Why a Pokémon Card Number Can Be Bigger Than the Set: Secret Rares, Counted Set by Set
A card printed 087/086 is real. We counted how many cards sit past the printed total in every set we track, and what they cost compared to the rest.
Data refreshed weekly · page generated on 2026-09-30.
148 tracked sets carry a printed total. 96 of them contain cards numbered past it: 1901 cards in all.
Counted from our catalog, set by set, on every visit. A card counts as "past the count" when its number is higher than the total printed on the card.
087/086 is not a misprint
The total printed at the bottom of a card counts the main set. For years now, every expansion has added cards numbered beyond it: Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares, gold versions. Collectors call them secret rares, and they are what most searches that reach us are about. The table below ranks sets by how many cards sit past the count.
The sets with the most of them
| Set | Printed count | Cards in total | Past the count | Median past | Median within |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paldean Fates PAF | 91 | 245 | 154 (63%) | €59.50 | — |
| White Flare WHT | 86 | 173 | 87 (50%) | €13.45 | — |
| Black Bolt BLK | 86 | 172 | 86 (50%) | €14.00 | — |
| Paldea Evolved PAL | 193 | 279 | 86 (31%) | €11.50 | — |
| Paradox Rift PAR | 182 | 266 | 84 (32%) | €9.00 | — |
| Ascended Heroes ASC | 217 | 295 | 78 (26%) | €6.98 | — |
| Destined Rivals DRI | 182 | 244 | 62 (25%) | €9.00 | — |
| Surging Sparks SSP | 191 | 252 | 61 (24%) | €7.64 | — |
| Scarlet & Violet SVI | 198 | 258 | 60 (23%) | €10.00 | — |
| Twilight Masquerade TWM | 167 | 226 | 59 (26%) | €5.95 | — |
| Mega Evolution MEG | 132 | 188 | 56 (30%) | €3.55 | — |
| Temporal Forces TEF | 162 | 218 | 56 (26%) | €15.27 | — |
| Prismatic Evolutions PRE | 131 | 180 | 49 (27%) | €52.50 | — |
| 151 MEW | 165 | 207 | 42 (20%) | €49.48 | — |
| Chaos Rising CRI | 86 | 122 | 36 (30%) | €5.20 | — |
Paldean Fates leads: 154 cards past a printed total of 91, 63% of the set. Medians are the cheapest English listings on Cardmarket, Near Mint or better; a dash means no card on that side has a listing this week.
What sits past the count
By rarity, the cards past the count break down as: Secret Rare (578), Illustration rare (482), Ultra Rare (345), Special illustration rare (216), Shiny rare (120), Hyper rare (74). In other words, secret rares are first Secret Rare, then Illustration rare. Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares are exactly the cards whose prices we track; we measured what they are worth, rarity by rarity.
How to use this
- To identify a card, the number and the set are enough: the name changes with the language, the number does not.
- A card past the count is not necessarily expensive. Check the set's median, then the card's own listing.
- To complete a set's Illustration Rares, we add up the cost set by set.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Pokémon card have a number higher than the set size?
The printed total (for example /086) counts the main set. Cards numbered past it are "secret rares": alternate illustrations, gold versions or special-effect cards added beyond the official count. Of the 148 tracked sets with a printed total, 96 contain some, 1901 cards in all.
Are secret rares worth more than the rest of the set?
Not enough priced cards this week to compare the two medians.
How do I read a number like 087/086?
The first number is the card number, the second the printed total of the set. 087/086 is the first card past the official count. On our pages, find the set and then the number: every card past the count keeps its own position in the list.
Method and limits
- Scope: Western sets in our catalog with a known printed total (148 sets). Promo sets without a total are excluded.
- A card is "past the count" when its number is numeric and higher than the printed total. Prefixed numbers (SV1, TG12) are not counted.
- Medians = cheapest English listing per card, Near Mint or better, captured weekly; asking prices, not sales.