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How To Get Pokemon Cards Appraised

The Key Factors To Get A High Grade On Pokemon Cards

How To Safely Get Your Pokemon Cards Graded!!!
  • Corners: This refers to the condition of the corners. Anything like whitening, nicks, or unsymmetrical cutting can affect the grade of a card.
  • Centering: How well centered the artwork on the card is. Grading services tend to be stricter with centering on the front of the card, compared to the back. They will also work off certain centering ratios to determine the grade of the card.
  • Edges: refers to the condition of the edges of the card. Again, whitening, nicks and edgewear can affect the grade.
  • Surface:refers to the condition of the surface of the card. Scratches, nicks print lines and even holographic bleed can affect the grade.

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Look For Exceptionally Rare Cards

Even if your collection isn’t in the best condition, you might still have a hidden gem, that collectors will take significant interest in. Naturally, your Base Set 2 Mr. Mimes and Jungle Kangaskhans will not be worth the toil of finding an interested buyer if they aren’t in impeccable condition, but this isn’t the case for all cards.

Below, I’ve included a quick list of things to look out for when determining which of your cards are most likely to return value.

Does Beckett Grade Pokemon Cards

Do you have a shoebox full of old Pokemon cards? Have you ever thought about selling them, but dont know what theyre worth? Or do you want to buy a card off eBay but dont know if youre getting scammed or not?


Beckett grades Pokemon cards and these grades will help you determine the worth of the card. Beckett is one of the most thorough grading companies in the industry and a card that is rated 10 by them is sure to be worth a lot.

Lets dive deep into the world of grading and learn all about the grading process! By the end of this article youll want to have some of your own cards graded!

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How Will My Cards Be Graded

Each of these card grading companies has its own grading scores and sub-grades or qualifiers. And although their ratings are almost the same, each one would still hold different values in the marketplace. Meaning, a GEM-MT 10 Charizard graded by PSA would sell higher than a Pristine 10 Charizard from CGC. This is because PSA is the more trusted and reputable grading company between the two.


You can check out the different grading scales and sub-grades on these links:

PSA:

In a nutshell, your Pokemon cards will be graded on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being the lowest card grade you can receive.

Grade 1 cards are those that are damaged and have been worn out through time, whether by extensive playing or improper storage. Usually, these cards dont have any value, unless theyre extremely rare. However, even if thats the case, dont expect to get good returns from it.

Grade 10 cards on the other hand are those in mint condition. This means that there are no creases and discoloration, plus its print and cutting are impeccable.


Getting a Grade 10 card is close to impossible because youll not only have to preserve the quality of the card for a long time but also have a card with perfect printing and cutting. This means that even if you took good care of your cards if the manufacturers made a mistake in printing or cutting, you still wont get a Grade 10 rating.

How To Get Cards Graded By Psa In 2021

Psa10 Appraisal Finished Product Pokemon Card Mew Mewtwo Gx Hr Hyper

PSA, shorthand for Professional Sports Authenticator, is a premier brand in sports card grading. Despite the controversy over rising prices, it offers a wide array of valuable services including:

  • Single card grading
  • Price appraisals
  • More

For our purposes, were delving into how PSA conducts its card grading process. The more familiar you are with this process and its benefits, the better equipped youll be to submit your own cards and packs to PSA for grades and appraisals.

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Why Grade Your Pokemon Cards

There are a few reasons as to why grading your cards would be beneficial, but those reasons tend to fall under two plans for what you will do with the cards once they are graded. This section is broken up into those two sections and I will cover the question above in detail throughout them.


There are also further decisions you need to make in the grading process and those are dependent on which of these two avenues you are going down. I am sure you will see what I mean.

Tips For How To Sell Pokemon Cards

It doesnt matter if youre wondering how to sell Pokemon cards online or want to sell Pokemon cards near you there are several selling tips to help make your life easier.

A lot of this has to do with simplifying organization, which helps you sell faster and also ensure you get fair prices for your cards.

Some tips for how to sell Pokemon cards more effectively include:

  • Trim The Collection: Start by separating cards that clearly have a lot of damage and wear out of your collection since its highly unlikely you can sell these cards anywhere.
  • Sort Cards By Set: Any website or local pawn shop that wants to buy Pokemon cards from you needs to know what set your cards are in. This is because some sets, like first edition cards, are the most valuable since they are the oldest cards in circulation and arent being printed anymore.
  • Sort Cards By Rarity: Once you group cards by set/edition, sort them into different piles based on rarity. This means organizing cards into holographic, reverse holographic, rare, uncommon, and common piles.
  • Record Your Prices: Once you have a PSA grade for the cards you want to sell, double-check card prices with websites like Pokemon Price. You should record each card and the corresponding price in a spreadsheet that youll use when selling online or in-store.
  • Thats a nutshell guide on how to sell Pokemon cards for cash.


