Guides

Which Pokemon binder should you buy: 9 pocket zip binders compared for UK collectors
Which Pokemon Binder Should You Buy? The Honest UK Guide
The honest UK guide to choosing a Pokemon binder: the six decisions a binder turns on, in order, with real specs from the binders we build on and card counts... Read more...
How many cards are in a Pokemon master set: main set, with secret rares and master set counts for every current set
How Many Cards Are in a Master Set? Every Current Pokemon Set Counted
Every current English Pokemon set counted three ways from the Portal master set checklists: main set, with secret rares, and the master set total, for 29 sets, plus which master... Read more...
Reverse holo versus holo Pokemon cards: the difference explained and which rarities get a reverse holo
Reverse Holo vs Holo: What Is the Difference, and Which Cards Get One?
Reverse holo versus holo explained for collectors: what each finish is, how to tell them apart in a glance, which rarities get a reverse holo in the Sword and Shield,... Read more...
What is a grand master set in Pokemon TCG: promos, stamped cards, print runs and error cards explained
What Is a Grand Master Set? (And Should You Attempt One)
The honest guide to the grand master set: the four categories of cards printed around an expansion, the argued promo boundary, why no grand master set can be proven complete,... Read more...
Printed Pokemon set binders versus plain binders compared
Printed Set Binders vs Plain Binders: Which Should a Collector Buy?
Printed set binders and plain binders compared honestly by a shop that sells both: identical protection, what a set specific binder gives a master set collector, the five cases where... Read more...
Side loading versus top loading binder pockets for Pokemon cards explained
Side Loading vs Top Loading Binder Pockets: Why It Matters
Side loading and top loading binder pockets compared for Pokemon cards: how each behaves in a bag, on a shelf and in the hand, why a zip stops loss but... Read more...
Zip, strap and elastic binder closures compared for Pokemon card binders
Zip, Strap or Elastic: Which Binder Closure Protects Your Cards?
Zip, strap and elastic binder closures compared for Pokemon cards: what each one keeps in and keeps out, the speed trade off, why the zip moisture claim does not hold... Read more...
9 pocket versus 12 pocket binder pages compared for Pokemon cards
9 Pocket vs 12 Pocket Binders: Which Is Right for Pokemon Cards?
The honest comparison of 9 pocket and 12 pocket binders for Pokemon cards: what actually changes, the page maths for five real master sets from our own checklists, why every... Read more...
Is grading Pokemon cards worth it - how to work out whether a card is worth grading
Is Grading Pokemon Cards Worth It? Do the Maths First
The arithmetic behind the most-asked question in grading — a five-number method, three worked examples where two lose money, the costs people forget to count, and an honest list of... Read more...
What is a master set in Pokemon TCG - base set vs master set vs grand master set explained
What Is a Master Set? (And a Grand Master Set)
There is no official definition of a master set, so this guide gives the honest version: what's settled, what's genuinely argued about, real card counts for six current sets from... Read more...
How to protect and store your Pokemon card collection - sleeves, toploaders, binders and storage conditions
How to Protect and Store Your Pokemon Card Collection
A storage guide built around a value ladder rather than a shopping list — which plastics quietly destroy cards, how much protection any given card deserves, what to look for... Read more...
Pokemon card grading in the UK - what it is, what it costs and who to use, updated July 2026
Pokemon Card Grading in the UK: What It Is, What It Costs, and Who to Use
A plain-English guide to grading Pokemon cards in the UK: what a grade measures, the sum to do before you submit, who to use for what, and what it genuinely... Read more...