Special illustration rares and alt arts in Australia: what is actually selling

joel adamthwaite

Three terms get mixed up in listings. A full art card prints the artwork across the whole face of the card, usually the Pokémon or Trainer on a textured background, and it has been around since the XY era. An alternate art, from the Sword & Shield era, is a second version of a V or VMAX with a completely different illustration, often a full scene, like the Evolving Skies Umbreon VMAX. A Special Illustration Rare (SIR) is the Scarlet & Violet version of that idea: a full scene illustration of an ex or a Trainer, numbered above the set count. Japanese sets call the same rarity a Special Art Rare (SAR). Our Pokémon card rarities guide has the symbols for each.

What we have in the case right now

We do not publish our sales data, so this is not a claim about what sells fastest. It is five SIRs and alt arts we have listed and in stock, with the price as listed on 8 Oct 2026.

Stock and prices change, so the listing is always the current price. More raw and graded cards are in Pokémon Singles and Graded Cards.

When raw is the better buy than a 9

A PSA 9 tells you the card is Mint with a minor flaw somewhere. On a modern SIR, that flaw is often centring or a small surface mark that you can judge for yourself on a raw card in hand. So raw is usually the better buy when:

  • You want the card for the binder or the art, not to resell as a slab. A 9 adds cost for a label you may not care about.
  • The raw price is close to the 9 price. If you are paying a 9 premium for a card you could grade yourself, look at the raw copy first.
  • You can inspect it. In store you can check centring, corners and the holo surface before you pay. Online, ask for photos.
  • You plan to grade it anyway. A clean raw copy gives you a shot at a 10; a 9 is already locked at 9.

A slab is the better buy when the card is expensive enough that authenticity and condition need a third party, or when you are buying to hold and want the grade settled now.

Checking an SIR or alt art before you buy

These cards are textured and full bleed, which makes flaws easier to miss in a photo. Check the borders left to right and top to bottom, because centring is the most common reason a clean-looking modern card misses a 10. Tilt the card under a light to look for scratches or print lines across the textured holo. Then turn it over: whitening on the back edges and corners shows up far more on the blue border than on the front. If any of those bother you on a raw card, that is exactly the flaw a grader will see too, and it is the reason the 9 exists.

Where to buy

For where to buy sealed product and singles in Australia, including what to look for in a shop, see our guide to buying Pokémon cards in Australia. If you are thinking about cards as a long-term hold rather than for the art, that is covered in our Pokémon investing guide.

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