HeartGold & SoulSilver: How to Identify Cards From This Set

HeartGold & SoulSilver (2010-02-10): 2 identification checks, 1 editions and variants, quoted from Pokémon, Bulbapedia and grading-company sources.

Download on the App Store

At a glance

Type: Expansion set
Released: 2010-02-10
Cards in set: 124/123 (123 main-set cards plus 1 secret rare, Alph Lithograph #ONE, numbered 124/123)
Set code: HS
Set symbol: A heart-and-soul emblem printed in the bottom right of the card, next to the card number.

How to tell a card is from HeartGold & SoulSilver

This set introduced Pokémon Prime cards, identifiable by a Holofoil card border, gold foil name text, spiked artwork-window border, and the absence of a Pokédex entry.
Pokémon Prime cards replaced the usual Reverse Holofoil card slot in booster packs.

Editions and variants

Pokémon Prime: Look for a Holofoil border, gold-foil name text, spiked artwork-window trim, a close-up art crop, and no Pokédex entry text box.

Notes on this entry

Japanese release October 9, 2009 across separate HeartGold Collection and SoulSilver Collection subsets (142 cards); English release February 10, 2010.

Checks that apply to any Pokémon card

Bottom-left or bottom-right corner: the set symbol and the collector number (e.g. 4/102) tell you the set; older cards have no symbol at all, which itself narrows them to Base Set.
Left of the number: a 1st Edition stamp, if present, sits below the art on WOTC-era cards.
Regulation mark (a letter in a box near the bottom, D through H so far) dates modern cards to a two-year window.
Back of the card: the blue Poké Ball back has changed little since 1999; a washed-out, blurry or wrongly colored back is the first sign of a fake.

How to photograph it for identification

Lay the card flat on a dark surface in daylight, straight on, with the whole card in frame, then a close-up of the bottom edge where the set symbol, number and any edition stamp sit. Tilt holo cards under the light for a second shot to show the foil pattern. Photograph the back too. The app reads the card and set; the edition and rarity checks above tell you which version you have.

FAQ

How do I know if my card is from HeartGold & SoulSilver?

This set introduced Pokémon Prime cards, identifiable by a Holofoil card border, gold foil name text, spiked artwork-window border, and the absence of a Pokédex entry.

What versions of HeartGold & SoulSilver exist?

Pokémon Prime: Look for a Holofoil border, gold-foil name text, spiked artwork-window trim, a close-up art crop, and no Pokédex entry text box.

How many cards are in HeartGold & SoulSilver?

124/123 (123 main-set cards plus 1 secret rare, Alph Lithograph #ONE, numbered 124/123)

Is my card real?

Compare the back to a card you know is genuine, check that the set symbol and number match a real card in that set, and look at print quality under magnification. The fake-card guide lists the tells in order; a grading service is the final check.

See what your cards are really worth.

Start with a single scan.