    Hopefully, our list of the best places to sell Pokemon cards help you make some extra cash with your old collection of cards!

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    What Is Crossover Grading

    Crossover grading is for cards previously graded by other companies that you wish to cross over into a PSA holder. PSA will evaluate the card inside its current holder. If PSA deems the card worthy to cross over at the customers specified minimum grade or higher, the card will be removed from its holder and placed into a PSA holder. Regardless of the result, the grading price will be charged.

    There are other third-party grading companies out there, but just one industry leader. We offer our crossover service for collectors who would like to enhance the security and elevate the value of their previously authenticated and graded trading cards. Switching to the most respected and premium brand, PSA, can do just that.

    Look At Sold Listings For The Same Pokemon Card

    How to Find Pokemon cards (Pokémon Card Hunting Vlog)

    On the left-hand side of the eBay search result, or in the filters tab, you can choose to view only sold listings.


    The reason to do this is sellers will often list cards for more than theyre really worth, resulting in listings going on for months with no one buying the card. But if you view only sold listings, you can instantly see what people are actually willing to pay for the card.

    If your card is in worse than near mint condition, you will need to look through these sold listings for cards in matching condition. Typically, sellers dont put their card condition in the title, so it can be difficult to use the search function to find matching cards.

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    Holographic First Edition Machamp: $6000

    The Kanto starters and legendaries arent the only original Pokemon to boast high-value shadowless holographic cards. Nearly any holographic first edition rare card from the original set can grow immensely in price compared to other rare Pokemon cards, but since they arent as actively hunted, their prices can vary far more wildly based on their quality.

    Machamp is one of these. According to PSA Cards range of auction prices based on the cards quality classification, perfect mint condition Machamps of this kind can land between $800 and $6000, while dropping just one rating down will result in prices around $200 and $900. This card in particular truly proves how important it is to keep your trading cards safe through the years, as you never know just what will become valuable twenty years later.


    Should I Get My Pokemon Cards Graded

    Getting your Pokemon cards graded can take a while, and it can cost you about $20 per card. With that in mind, you should consider getting your card graded so long as its value exceeds about $20.

    Some exceptions apply. For example, if you own an entire base set that youre looking to sell , getting each card graded may be worth it even if an individual card is worth less than $20 as having the entire set graded would enhance its overall value.

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    What Are Pokemon Cards

    For the uninitiated, Pokemon Cards are part of the Pokemon Card Trading Card Game that originally launched in 1996. Back then, the original set contained just 151 cards one for each OG Pokemon.

    In simplest terms, Pokemon cards are baseball cards but for adorable Japanese Pocket Monsters.


    Since then, Pokemon has exploded into the worlds most valuable media franchise, valued at over $100 billion worldwide. For comparison, thats more than Star Wars, Spongebob, and James Bond combined.

    Fueling two decades of meteoric growth was a steady stream of new Pokemon creatures and thus new cards to collect. There are around 898 total Pokemon and over 9,100 Pokemon cards to collect in the English market.

    Not all 9,100 cards are available on store shelves at once, of course. The Pokemon Company International, the folks who make Pokemon cards, publish and release cards one generation at a time, with each generation lasting about two years.

    In total, there have been eight generations of Pokemon cards since 1996. And as the next generation of cards begins appearing on store shelves, the previous generation tends to sell out. At that point, its no surprise that certain cards begin shooting up in value!

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    Find The Set Number Of The Pokemon Card

    Old trainer card rough appraisal please! : pokemoncardcollectors

    Look at the bottom right or bottom left corner of the card for a number, typically in the format ###/###.

    In this case, the set number is RC21/RC25. Note that the set number does not normally contain letters, but it can sometimes. As long as theres a / symbol, or a number on its own, then thats the set symbol.

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    Store Your Cards In Self Storage

    Central Self Storage is the perfect place to store your Pokémon cards and other collectibles. Thats because our climate controlled storage units are perfect for storing temperature sensitive belongings. With storage units across the United States, you can easily find a storage unit near you. Rent your climate controlled storage unit today.

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    The Condition Of The Pokemon Card

    Pokemon card collectors really care about the condition of the cards they buy.

    Even just a few minor scratches on the card, or minor edgewear on its borders, can reduce the value of a Pokemon card significantly.

    Pokemon card conditions are described in terms of how close to mint condition they are. Here are some common Pokemon card grades and what they mean.

