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How To Psa Grade A Pokemon Card

Taking The Next Step With Your Card Collection

How to PSA Grade Pokemon Cards? – Beginners Guide

Whether youre interested in appraising the cards that you own or looking to sell your cards and want to first gauge their value, the online resources available at www.PSAcard.com will guide you in your collecting journey.

Keep a keen eye on the factors that may affect value, starting with condition, and proceed accordingly.

Learn the PSA Grading Scale and apply what you know to the cards you own.

Then, match the cards to PSAs online resources, like Photograde, Price Guide and Auction Prices Realized.


Follow these steps and youre on your way to becoming a trading card value master.

Psa Graded Pokemon Cards

Lets take a look at some examples of PSA Graded Pokemon Cards that were stocking right now, and talk you through what all the information means and how a PSA graded card looks when you get it back.

Lets take a look at the cards information online using the barcode number on the front . Our Buzzwole GX 104/111 got a grade of Gem Mint PSA 10, the best a card can get. But anyone could write that on a case and make it look like that right? Fortunately there is a way to verify absolute PSA authenticity and grades, so Im heading over to and Im putting in 41498839 which is that cards unique identifier with PSA. Heres the info it produces:-

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Absolute Garbage Unless You Already Own Psa Cards Or If You Know The Basics

How and where do I send cards to be graded? Oh you just ignore all those customers who arent even customers yet making your entire app development irrelevant for the purpose of gaining potential customers? Surely You dont assume everyone downloading your app already sent their collections in to be graded THEN they decided to download your app? You say I can just whip out the app and scan my cards but you forgot one little thing: NONE OF MY CARDS ARE GRADED YET SO YOUR APP IS POINTLESS UNTIL YOUVE PROVIDED THE INFO ON HOW TO SEND IN CARDS AND GIVE ME A REASON TO DO SO WHILE MAKING IT CONVENIENT AND INEXPENSIVE. Unless you just expect your potential customers to whip out a magic wand and transform all of my ungraded cards into PSA-Graded and then download the app. Maybe Ill go see if BGS is also ignoring the collectors considering to finally breakdown and send in their cards to be graded. Logic says they probably also skipped past the massive amount of uninformed customers because that would require effort. Who needs sales growth when you can just go straight to experienced collectors and sell them more products and services even though they probably cant afford it but theyll bite the bullet anyways if those are the only bullets your pistol is compatible with. America: come for the stupid games, stay for the stupid prizes. Brag about stupid prizes until you forget that they sucked.

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What Does Card Grading Cost

There are a few factors that determine the cost of PSA card grading. For starters, visit the fees page within the Online Submission Center. The key thing to note is that grading fees are dependent on what level of service you select and the Declared Value of the card.

There are multiple levels of service that vary according to the card value and the turnaround time .

Fees start at $20 under the Economy Service . From there, service levels go up in tier, along with corresponding fees.

Does Beckett Grade Pokemon Cards

How to Grade Pokemon Cards For PSA

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 Certified Guaranty Company Grades Pokemon Cards

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.

What Does It Mean To Grade A Pokemon Card

When your Pokemon cards get graded, they are evaluated based on their condition. If they are in better condition they will get a higher grade, which tends to be a number out of 10. The higher they are graded, the more they are worth.

There are four main things that graders look for when it comes to Pokemon cards. This helps keep grading objective and also creates sub-categories for each grade.

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Is It Time To Switch To Cgc For Pokemon Card Grading

CGCgraded card pricing is less than half of PSA. But CGC has a much larger minimum submission requirement. You can get cards graded for $9/each, but you need to submit a minimum of 50 cards. This is nice if you have a lot of cards you want to submit at once.


CGC also offers subgrades for $7/card. So you can get your cards graded at CGC with subgrades for less than a graded card without subgrades from PSA. Is that swaying anyone? Not everyone has 50 cards to submit, but a lot of collectors do. CGC has a much faster turnaround time as well, about 2-1/2 months for Bulk cards.

Economy Pricing with CGC is $18/card. That $2/card cheaper than PSA. Not a big difference, but it is still less expensive than PSA, and there are no minimum submission requirements for that service. And turnaround times are 2 months vs. 8 months.

CGC has raised prices about 15% since 2020 as well. Bulk submittals were $8/card in 2020. And subgrades were $5/card in 2020.

Quick note about CGC for Sports Card Grading. CGCs Sports card grading site is: CSGCards.com. Prices are $8/card for bulk sports card grading right now.

