Package And Ship Your Submission
For the smoothest process, follow the shipping guidelines that PSA lays out. Prepare the cards for shipping and include the printed copy of your form. Dont forget to write the service level that you are using on the outside of the box. It helps in the sorting process and ensures that your cards are entered into the system as efficiently as possible.
Getting Psa Graded Pokemon Cards
So now weve learned a little about PSA Graded Pokemon Cards, you might be considering sending some of your own cards off for grading, more information about this can be found at
Alternatively you can take the guesswork out of it and keep an eye on our site, we will be getting new batches of PSA graded Pokemon Cards in every couple of months and theyll always be Ultra Rare, Secret Rare or Rainbow Rare cards plus that way you get to just simply buy a card at the level you want without paying for grading, shipping and waiting for months to get the card back only to find it comes in at a lower grade than you’d hoped 🙂 A couple of our latest and greatest graded cards can be found below, be sure to check them out!
Who Is The Best Card Grading Company
PSA is the largest, most well-known, and most-respected card grader that you can send your cards to. The grading scale is easy to follow and is recognized widely. PSA grades cards on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest possible condition.
The PSA grading scale is what is mostly used by collectors. A PSA 10 means the card is in Gem Mint condition and is as good as it gets. PSA 9 is Mint, PSA 8 is Near Mint to Mint, PSA 7 is Near Mint, PSA 6 is Excellent to Near Mint.
PSA 5 is Excellent, PSA 4 is Very Good to Excellent, PSA 3 is Very Good, PSA 2 is Good, PSA 1.5 is fair, and PSA 1 is Poor. You will get the highest resale payout for a PSA 9 or PSA 10 as these are cards that are flawless and valuable.
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How To Go About It
When I say this, I do mean considering the turnaround time and cost as described above, but before you even get to those choices, you have a much bigger choice to make. With that being said, I believe it is a simple one and I will break that down for you right now.
If you are going to be grading a couple cards here and there, it doesnt really make sense to pay all the money for a yearly membership, does it? CGC is the cheapest membership of the three grading companies when you get the cheapest one, but you are still paying a minimum of $25 to do so. On top of that, a lot of the service levels have a card minimum, meaning you might have trouble submitting cards even after you have a membership. Taking that into account, it is best to look at other options if this describes you.
In my mind, only one other option exists and that is Ludkins Collectibles. Ludkins Collectibles is a grading middleman service that handles PSA and CGC submissions. Their North American representative, Charlie Hurlocker, could not be more of a stand-up guy. He is highly respected in the hobby, has an incredible collection of his own and works relentlessly to improve the experience that Ludkins offers. Their rates are very competitive with ones that the companies offer themselves and as I stated earlier in the article, can actually be cheaper in some cases, even for those with memberships!
Should I Get My Trading Cards Graded
When your collector friends mentioned trading card grading, they were on to something. Trading card grading can boost your collection in terms of security and liquidity. Sales figures continue to show that graded trading cards tend to sell for more than those that are not graded. And were seeing this phenomenon often as the hobby grows in popularity.
But the question, Should I get my cards graded is entirely up to you. We support collecting and the hobby in general. We can only show you the numbers in terms of value and recent auction prices, and other benefits that grading your cards may bring.
In terms of value, take Mickey Mantles iconic 1952 Topps #311. Well look at the card with a grade of PSA 8. Back when the cards were released, the Topps Company had a surplus and couldnt give the cards away. Seriously. The cards were more apt to be dumped in the ocean than garner incredible value at auction.
Fast forward to 2008 that Mantle card in a grade of PSA 8 sold for nearly $100K! But thats just the start of trading card mania! Six years later, a Mantle card graded PSA 8 sold for $268K! Now, in 2020, a PSA 8 Mantle sold for $373K. See for yourself on Auction Prices Realized.
Thats an incredible increase in value in such a short period of time. And to think, these cards were once considered disposable!
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How To Submit Pokmon Cards To Cgc For Grading
If you’re like me, you have a fairly decent collection of cards from the Pokémon Trading Card Game . Some of your cards might be common, some of them valuable, or some of them meaningful to you in some other sense.
At some point in time you might decide that you want your cards to be locked in a graded slab. There are many reasons why you might want to do this. Maybe you want to make sure your card is authentic, maybe you want to know the condition of the card through grading, or maybe you just want it preserved in a solid slab for the end of time.
