Cardex
Quick answer: the stars next to the collector number show the card's rarity. One black star is Rare, two black stars are Double Rare (a regular ex), two silver stars are Ultra Rare (full art), one gold star is Illustration Rare, two gold stars are Special Illustration Rare and three gold stars are Hyper Rare. A pink star marks an ACE SPEC card. More stars doesn't always mean more money: in current sets the median card with two gold stars sells for $29.47, while three gold stars sell for $7.81.
Can't make out the stars? Scan the card with Cardex and it shows the rarity, set and current price for you. See how the scanner works.
Get the free appWhere to find the stars on a Pokémon card
Look at the bottom corner, next to the collector number (for example 199/165). On current English cards the symbol sits at the bottom left, and on older cards it's usually at the bottom right. Every rarity symbol goes in that same spot, from a plain circle to three gold stars, so it's the first thing to check when you sort a pile.
Stars only appear on rare cards. A circle means Common and a diamond means Uncommon, and in current sets those are worth well under a dollar.
Pokémon card stars chart: every symbol and what it's worth
Median near-mint prices for every card with each symbol in the Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution sets, plus the white star from Sword & Shield. Prices updated October 30, 2026.
| Star | Rarity | Cards | Median price | Worth $100+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One black star | Rare | 366 | $0.21 | 0% |
| Two black stars | Double Rare | 329 | $0.71 | 0% |
| Two silver stars | Ultra Rare | 356 | $2.09 | 0% |
| One gold star | Illustration Rare | 510 | $9.95 | 0.4% |
| Two gold stars | Special Illustration Rare | 232 | $29.47 | 16% |
| Three gold stars | Hyper Rare | 74 | $7.81 | 0% |
| One pink star | ACE SPEC Rare | 33 | $0.50 | 0% |
| One hollow gold star | Shiny Rare | 120 | $4.52 | 0% |
| Two hollow gold stars | Shiny Ultra Rare | 12 | $1.74 | 0% |
| A pink star and a green star | Mega Attack Rare | 7 | $4.82 | 0% |
| A four-pointed gold star | Mega Hyper Rare | 8 | $153.40 | 88% |
| A black star and a white star | Black White Rare | 4 | $532.52 | 100% |
| One white star (cards before 2023) | Ultra rare (older sets) | 947 | $3.53 | 3.2% |
What each star means
What does one black star mean on a Pokémon card?
One black star means Rare. On current cards it marks a Stage 2 Pokémon or another regular rare, usually with holo artwork. It is the most common star: every booster pack has at least one card that is Rare or better. In current sets the median Rare sells for 21 cents. The most valuable right now is Armarouge 012/084 from Pitch Black ($70.34).
What do two black stars mean on a Pokémon card?
Two black stars mean Double Rare: the regular version of a Pokémon ex, printed inside the main set numbering with a standard frame. The typical Double Rare goes for 71 cents. The top card today is Pecharunt ex 039/064 from Shrouded Fable ($8.61).
What do two silver stars mean on a Pokémon card?
Two silver stars mean Ultra Rare: full art Pokémon ex and full art Supporter cards with textured foil, numbered above the main set. Half of these cards sell for less than $2.09. Gengar ex 193/162 from Temporal Forces ($51.75) is the most expensive one right now.
What does one gold star mean on a Pokémon card?
One gold star means Illustration Rare: a regular, non-ex Pokémon with scenic artwork that covers the whole card. Collectors chase these for the art, not for gameplay. In current sets the median Illustration Rare sells for $9.95, and 0.4% sell for $100 or more. The most valuable right now is Magikarp 203/193 from Paldea Evolved ($289.43).
What do two gold stars mean on a Pokémon card?
Two gold stars mean Special Illustration Rare: extended artwork versions of Pokémon ex and Supporters, textured and numbered near the end of the set. In most current sets the most valuable card has two gold stars. The typical Special Illustration Rare goes for $29.47, and 16% sell for $100 or more. The top card today is Umbreon ex 161/131 from Prismatic Evolutions ($1,137.17).
What do three gold stars mean on a Pokémon card?
Three gold stars mean Hyper Rare: gold-colored Pokémon, Items and Energy at the very end of the set numbering. They are hard to pull, but collectors usually pay more for artwork than for gold foil. Half of these cards sell for less than $7.81. Pikachu ex 247/191 from Surging Sparks ($67.51) is the most expensive one right now.
What does a pink star mean on a Pokémon card?
A pink star means ACE SPEC Rare: a powerful Trainer or Energy card you can only put one of in a deck. The pink star arrived with Temporal Forces in 2024, and prices follow tournament demand more than rarity. In current sets the median ACE SPEC Rare sells for 50 cents. The most valuable right now is Hero's Cape 152/162 from Temporal Forces ($23.70).
What does a hollow gold star mean on a Pokémon card?
A hollow gold star, an outline with an empty center, means Shiny Rare: a shiny Pokémon, as in Paldean Fates. It is easy to mistake for an Illustration Rare at a glance, so look for the outline. The typical Shiny Rare goes for $4.52. The top card today is Pikachu 131/091 from Paldean Fates ($72.88).
What do two hollow gold stars mean on a Pokémon card?
