{ "url": "https://www.moonstonehq.com/articles/how-many-printings-does-a-pokemon-card-have", "slug": "how-many-printings-does-a-pokemon-card-have", "title": "How Many Printings Does a Pokemon Card Have?", "summary": "21,908 English cards resolve to 34,433 separately priced printings. 64.3% are sold in two or more finishes, and the expensive ones almost never are.", "section": "Quant research", "published": "2026-09-23", "readMinutes": 10, "publisher": "moonstone", "findings": [ { "value": "34,433", "measures": "separately priced printings", "basis": "from 20,912 English cards" }, { "value": "64.3%", "measures": "of cards sold in two or more finishes", "basis": null }, { "value": "0.16%", "measures": "of Ultra Rares sold in more than one finish", "basis": "4 of 2,436" }, { "value": "135", "measures": "printings across the 117 English Charizard cards", "basis": null } ], "tables": [ { "title": "Printings per card", "columns": [ "Printings the marketplace prices", "Cards", "Share" ], "rows": [ { "Printings the marketplace prices": "One", "Cards": "7,466", "Share": "35.70%" }, { "Printings the marketplace prices": "Two", "Cards": "13,371", "Share": "63.94%" }, { "Printings the marketplace prices": "Three", "Cards": "75", "Share": "0.36%" }, { "Printings the marketplace prices": "Total cards", "Cards": "20,912", "Share": "100%" } ] }, { "title": "The seven printing labels and what they ask", "columns": [ "Printing", "Priced instances", "25th", "Median", "75th", "90th" ], "rows": [ { "Printing": "Reverse Holofoil", "Priced instances": "12,491", "25th": "$0.31", "Median": "$0.82", "75th": "$7.58", "90th": "$36.31" }, { "Printing": "Normal", "Priced instances": "12,188", "25th": "$0.17", "Median": "$0.32", "75th": "$1.11", "90th": "$5.99" }, { "Printing": "Holofoil", "Priced instances": "8,076", "25th": "$1.78", "Median": "$6.72", "75th": "$27.48", "90th": "$102.64" }, { "Printing": "1st Edition", "Priced instances": "675", "25th": "$3.04", "Median": "$6.83", "75th": "$16.83", "90th": "$32.17" }, { "Printing": "Unlimited", "Priced instances": "675", "25th": "$1.14", "Median": "$2.45", "75th": "$7.12", "90th": "$14.23" }, { "Printing": "1st Edition Holofoil", "Priced instances": "164", "25th": "$91.95", "Median": "$151.91", "75th": "$259.25", "90th": "$496.24" }, { "Printing": "Unlimited Holofoil", "Priced instances": "164", "25th": "$38.53", "Median": "$65.73", "75th": "$146.24", "90th": "$382.44" } ] }, { "title": "Printing premiums, same-product pairs", "columns": [ "Base printing", "Compared printing", "Pairs", "Median multiple", "25th", "75th", "Compared printing wins" ], "rows": [ { "Base printing": "Normal", "Compared printing": "Reverse Holofoil", "Pairs": "10,857", "Median multiple": "2.79x", "25th": "1.83x", "75th": "5.73x", "Compared printing wins": "98.55%" }, { "Base printing": "Holofoil", "Compared printing": "Reverse Holofoil", "Pairs": "1,671", "Median multiple": "1.23x", "25th": "0.98x", "75th": "1.65x", "Compared printing wins": "72.89%" }, { "Base printing": "Unlimited", "Compared printing": "1st Edition", "Pairs": "675", "Median multiple": "2.66x", "25th": "2.01x", "75th": "3.63x", "Compared printing wins": "98.81%" }, { "Base printing": "Normal", "Compared printing": "Holofoil", "Pairs": "229", "Median multiple": "1.81x", "25th": "1.14x", "75th": "3.23x", "Compared printing wins": "81.22%" }, { "Base printing": "Unlimited Holofoil", "Compared printing": "1st Edition Holofoil", "Pairs": "164", "Median multiple": "2.38x", "25th": "1.84x", "75th": "2.91x", "Compared printing wins": "94.51%" } ] }, { "title": "The reverse holo premium over the normal printing, by era", "columns": [ "Era", "Pairs", "Median multiple" ], "rows": [ { "Era": "EX 2003-2007", "Pairs": "1,319", "Median multiple": "12.59x" }, { "Era": "Diamond & Pearl to HGSS 2007-2011", "Pairs": "1,480", "Median multiple": "5.10x" }, { "Era": "WotC 1999-2003", "Pairs": "513", "Median multiple": "4.45x" }, { "Era": "BW and XY 2011-2017", "Pairs": "2,148", "Median multiple": "2.88x" }, { "Era": "Sun & Moon 2017-2019", "Pairs": "1,641", "Median multiple": "2.13x" }, { "Era": "Sword & Shield 2020-2022", "Pairs": "1,774", "Median multiple": "2.06x" }, { "Era": "SV and Mega 2023-2026", "Pairs": "1,982", "Median multiple": "1.86x" } ] }, { "title": "Share of cards sold in more than one finish, by rarity tier", "columns": [ "Tier", "Cards priced", "Sold in 2+ finishes", "Share" ], "rows": [ { "Tier": "Uncommon", "Cards priced": "4,707", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "4,507", "Share": "95.75%" }, { "Tier": "Holo