Shadowless
Shadowless is collectors’ name for the second print run of the English Base Set: cards without the 1st Edition stamp and without the drop shadow along the right of the picture window that later printings have.
Easily confused with
How to read it
Pokémon cards quickly became popular, CGC, the card grading company, explains, and a second print run of Base Set followed the first, with the same cards and the 1st Edition symbol removed. Collectors call these cards shadowless because they lack the drop shadow added in later runs. The third run, known as Unlimited, had design changes meant to make the cards easier to read, the most noticeable a drop shadow on the right side of the picture box. CGC notes that shadowless cards existed only in the first two releases of Base Set.
Also searched as: how to tell if a pokemon card is shadowless, shadowless base set, shadowless pokemon cards, unlimited vs shadowless.
This page says what a marking on a Pokémon card means, from The Pokémon Company International’s rulebooks and announcements and published guides. Pokémon and its card markings belong to Nintendo, Creatures Inc., GAME FREAK inc. and The Pokémon Company; the drawings are simplified sketches, not the cards’ own artwork. It doesn’t authenticate, grade or value any card.
Telling the three printings apart
Wargamer sets out the order. 1st Edition cards and shadowless cards both lack the shadow round the picture; the 1st Edition logo is what separates them. Unlimited cards, a much larger print run, have the shadow, and Wargamer notes they can also be recognised by the copyright line “©1995, 96, 98”.
Read next
- Next in Pokémon card symbolsHolo and reverse holoOn a holo card, the picture shines with holographic foil. On a reverse holo, the foil covers the rest of the card and the picture stays matte. The Pokémon Company International calls reverse holos parallel foil cards.
- The same shape in European flagsFlag of SlovakiaSlovakia’s flag has three horizontal stripes, white, blue and red, with the state coat of arms on the half by the pole: a silver double cross on the middle of three blue hills, on a red shield. The law gives it no meaning; Store norske leksikon says the cross stands for Christianity and the hills for three mountain ranges, the Tatra, Fatra and Mátra.
More pokémon card symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with squares and rectangles.
Sources
- How to Tell if a Pokémon Card is a First Edition (CGC), How to Tell if a Pokémon Card is a First Edition, CGC Cards news article 10262, CGC (Certified Guaranty Company), Identifying first editions of Pokémon Base Set cards
- Understanding Pokémon Rarity Symbols and Card Features (CGC), Understanding Pokémon Rarity Symbols and Card Features, CGC Cards news article 12438, CGC (Certified Guaranty Company), Shadowless
- How to spot first edition Pokémon cards (Wargamer), Matt Bassil, “How to spot first edition Pokémon cards”, Wargamer, Wargamer, Shadowless and Unlimited
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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