    Mint: flawless, looks like it was just pulled from a booster.

    Near Mint: near to mint condition, except the card may have minor edge wear or surface scuffs from being stored in plastic sleeves.

    Excellent : slightly worse than near mint, card may have more extensive edge wear or scuffs, may also have other marks. Still playable and collectable. No creases will be on the card.

    Good : card may start to have creases, more damage or more major damage in extensive areas.

    Played: card will have folds, splitting, peeling, big creases or major damage to many areas of the card.

    This Base Set Charizard Pokemon card is in played condition due to the scratches on the front of the card and the edge wear visible on the borders.

    Collectors are looking for near mint or mint condition Pokemon cards. If your card is in worse than near mint condition, this will reduce its value.

    This isnt to say it isnt worth selling Pokemon cards that have been played with. Since old Pokemon cards are often slightly worn due to their age, these types of cards in particular can often still sell for decent money even if not in perfect condition.

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    Reasons To Invest In Pokemon Cards

    Here are four compelling reasons why a small investment in Pokemon cards this year may pay off down the road:

    • Supply is dwindling and demand is rising. Economics 101 tells us that when demand for an asset outstrips supply, prices rise. Nobodys making new 1st Edition Pokemon cards and demand is rising at the moment, so its reasonable to suggest prices will rise in the short term as well.
    • Theyre easy to buy and sell.Compared to real estate or rare cars, Pokemon cards are among the easiest forms of property to buy and sell. No surprise leaks or expensive brokers you always know exactly what youre buying or selling.
    • Theyre easy to store. Similarly, trading cards are perhaps the single easiest physical investment to store and maintain. Pokemon cards dont need cleaning, climate-controlled storage, or even insurance just a plastic sleeve and a safety deposit box.
    • The upside could be huge.In 2017, if youd invested $500 in an S& P 500 index fund youd have about $1,500 now. If youd put that money into a PSA 9 Charizard instead, youd have $5,500.

    How Certified Guaranty Company Grades Pokemon Cards

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    Certified Guaranty Company is the youngest among the three card grading companies. Although theyve been around for almost as long as the two other companies, they started as a comic book grading company and it was only in 2020 where they started grading trading cards.

    Even if they are young in the card grading game, collectors believe that they follow stringent standards that make them reputable. Like BGS, they also provide sub-grades for your Pokemon cards. And, to ensure impartiality, CGC Trading Cards graders are prohibited from buying and selling collectibles commercially!

    CGS is more transparent when it comes to its standard grading scale:

    There is no wonder why CGC gained the trust of many Pokemon card collectors in a short period of time. Their insanely detailed and specific grading scale lets no room for error and produces a grade that truly matches the card.

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    How Can I Get Cards Graded For Cheap Or Free

    If you are on a budget, but you still want to get your sports cards graded, you might be looking for the cheapest way to send them off. There is a third-party website called Graded Gem that allows you to send your cards to PSA for a discounted price.

    Their prices range from just over $11 to just under $35 per card. Graded Gem is currently not accepting submissions, and it is not yet known when they will start to take orders again. You can keep your eye on their website to see when they will be ready again.

    Look At The Condition Of The Pokemon Card

    Using the Pokemon card grading definitions we discussed above, try to gauge the condition of your card.

    As long as the card has nothing more than some minor whiting around the edges in small areas when viewed from the back, then you should be safe to assume that the card is near mint or better.

    This Shaymin card is in near mint condition, so we dont have to worry about the condition too much. Well discuss what to do if your card is damaged in step 5.

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    The Pokemon On The Card

    The final factor that drives price comes down to Pokemon popularity. Its no secret that Charizard is king! But other well-liked Pokemon such as Pikachu, Blastoise and Venusaur also command a premium.

    As you can imagine, there are cases where a brand new Charizard from a modern set can be worth more than a 20+ year old 1st Edition Base Set PSA 10 card.

    These four factors drive Pokemon card values in different ways, but if they all come together beautifully, its the perfect recipe for an extremely valuable Pokemon card.

    How To Spot Rare Pokemon Cards

    Pokemon Card Mewtwo GX SSR GEM PSA 10 Mint

    In this section, Im going to focus on cards printed from 1996 to 2000 for two reasons. Not only are the rarest cards from this era the most valuable, but theyre also the trickiest to identify.

    So whether youre looking to sell your old collection or simply invest in the right cards, lets cover Rare Pokemon Cards 101.

    The Base Set of Pokemon cards, or the OG cards from 1996 to 1999 that we all know and love, actually came in three flavors: 1st Edition, Shadowless, and Unlimited.

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