All are great reasons!
So how do you get your cards graded and more importantly how do you send them in correctly so they aren’t lost, damaged, or incorrectly evaluated? In this article, we’re going to look into the process for using the Certified Guaranty Company to submit our cards for grading.
In case this is your first time hearing about the Certified Guaranty Company , it is one of the many trading card grading services available. However, many might recognize CGC as CGC Comics because they are the most well known when it comes to comic books. I’ve personally had more than one hundred Pokémon TCG cards graded with CGC and the cases, which we’ll call slabs, make the cards look beautiful!
So let’s start walking through each of the steps. The more cards you have, the more time consuming this process will become.
Inside The Hateful Pokmon Card Grading Scene
When Peter Graham noticed that people were going nuts for Pokémon cards again that grown men were sweeping packs into their shopping trolleys and pulling out guns to fend off Weedle-crazed muggers that Logan Paul had paid $150,000 for a single Charizard card, the one he wore around his neck before fighting Floyd Mayweather he thought of his childhood.
Graham, who is 30 and speaks with the controlled affability of a salesman, remembered how he used to zip through the playground, clutching an elastic band full of cards. And like the more worldly kids back then the ones who ended every school day with the best trades he saw this new craze as a business opportunity. And so he entered a new world. A world where he spends twelve happy hours a day examining and talking about Pokémon cards. And a world where his days are sometimes filled with furious, virulent abuse.
A Pokémon cards condition is determined by its grading this is the process by which a card is certified as real, rated on a scale of one to ten, and sealed in a transparent box known as a slab, protected for all eternity against sticky fingers and the elements. Grading is a billion-dollar industry dominated by three American players PSA, Beckett and CGC and a good rating from one of these big firms can send a cards value soaring.
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How Much Does It Cost To Get A Card Graded By Sportscard Guaranty Corporation
SGC has the most options available to you for grading. They categorize their pricing by declared value and turnaround time. For cards that have a declared value of less than $1,500, the cost is $30 per card for standard turnaround or $250 for express turnaround.
Cards with a declared value of less than $3,500 will cost $85 per card with standard turnaround and $250 for express turnaround. Cards that have a declared value of less than $7,500 will cost $250 for both standard and express turnaround.
Cards that have a declared value of up to $20,000 will cost $500 per card for standard and express turnaround. If your card has a declared value of $50,000 or less, it will cost $1,000 for standard and express turnaround.
If your card has a declared value of up to $100,000, you will pay $2,000 for standard and express turnaround. Finally, if your card has a declared value of more than $100,000, it will cost $3,750 per card.
Alternatives For Grading Pokemon Cards
As demand for PSA, Beckett and CGC shot up massively this past year, the desire for alternative Pokemon card grading services increased.
People wanted their graded encapsulated quickly, cost-effectively and locally.
Now I want to take this opportunity to say a massive shout-out to their entrepreneurs who took a risk, started their own grading companies and have a strong desire to serve the Pokemon community.
But, the big players have taken years to build their reputation among collectors, so this begs the question
Should you wait for the likes of PSA, Beckett & CGC to reopen and speed up or should you try these new grading companies that have sprouted up?
Heres my take
When to Hold Out For The Bigger Companies to Open
- You have vintage Pokemon cards in near mint or better condition even more so if Holographic, 1st Edition, Error Cards, or rare Promos.
- Previous cards have sold for a considerable amount of money the same card graded by a lesser known company wont be as valuable.
- You have a valuable card and youre not looking for flip it quickly.
When to Try a New Grading Company
Ultimately, it comes down to you as a collector. If you like the idea of simply having your cards graded, protected and scored, then absolutely go for it and try these new companies.
But if you have cards that have high potential value, then Id probably wait.
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How To Submit Your Pokemon Cards To Beckett Grading
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.
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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.
What Is Trading Card Grading
What does trading card grading entail? When it comes to PSA, when you get your card graded a team of graders inspect the card for authenticity. Then, the card is reviewed for any evidence of manipulation, or card doctoring.
Next, if the card passes those steps, the card condition is scrutinized, and a 1-10 PSA grade is applied. Well cover the PSA Grading Scale in the next section.
