How to spot Shiny Cards
These special cards can be either Half Art Holo Rare cards or Full Art rare cards.
The Holo Rare Charmander card SV6/SV94, pictured above, is a half-art card from the Hidden Fates Shiny Vault. Charmander is pictured against the distinctive Shiny Vault background of white holofoil decorated with gold stars. The holo-style shiny vault cards are often referred to as Baby Shinies, in part to differentiate them from the full art Shiny Vault cards, but also because many of the Holo Rare cards feature basic level, unevolved Pokémon.
The Full Art Charizard VMAX card SV107/SV122, pictured above, is from the Shining Fates Shiny Vault. Charizard is depicted in Gigantamax form surrounded by flames against a blue sky. The Shiny Vault gold stars can be seen in the sky and also below Charizard’s right arm.
The Full Art Trainer card, SV83/SV94, pictured above is an Ultra Rare card from the Hidden Fates Shiny Vault. It is a regular full art card and does not include gold coloured stars since it is not a Shiny Pokémon.
How many Shiny Cards have been released?
Shiny Pokémon cards were first introduced in 2019 with the launch of the Sun & Moon Hidden Fates expansion set. A total of 94 shiny cards were released as a Shiny Vault subset of the regular set with cards numbered SV??/SV94.
In 2021 a second Shiny Vault of 122 cards was released as a subset of the Sword & Shield Shining Fates expansion set. Cards in this set are numbered SV??/SV122.
January 2024 saw the return of Pokémon Shiny cards with the Scarlet & Violet Paldean Fates set. This set, which is not designated a Shiny Vault, includes 132 shiny cards. Their card numbers follow on from the regular set and are numbered ???/091.
Where can Shiny Pokémon Cards be Found?
To date all Shiny Pokémon cards have been released as part of Special expansion sets where Booster packs are not sold separately, but can only be found in Elite Trainer Boxes, Collection Boxes and Tins.
The unique appearance of these cards makes them highly collectible. The fact that booster packs are only available in special products adds to their collectability and also increases their value. The current (June 2026) most valuable Shiny Pokémon cards from each set are:
Hidden Fates – Charizard GX SV49/SV94 – current price on TCG player is around $675
Shining Fates – Charizard VMAX SV107/SV122 – current TCG player price around $184
Paldean Fates – Pikachu 131/091 – current valuation on TCG player – $89
See also: Shiny Cards List & Gallery