Rare", "Cards priced": "744", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "647", "Share": "86.96%" }, { "Tier": "Rare", "Cards priced": "3,805", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "3,282", "Share": "86.25%" }, { "Tier": "Common", "Cards priced": "5,789", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "4,882", "Share": "84.33%" }, { "Tier": "Secret / Hyper Rare", "Cards priced": "777", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "74", "Share": "9.52%" }, { "Tier": "No rarity printed", "Cards priced": "406", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "35", "Share": "8.62%" }, { "Tier": "Promo", "Cards priced": "1,159", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "14", "Share": "1.21%" }, { "Tier": "Shiny / Radiant", "Cards priced": "362", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "1", "Share": "0.28%" }, { "Tier": "Ultra Rare", "Cards priced": "2,436", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "4", "Share": "0.16%" }, { "Tier": "Illustration Rare", "Cards priced": "499", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "0", "Share": "0.00%" }, { "Tier": "Special Illustration Rare", "Cards priced": "228", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "0", "Share": "0.00%" } ] }, { "title": "Printings per card by era", "columns": [ "Era", "Cards priced", "Printings", "Printings per card", "Sold in 2+ finishes" ], "rows": [ { "Era": "EX 2003-2007", "Cards priced": "1,823", "Printings": "3,415", "Printings per card": "1.87", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "84.42%" }, { "Era": "Diamond & Pearl to HGSS 2007-2011", "Cards priced": "2,193", "Printings": "3,970", "Printings per card": "1.81", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "81.03%" }, { "Era": "WotC 1999-2003", "Cards priced": "1,783", "Printings": "3,191", "Printings per card": "1.79", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "78.97%" }, { "Era": "BW and XY 2011-2017", "Cards priced": "3,619", "Printings": "6,071", "Printings per card": "1.68", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "67.73%" }, { "Era": "Sun & Moon 2017-2019", "Cards priced": "3,024", "Printings": "4,900", "Printings per card": "1.62", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "62.04%" }, { "Era": "Sword & Shield 2020-2022", "Cards priced": "3,662", "Printings": "5,698", "Printings per card": "1.56", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "55.54%" }, { "Era": "SV and Mega 2023-2026", "Cards priced": "4,424", "Printings": "6,777", "Printings per card": "1.53", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "52.76%" }, { "Era": "Promos and side products", "Cards priced": "384", "Printings": "411", "Printings per card": "1.07", "Sold in 2+ finishes": "7.03%" } ] }, { "title": "English physical cards, sets and separately priced printings", "columns": [ "Species", "Cards", "Sets", "Printings", "Cheapest ask", "Median", "Dearest ask" ], "rows": [ { "Species": "Pikachu", "Cards": "237", "Sets": "103", "Printings": "271", "Cheapest ask": "$0.19", "Median": "$16.69", "Dearest ask": "$1,899.99" }, { "Species": "Charizard", "Cards": "117", "Sets": "56", "Printings": "135", "Cheapest ask": "$0.35", "Median": "$82.46", "Dearest ask": "$1,501.23" }, { "Species": "Mewtwo", "Cards": "95", "Sets": "45", "Printings": "111", "Cheapest ask": "$0.54", "Median": "$39.46", "Dearest ask": "$3,000.00" }, { "Species": "Eevee", "Cards": "98", "Sets": "60", "Printings": "131", "Cheapest ask": "$0.20", "Median": "$6.45", "Dearest ask": "$800.00" }, { "Species": "Rayquaza", "Cards": "63", "Sets": "34", "Printings": "76", "Cheapest ask": "$0.38", "Median": "$144.00", "Dearest ask": "$2,500.99" }, { "Species": "Snorlax", "Cards": "59", "Sets": "45", "Printings": "87", "Cheapest ask": "$0.23", "Median": "$25.44", "Dearest ask": "$733.99" }, { "Species": "Gengar", "Cards": "58", "Sets": "39", "Printings": "81", "Cheapest ask": "$0.43", "Median": "$77.89", "Dearest ask": "$1,940.59" }, { "Species": "Umbreon", "Cards": "50", "Sets": "31", "Printings": "64", "Cheapest ask": "$0.36", "Median": "$104.00", "Dearest ask": "$2,368.34" }, { "Species": "Blastoise", "Cards": "48", "Sets": "29", "Printings": "66", "Cheapest ask": "$0.34", "Median": "$59.99", "Dearest ask": "$975.00" }, { "Species": "Lugia", "Cards": "47", "Sets": "28", "Printings": "50", "Cheapest ask": "$0.58", "Median": "$47.75", "Dearest ask": "$4,500.00" } ] }, { "title": "Catalog declaration against marketplace printings, by era", "columns": [ "Era", "Cards