Cosmos holo (1999 to 2002, Wizards era)
The original Wizards holo pattern. A constellation of small white star-like dots scattered across a black background, with the Pokémon artwork on top. Used on every holo rare card from Base Set through Skyridge. The pattern itself is uniform across sets; only the artwork window changes shape. Cosmos holos from Base Set 1st Edition command the largest holo premium in the hobby.
Reverse holo (introduced Legendary Collection, 2002)
The entire card surface outside the artwork is foiled while the artwork itself stays matte. Legendary Collection introduced this pattern as part of a chase, and most modern sets have continued it as a parallel set: every common, uncommon, and rare in the set has a reverse-holo version that sits between the standard print and the full holo rare in scarcity.
Reverse holos are more vulnerable to grading penalties than standard prints because the foil shows fingerprints, holo scratches, and edge whitening with much higher contrast. A PSA 10 reverse holo of even a common card from a vintage set is genuinely rare.
Modern foil patterns (Sun and Moon onward)
Cracked ice and swirl
Standard modern reverse-holo pattern, refreshed each block. Sword and Shield used a vertical-stripe pattern; Scarlet and Violet uses a wave pattern. These are the everyday parallel-set prints in modern booster boxes.
Cosmos return (Celebrations 2021)
The Pokémon Company brought back the classic Wizards cosmos holo for Celebrations Classic Collection, applied to reprints of Base Set cards. This is the only modern print using the original cosmos pattern, which makes Celebrations Classic Collection visually distinctive in a binder.
Galaxy holo (Hidden Fates, Shining Fates, Crown Zenith)
A swirling galaxy pattern used exclusively on Shiny Vault and special-subset cards. These are not from the main set; they are a separate numbered subset (SV01 to SV122 in Shining Fates, for example) with their own collector premium.
Rainbow, gold, and alternate art (modern chase)
Different rarity treatments on modern chase cards. Rainbow rare uses a rainbow gradient foil over the full card. Gold rare uses a gold foil. Alternate art is a full-bleed artwork without the standard card frame. Each is significantly rarer than the standard holo and prices accordingly.
How foil pattern affects price
For the same card, the ordering from least to most valuable is typically: regular print, reverse holo, holo rare, full art, alternate art, rainbow, gold. Population scarcity and visual appeal both contribute. In a modern set, a chase alternate art Pikachu can trade for 50x what the standard print trades for, even though both came out of the same booster boxes.