What is a Shadowless Pokemon card?

The Pokemon Trading Card Game is currently experiencing a massive resurgence. Expired Pokemon TCG fans are digging up their old collections, and many new collectors are joining the hunt for rare cards. Both of these groups are encountering new terminology, however, which can be confusing for the uninitiated. This guide serves as an explanation of one of these terms. So what is a shadowless Pokemon card? Here are the things to know for all budding collectors.

How to know if a Pokemon card is shadowless

Left: Charizard without shadow, Right: Charizard with drop shadow

The original Pokemon cards are the oldest, which, of course, also makes them the rarest and most collectible. There are three common categories of cards that help indicate the value of each of them. Sorted from most to least valuable, these are as follows: 1st edition, shadowless, unlimited. Identifying the first edition cards is easy, thanks to the prominent badge, but what identifies a Pokemon card with no shadows?

Pokemon cards without shadows do not have the shadow effect to the right of the character portrait. If there are no shadows and there are no first edition badges, the card is a shadowless variant. The Shadowless cards come from the second run of the Pokemon Trading Card Game.

If there is a shadow on the card, it is an unlimited version. These are much more common and less desirable to collectors as a direct result.

The shadow effect is somewhat subtle, so check out the example in the image above. Another identification factor to look out for is the thickness of the HP Value typeface. As pictured, the shadowless card has a subtler handwriting than the bold “120 HP” of the Pokemon Charizard card with a shadow.

The explosive popularity of the Pokemon TCG currently has scarce new cards. Alternatively, the second-hand market is booming with owners looking to dump everything from Pikachu to Squirtle.

Should those retailers keep their collections, though? Find out if the cards will continue to rise in value.