Pokemon collectors and investors lean on a lot of shorthand. This is a plain-English guide to the acronyms you will see most often when buying, grading, and tracking cards, grouped by what they describe.

What do the card rarity acronyms mean (SIR, SAR, IR, AR, FA)?

These describe how rare and how fancy a card is.

  • SIR (Special Illustration Rare): the premium, character-focused full-art chase cards of the Scarlet and Violet era. Usually the most valuable pulls in a set.
  • SAR (Special Art Rare): the Japanese name for the same card as a SIR.
  • IR (Illustration Rare): a full-body, scenic-art card, rarer than a regular card but more common than a SIR.
  • AR (Art Rare): the Japanese name for an IR.
  • FA (Full Art): an older term for a card whose art fills the whole frame, common in the Sword and Shield era and earlier.
  • Alt art (alternate art): the alternative, more collectible art version of a card, again a Sword and Shield era term.

What do the product acronyms mean (ETB, UPC, BB, PC)?

These describe sealed products you can buy.

  • BB (Booster Box): a box of many sealed packs. Main expansion sets have these; specialty sets do not.
  • ETB (Elite Trainer Box): a handful of packs plus sleeves, dice, and a storage box.
  • UPC (Ultra Premium Collection): a top-tier boxed set with packs, promos, and premium extras.
  • PC (Premium Collection): a smaller boxed collection with a promo and a few packs.

What do the grading and condition acronyms mean (PSA, CGC, BGS, NM, LP)?

These describe who graded a card and what shape it is in.

  • PSA, BGS, CGC: the three major third-party grading companies that slab and score cards from 1 to 10.
  • NM (Near Mint), LP (Lightly Played), MP (Moderately Played), HP (Heavily Played), DMG (Damaged): the raw-condition ladder, best to worst.

What do the market acronyms mean (comp, pop, MSRP, TPCi)?

These describe the market itself.

  • Comp (comparable sale): a recent real sale used to value a card. See our guide on comping for how to do it.
  • Pop (population): how many copies a grading company has graded at a given score, from its population report.
  • MSRP: the manufacturer's suggested retail price, the official launch price before the secondary market takes over.
  • TPCi (The Pokemon Company International): the company that produces and distributes the English cards.