compared", "Agree", "Marketplace prices more", "Catalog declares more" ], "rows": [ { "Era": "Sword & Shield 2020-2022", "Cards compared": "3,543", "Agree": "99.29%", "Marketplace prices more": "0.08%", "Catalog declares more": "0.62%" }, { "Era": "SV and Mega 2023-2026", "Cards compared": "4,303", "Agree": "95.51%", "Marketplace prices more": "0.60%", "Catalog declares more": "3.88%" }, { "Era": "Diamond & Pearl to HGSS 2007-2011", "Cards compared": "2,123", "Agree": "95.20%", "Marketplace prices more": "0.75%", "Catalog declares more": "4.05%" }, { "Era": "WotC 1999-2003", "Cards compared": "1,782", "Agree": "93.60%", "Marketplace prices more": "0.11%", "Catalog declares more": "6.29%" }, { "Era": "EX 2003-2007", "Cards compared": "1,749", "Agree": "61.75%", "Marketplace prices more": "35.85%", "Catalog declares more": "2.40%" }, { "Era": "Sun & Moon 2017-2019", "Cards compared": "2,928", "Agree": "39.92%", "Marketplace prices more": "59.94%", "Catalog declares more": "0.14%" }, { "Era": "BW and XY 2011-2017", "Cards compared": "3,420", "Agree": "28.48%", "Marketplace prices more": "71.52%", "Catalog declares more": "0.00%" } ] } ], "charts": [ { "title": "Reverse holofoil premium over the normal printing, by era", "unit": "x", "note": "10,857 same-product, same-day pairs, median multiple", "points": [ { "label": "EX 2003-2007", "value": 12.59, "basis": "1,319 pairs" }, { "label": "DP/HGSS 2007-2011", "value": 5.1, "basis": "1,480 pairs" }, { "label": "WotC 1999-2003", "value": 4.45, "basis": "513 pairs" }, { "label": "BW/XY 2011-2017", "value": 2.88, "basis": "2,148 pairs" }, { "label": "Sun & Moon 2017-2019", "value": 2.13, "basis": "1,641 pairs" }, { "label": "Sword & Shield 2020-2022", "value": 2.06, "basis": "1,774 pairs" }, { "label": "SV/Mega 2023-2026", "value": 1.86, "basis": "1,982 pairs" } ] } ], "sections": [ "How many finishes, and what they are called", "What each printing does to the price", "The cheap cards are the ones with options", "How many printings a popular card really has", "How a buyer tells them apart", "The two sources do not always agree", "What this study cannot show", "Three of these printings have their own study", "What would overturn it" ], "method": [ "Population: the 21,908 distinct physical English printings defined in [How Many Pokemon Cards Are There?](/articles/how-many-pokemon-cards-are-there), which is deduplicated on both the identity key and the marketplace product id so no product is counted twice. 20,912 of them carry per-printing rows in the nightly TCGplayer product dump that belong to their own product id; a printing row pointing at a different product, which the export writes when a product has no printings of its own, is discarded rather than credited to the card, because reading those quoted a [Staff] prerelease price as an ordinary card's price when the rule was first written. A printing counts when its own product owns the row and the row carries a market figure above zero: 34,434 owned printing rows exist and 34,433 are priced, the exception being the Normal row on Team Rocket Returns Dark Ampharos. The marketplace side is backfilled continuously, so these are one read rather than a stable total: a backfill batch landing while this study was being checked added several hundred newly priced products in a matter of minutes, and every marketplace figure here is taken from the single read before it. Rarity tiers are the eleven defined in [Pokemon Card Rarity Chart](/articles/pokemon-card-rarity-chart-by-value) and nowhere else, so Classic Collection, Jumbo, Pikachu Rare and Futuristic Rare sit in Ultra Rare here exactly as they do there. Pair ratios divide two market figures from the same dump row on the same day; both legs must be above zero. Multiples are medians, upper-middle on even samples, never means, because thin printings are noisy. Era buckets come from set name. The catalog-declaration comparison reads `cards.variant_flags`, TCGdex per-card printing identity as synced on 2026-09-06, decoded to a count of declared finishes, and compares it to the number of printing rows the marketplace prices for the same product; cards with no synced flags, 4.5% of the population, are excluded from that comparison only. Species counts fold case, accents and punctuation and match on word boundaries, never substrings. Prices are asks, not sold prices." ], "terms": "Figures are moonstone's own recorded measurements, dated as published. Quote them with the population stated beside them. The article at `url` is the human form of this file." }