What are Holo Cards?
A holo card is a rare card that has a holographic, shiny image at the top of the card instead of regular two-dimensional art. Its rarity is indicated by a ★ next to its card number.
Holo cards have appeared in every set from the original base set released in 1999. The first holo cards gained their shiny quality through the use of a thin layer of foil.
The holo Cobalion card shown here is from the Sword and Shield Chilling Reign set. It clearly shows the light reflected by the straight line textured holographic image.
Over the years there have been different styles of holo cards including mirror, starlight, cosmos, tinsel, crosshatch, straight line, confetti and cracked ice. They have been named for the holographic pattern that features on those cards.
In the early years of Pokémon, holo cards were the rarest and most sought after cards. The introduction of half art and full art cards from the Black and White Series onwards has reduced their appeal, collectability and value. The most recent holo cards are worth little more than bulk cards.
What Are Mirror Holo Cards?
Sometimes referred to as Sheen Holo cards, Mirror Holo cards feature an untextured holographic image that resembles a mirror surface.
This style of holo was used for the XY Expansion Series from 2014 – 2016. It has also been used for some Promo Cards. The Garchomp holo card from the XY BREAKPoint set is a mirror holo card. The reflective light shows that it is an untextured, unpatterned finish or sheen.
The mirror holo style was most recently used for the holo cards from the Celebrations 25th Anniversary set.
The card below shows Yveltal 019/025 from the Celebrations set.
