Pokémon booster boxes are those big sealed packages full of booster packs that collectors and players love to open for rare cards, shiny holographics, and hours of fun trading or battling. But not every booster box is the same—some come from the first print run when a set first hits stores, others from later reprints when demand stays high. The big question for serious collectors is how to spot a 4th print booster box using those little codes printed right on the box. These codes act like secret labels telling you exactly which print you have, and knowing them can make a huge difference in value, since early prints often fetch way more money on the market.
Let’s start with the basics of what a booster box even is. A standard Pokémon Trading Card Game booster box usually holds 36 booster packs, each with 10 cards plus a basic energy card and sometimes a code card for Pokémon TCG Live, the online version of the game. You see this in products like the Mega Evolution-Ascended Heroes Booster Bundle, which lists a specific SKU code of 10-10311-114 on official sites[1]. That SKU is like a product ID, but print-specific codes are different—they show up on the bottom or side of the box in small print, often looking like a series of letters and numbers tied to the set name.
Print runs happen because Pokémon sets sell out fast. Wizards of the Coast, who printed English cards back in the day, and now The Pokémon Company with their own printers, make multiple waves of boxes to keep shelves stocked. First print is the original batch, second print comes soon after, and so on. By the 4th print, they’ve tweaked things slightly for production, but the cards inside are mostly the same—same pull rates for rares, same artwork. The main difference is collector value: a 1st print Base Set booster box from 1999 can sell for thousands, while a 4th print might go for hundreds less, depending on condition.
So, how do these codes work? They vary by era and language, but for English sets, which most Western collectors chase, the code is usually a two- or three-letter prefix followed by numbers, stamped on the box’s shrink wrap or directly on the cardboard. Take the classic Base Set from 1999. Its 1st print boxes have “1st Edition” stamped big and bold on the front, but later prints drop that and use subtler codes. For reprints, look for symbols like a small black star or specific letter combos on the bottom edge. Actually, print indicators evolved over time. In the early days, like Jungle or Fossil sets, 1st prints had unlimited stamps or specific date codes, but by Sword & Shield era, it’s more standardized.
Diving into specifics, one of the clearest ways to identify 4th prints is through set symbols and code prefixes listed in official tournament rules. The Pokémon TCG Tournament Handbook explains legal card prefixes for promos and sets, like BW for Black & White series starting at 01, XY from 01, and SM from 158 for Sun & Moon[2]. While that’s for individual cards, booster boxes mirror this with matching print codes. For example, in the XY era, booster boxes for sets like Flashfire or Furious Fists have print runs marked by a letter like “A” for 1st, “B” for 2nd, up to “D” or “E” for 4th prints. Collectors check the bottom flap: if it says something like “XY4-001” or a four-dot symbol pattern, that’s a clue for 4th print.
Let’s break it down by major eras to make it super clear. In the Original Series (Base Set through Legendary Collection, 1999-2002), prints were marked by edition stamps. 1st Edition is obvious with the gold stamp. Shadowless prints (2nd) lack the drop shadow on card text boxes, but for whole boxes, look for no “1st Edition” text and a code like “Unlimited 1” on the side. By 3rd and 4th prints, boxes might have “R1” or “R4” in tiny print near the barcode, indicating reprint number. These are rare to find sealed today, but eBay listings and price guides confirm 4th prints sell at about 60-70% of 1st print value.
Moving to the e-Series (EX Ruby & Sapphire through EX Dragon Frontiers, 2003-2006), codes got more precise. Booster boxes here use a holographic seal with print dots: one black dot for 1st, two for 2nd, three for 3rd, and four dots clustered together for 4th print. The code might read “EX-R4” or similar under the shrink wrap. For instance, EX Deoxys 4th print boxes have been documented by collector forums with SKU endings like “00/04,” meaning the fourth wave.
Diamond & Pearl era (2007-2010) simplified it. Prints are indicated by a letter on the box bottom: “A” for first, “B” second, “C” third, “D” fourth. So a Platinum booster box with “D” code is your 4th print. This pattern stuck around. HeartGold & SoulSilver boxes follow suit, and you can verify by matching the box art symbol to lists of expansions[4].
Then comes Black & White (2011-2014), where codes shifted to numbers. 1st print has “1P,” 2nd “2P,” up to “4P” for fourth. Boundaries Crossed booster boxes, for example, show “4P” in white text on black background near the pack count. Collectors use apps like TCGPlayer or PriceCharting to scan and confirm, similar to how Chinese sets like Gem Pack 2 have codes like PC25[3].
XY series (2014-2016) refined it further with Roman numerals. 1st print: I, 2nd: II, 3rd: III, 4th: IV. Flashfire 4th prints have “IV” boldly printed, easy to spot even under cellophane. Sun & Moon (2017-2019) used the same, but added set abbreviations: “SM-IV” for 4th print of Ultra Prism or similar[2][4].
Modern Scarlet & Violet era (2023 onward) keeps the Roman numeral system but ties it to SKUs. Booster boxes like those for Scarlet ex or Violet ex have codes like “SV-IV” on the bottom[1][4]. High Class packs, Japanese equivalents, sometimes list print via secret card counts, but English follows the numeral rule[4]. For bundles, like the Mega Evolution one, the full SKU 10-10311-114 might indicate a later print if cross-referenced with release waves[1].
Why care about 4th prints specifically? They’re often the sweet spot for value—cheaper than 1st or 2nd, but still desirable before print quality dips in 5th or 6th runs. Sealed 4th print XY Roaring Skies boxes g