Finally, PSA places your card in its sonically sealed holder. In addition to protecting the card within this hard-plastic holder, pertinent card info is printed on the label. As you can see below, the card date, company, number and subject are all displayed.
The star of the label might be the PSA grade on the right-hand side. But, the PSA certification number is another vital component of the PSA label.
Of course, all of this wouldnt be possible without the foundation of PSA its well-known grading system.
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How To Get Pokemon Cards Graded
The condition rating of a Pokemon trading card is of utmost importance when determining its value.
Other than long-time collectors, the majority of Pokemon fans wouldn’t know how to go about getting a card graded. A Pokemon card’s quality is determined by a professional examining almost every aspect of it, including the corners, edges, front, back, reflectiveness , and centering.
Having a card rated for quality and encased by a grading company will not only give it added protection, but also increase its value. Here’s how to get a Pokemon card graded.
Take Hd Photos Of Your Cards
For your safety, make sure you take a high-definition photo of your cards and keep it as a reference once your cards are graded and returned. This would be your insurance policy if something goes wrong during the card grading process.
Now that you know more about card grading, would you have your beloved Pokemon cards graded and sold, or would you rather keep them in the album where you kept them for the longest time?
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*if You Are New To The Grading Process And You Do Not Know What To Put Into The Fields Leave Them Blank We Know What To Do And Only Use This As A Guide For Checking Cards In When They Arrive
Grading Fee Calculation
Count the number of cards that you are submitting and place the amount in the first box that says #cards. Then in the second box place the fee that you are paying per card. Either $8 or $6 depending on the number of cards you are sending. Then multiply the two numbers together to get a total.
Shipping Fees
Once you have filled in the squares the final step is to calculate the shipping fees. Shipping costs are listed based on the UPS ground service. We recommend that ground service as it is very efficient and more cost-effective for our customers. Insurance can be purchased for $2.00 per $100 worth of value. Look at the number of cards that you are submitting to calculate the appropriate fees.
Payment Information
Also on the bottom section is the payment information. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. We also accept checks and money orders. If you want to pay by PayPal please include your PayPal address and when the cards arrive we can email you an invoice.
If you are paying by credit card, please place all the needed information below, including card number, expiration date, and security code, and then sign below.
Packing and Protecting Cards for Shipping
Card Sizes and Thicknesses that We Grade
The thickest cards we can grade are 138 points. Here is a great chart that you can print out for free that will help you measure the thickness of your card.
We currently do not grade any cards wider than 2 3/4 inches by 3 3/4 inches.
Why Have Pokmon Cards Graded
First: Graded Cards can sell for a lot more than ungraded cards! If you want to buy a mint, First Edition Charizard on eBay, you have two choices. You can either buy an ungraded card, and trust the seller when he says the card is mint. Or you can buy a graded, sealed card and know the card is truly mint. Some buyers will take a chance on ungraded cards, while others will pay more to get exactly what they want.
A Pristine 10 Charizard sold for $311,800 USD in March 2021!
Graded cards in mint condition always sell for more than ungraded cards!
Second: The Encapsulation itself is actually very nice and it protects the card very well. There are several ways to protect your cards at home, but none are foolproof. Encapsulation is one of the better ways to protect your most valuable cards.
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How To Grade Pokemon Cards If You Live In Uk
For UK citizens, it can be hard to send their valuable Pokemon cards oversea to USA. For this reason, a European/UK citizen may opt to grade their Pokemon card collection without an expensive US priority mail shipping. For this reason, you can give a try to the following UK-based grading company:
- treefroggrading.com: TFG grading system is designed to eliminate grading discrepancies to give a true score of your cards against the four main criteria. Cards that score an average of 9.5 or above, are certified with the respective Bravo 9 or Alpha 10 grades, earning the prestigious blue and pink frogs. Check their website for more information about the grading process.
- pcg.com: They grade Pokemon, Topps, Sports Cards, Football Cards, Baseball Cards, Stickers, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic and virtually all other TCG too. The cards will be protected and complimented in our gold secure cases with a gold security features. PGC graded cards look superior to PSA, BGS, CGC or any other established card grading company in the USA. At PGC , they grade cards in as little as 72 hours using some of the most advanced card case security features in the world.
- majestygrading.com:the submission costs can vary from £9.99 to £26.99 with no minimum card depending on the time you want to wait your Pokemon cards to return.
