm basketball and football work: the Silver Prizm, numbered color Prizms and their print runs, box formats, rookie cards and inserts.

Panini Origins explained: football and basketball

Sports cards 7 min read

How Panini Origins is built: 2025 football's 150-card base set in a one-pack hobby box, and 2025-26 basketball with college and high school names added.