We publish 313 checklists covering 426,765 cards, parsed from the sheets manufacturers release. A checklist is the most reliable document in the hobby and it still leaves four things out, each of which people routinely read into it.
It does not tell you how many were made
Unless a card is serial numbered, no quantity is stated anywhere. 128,589 of our 426,765 entries carry a print run, which leaves the majority with none. A card with no number is not common or scarce by default; it is unstated.
It does not tell you what survived
A checklist describes what was printed, not what exists now. Cards are opened, damaged, graded and lost, and none of that is recorded on any sheet. The gap between printed and extant is real and nobody publishes it.
It does not tell you what a card is worth
We do not publish valuations, and a checklist is not one. Where we show a price it is a manufacturer's stated price or a retailer's asking price at a stated time, which is a different thing from what something sold for.
It does not always tell you the set is finished
Checklists are published before products ship and are revised afterwards. Redemptions can stay outstanding for a long time, and a set total can be marked unconfirmed. Our checklist pages say when a total has not been confirmed rather than printing a number that reads as settled.
What it does tell you
Exactly what the manufacturer committed to in writing: which cards exist, in which finishes, with which stated numbers and odds. That is a narrower claim than it is often read as, and it is also the most solid ground available.