Two hollow gold stars mean Shiny Ultra Rare: a shiny full art Pokémon ex. Only 12 English cards carry this symbol so far, with a median price of $1.74. The most valuable right now is Mew ex 216/091 from Paldean Fates ($33.09).
What do a pink star and a green star mean on a Pokémon card?
A pastel pink star next to a green star means Mega Attack Rare, a tier added in the Mega Evolution era (from late 2025) for ex cards with special attack artwork. Only 7 English cards carry this symbol so far, with a median price of $4.82. The most valuable right now is Mega Gengar ex 269/217 from Ascended Heroes ($32.39).
What does a four-pointed gold star mean on a Pokémon card?
A four-pointed gold star with a black border means Mega Hyper Rare, the gold cards of the Mega Evolution era and the top tier in those sets. Only 8 English cards carry this symbol so far, with a median price of $153.40. The most valuable right now is Mega Charizard Y ex 294/217 from Ascended Heroes ($234.05).
What do a black star and a white star mean on a Pokémon card?
One black star next to one white star means Black White Rare, a special secret rare found only in Black Bolt and White Flare (2025). Only 4 English cards carry this symbol so far, with a median price of $532.52. The most valuable right now is Victini 171/086 from Black Bolt ($615.61).
What does a white star mean on a Pokémon card?
On cards printed before Scarlet & Violet, a white star (a black outline with an empty center) marks an ultra rare. Pokémon V, VMAX, VSTAR, GX and EX cards, full arts, rainbow rares and gold secret rares all share it, so the collector number and the name tell them apart. Across Sword & Shield sets the median white-star card sells for $3.53, and 3.2% sell for $100 or more. The most valuable right now is Umbreon VMAX 215/203 from Evolving Skies ($2,209.75).
Still not sure which one you have? Point Cardex at the card. It reads the rarity, set and collector number and shows what that exact printing sells for. See how the scanner works.
Get the free appDo more stars mean a more valuable card?
Ranked by median price, the main symbols in current sets go two gold stars ($29.47), one gold star ($9.95), three gold stars ($7.81), one hollow gold star ($4.52), two silver stars ($2.09), two black stars ($0.71), one pink star ($0.50) and one black star ($0.21). The four-pointed gold star (8 cards, median $153) and the black-and-white star (4 cards, median $533) sell for more, but they are printed on only a handful of cards. Three gold stars sell for less than one gold star, even though Hyper Rares are much harder to pull than Illustration Rares. The star tells you how hard a card was to pull. The Pokémon, the artwork and the condition decide what someone will pay for it.
That's why the stars are a sorting tool, not a price tag. Pull every card with gold stars, two silver stars or a four-pointed star out of your pile first, then look up each one. Our guide to what your Pokémon card is worth covers condition and the other things that move the price.
Stars on older Pokémon cards
- 2023 onward (Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution): the color-coded stars in this guide.
- Black & White to Sword & Shield (2011 to 2023): a black star for rares and holo rares, and a white star for every ultra rare. The collector number tells a regular V card from a secret rare: a number above the set size, like 200/185, means a secret rare.
- Shining Fates (2021): shiny cards add the letters SH next to the star.
- Wizards of the Coast (1999 to 2003): only the black star. Holo and non-holo rares share it, so the shine on the artwork is what separates them.
Japanese cards use letters instead of stars
Japanese cards print a letter code in the same corner: RR for Double Rare, AR for Illustration Rare, SR for Ultra Rare, SAR for Special Illustration Rare and UR for Hyper Rare. Our rarity symbols guide has the full table, including the Mega Evolution codes.
Where these prices come from
We use near-mint USD market prices for every English card in 23 Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution expansions, from the same price data the Cardex app uses, refreshed daily. The white-star row covers Sword & Shield ultra rares. The latest update is from October 30, 2026. The medians show what's typical, not what your card is worth.
Pokémon card star questions
Is a three gold star Pokémon card rare?
Yes. Three gold stars mark a Hyper Rare, one of the hardest cards to pull from a current set. Rare and valuable aren't the same thing, though: the median Hyper Rare sells for $7.81, while the median two-gold-star Special Illustration Rare sells for $29.47.
Which star is the most valuable?
Among the tiers you'll find in most packs, two gold stars. Special Illustration Rares have a median of $29.47 and 16% of them sell for $100 or more. The four-pointed gold star (8 cards, median $153) and the black-and-white star (4 cards, median $533) sell for more, but they are printed on only a handful of cards. Check the exact card either way, because the Pokémon on it matters more than the star.
Are pink star Pokémon cards worth anything?
A little. Pink star ACE SPEC cards have a median of 50 cents. The most valuable right now is Hero's Cape 152/162 from Temporal Forces ($23.70).
What does SH next to the star mean?
SH marks the shiny cards in Shining Fates (2021). Regular shiny cards there have a full star with SH next to it, and shiny Pokémon V and VMAX have a hollow star with SH.
What does a white star mean on a Pokémon card?
It's the ultra rare symbol on cards from before 2023, shared by V, VMAX, VSTAR, GX and EX cards, full arts, rainbow rares and gold secret rares. Across Sword & Shield sets the median white-star card sells for $3.53.
How can I tell which star my card has?
Look at the bottom corner of the card, next to the collector number (for example 199/165). If the symbol is too small or worn to read, scan the card with Cardex and it shows the rarity, set and current price. The app is free to download and your first 3 scans are free.