Criteria Psa Uses To Grade Your Card

HOW TO GET PSA 10 POKEMON CARDS! | PSA Card Grading Process Explained

Your card is considered perfect until flaws come into play. Flaws that could decrease the grade of your card include:


  • the card being miscut
  • a defect in the way that your card is printed
  • a card being stained
  • a card having damaged edges or corners
  • a card having blemishes, also known as marks
  • a card image being out of focus

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How Much Does It Cost To Get A Card Graded

When you are sending your cards off for grading, the cost is probably very important when making your decision. Since the cost will depend on the company, its hard to say exactly how much it is going to cost you per card. Based on the companys websites, you can expect to pay a minimum of $20 per card and as high as $10,000.

To determine how much it will cost you to get one or more sports card graded, you will first need to determine which company you want to work with. You can then figure out what their costs are and how much you will need to spend to grade your cards.

To view current prices and inventory stock of sports card blaster boxes, click here to check them out on Amazon.

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.

Is Beckett Or Psa Better For Pokemon Cards

How to Grade Pokemon Cards For PSA

The choice between getting your cards graded by Beckett or PSA depends on what you want them graded for.

It is incredibly hard to get a BGS 10. Even if your card is in mint condition it will probably only get a 9.5.

On the other hand, it is easier to get a PSA 10. The same card might get a BGS 9.5 and a PSA 10.


If you are selling your cards, people will always want to buy the highest number. So if you are selling, PSA is the better choice.

PSA is also the grader of choice amongst most of the Pokemon community.

But if you are just grading for your own collection, Beckett is much more thorough than PSA, so you might want to use Beckett. This will give you a better idea of the quality of your cards. Beckett also has sub-grades.

You need a membership to PSA in order to get your cards graded by them. You dont need a Beckett membership.

Beckett cards come back in a displayable case, while the cases that PSA provides are better for storage.

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Is It Real And What Is It Worth

These represent the ultimate questions for collectors.

PSA has long answered the question as to the authenticity and grade for collectibles. And now, PSA completes the task by providing collectors with professional, independent appraisals for their PSA-certified collectibles.

PSA Appraisals provides collectors with a written appraisal that clearly identifies and states the value of the item, leading to ease of use for insurance estimates and estate planning.

Protect Your Collection with PSA Appraisals

Document the value of your collectible with your insurance carrier in the case of loss or damage.

PSA has no vested interest in the value of your item, leading to trustworthy & accurate results.

Your PSA Appraisal is supported by verified market data and is completely objective.

How It Works

Step 1

Eligible Items*

PSA or PSA/DNA certified items that meet our value or price requirements. Complete the form to get started.

*See FAQs for more details on eligible items.

Step 2

PSA researches your collectible and creates an appraisal report based on market data.

Step 3

You receive a written Certificate of Appraisal that is printed using special security-enhanced paper.

Ready to Have Your Item Appraised?

Please use the form to fill out the information below.

Certification NumberDescriptionUpload Files

Our Lead Appraiser

Michael Osacky, ISA AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Trading Card & Dual Grading Appraisal Pricing

Service Level

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.

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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.

Why Do You Want It Graded

HOW TO PSA GRADE POKEMON CARDS! (Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials)

One of the first things you should ask yourself is why you want to grade the card. Sometimes, you dont really need to grade the card even if grading it could see an increase in the cards monetary value.

If you never intend on selling the card, then grading it likely wouldnt do anything more than give you bragging rights. Dont care about increasing the cards value or gaining any bragging rights? Then theres no reason to grade the card in the first place!

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Who Is The Best Pokemon Grading Company In The Uk

Ive spent a considerable amount of time and money grading cards with as many of the new UK grading companies as I could.

I wanted to get a feel for:

  • Customer Service How good their communication was, and their ability to solve customer problems
  • Grading consistency How accurately they kept to their own grading standards
  • Grading Transparency Why a card got the Grade it did
  • Slab and label design How much thought has gone into the design process
  • Turnaround times Did they stick to the times they advertised
  • Resale Values Despite being new to the market, do they have the potential to add value to your cards

After much deliberation, my number one recommended UK Pokemon card grading company is

*Drumroll please*

How To Get Cards Graded By Psa 2021

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Any questions or issues associated with this PSA card grading guide can be directed to [email protected] or DM the Gold Card Auctions FB Page.

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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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?

Concepts To Understand Before Submitting Your Card

How to Grade Pokemon Cards For PSA

PSA points out frequent points of confusion for those submitting cards for grading. To help the grading process go as smoothly as possible, you may want to research two concepts in particular:

Like so many things in life, these concepts are easy enough to understand with the proper guidance. These explainers from PSA should help tremendously.

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