Pokemon Card Grading Uk

Add Value To Your Cards

Firstly, Beckett have a more detailed graded scale. You have the option to include subgrades on your card. These are:

Therefore, by elongating their graded scale, theyve added additional layers of rarity to the cards.

Top graded Beckett cards command a higher premium over the more basic PSA 10.

So, if you believe you have a perfect card in your possession, you can potentially increase its value by submitting to Beckett, instead of PSA.

However, reader beware! This is a double-edged sword!

If your card comes back a Gem Mint 9.5 from Beckett, its probably worth more if it were a PSA 10.

My advice is to carefully inspect your cards based on the subgrade categories above, and honestly assess how likely it is to get top marks with Beckett.

My Recent Beckett Submission

As you can see below, I recently had an incredible pull from an original Japanese Base Set Deck from 1996.

To my astonishment, a Charizard had been sitting inside for 25 years! Honestly, this was one of my best ever discoveries!

But not only that, its in pristine condition:

• Amazing centering
• No whitening or edgewear
• No scratches or imperfections on the Holo

As such, Ive submitted this to Beckett as I think its got a good chance of a Pristine 10 and would be worth more than a PSA 10.

The Power Of Fast Turnaround Times

Even when PSA, Beckett and CGC are able to offer lower prices again, theyre never going to be able to match the rapid turnaround times that UK grading companies can. Were talking days and weeks, compared to months and even years!

When new Pokemon sets are released, there is a rush and a buzz on marketplaces like eBay.

If you can pull a sought-after chase card, grade it quickly , then the potential to flip it for a solid profit is very real.

If you were to wait for an established US grading company, by the time you got the card back, the set has lost its buzz and your anticipated profit may not be as high as you think. In fact, many people who had the same idea as you, waited to grade it, and now the graded population of the card is so high, its value has been driven right down.

Power and profit goes to the first movers in the market, and UK grading companies give you the ability to do that.

Its a cool model.

Are Uk Card Grading Services Worth It

Are UK card grading companies worth it? Its tough to say, but wait times are far lower, and prices are likely to be cheaper. If youre aiming for a quick sale, it does make sense to stick with a local company.

After all, PSA wait times at the lower end can be anywhere from three to five months, which can see prices changing drastically while youre waiting for your cards to be returned.

Youll have to spend a lot of money to get your cards back anytime soon. Youll also have to ship your cards all the way to the U.S. and back safely.

Of course, its probably worth the wait for many collectors. Youre going to see better returns if youre planning to move them on quickly.

None of the UK card grading services have been around for long, and its going to take time to build trust within the community. Youre going to see lower prices when it comes time to sell, so take a look at comps and check the differences in values.

If you just want to keep your cards safe, there are sleeves, toploaders, and various cheaper cases that will do the job effectively.

We think that the UK grading companies do provide a good service, offering a cut-price option for collectors in Europe.

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Pokemon Card Grading In The Uk With Worldwide Shipping

Our card grading turnaround times start from just 72 hours. All cards are graded in our London offices and securely shipped worldwide.

We grade Pokemon cards and all other forms of TCG, collectible cards and stickers.

We also use some of the most advanced card case security in the world. Have a look at the security page to read about features including micro text, UV, holograms and more.

How Is The Value Of A Card Determined

How much are Pokémon cards worth? What would you receive if you offered your Yu-Gi-Oh cards for sale? Ask yourself these questions, and you rightly want to make sure that the value of your cards is determined correctly. Because of the global trade in collectible cards, AP Grading has developed internationally recognized procedures for condition grading.

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How To Get Pokemon Cards Graded

Submit your order, then simply send us your cards. We will then carefully grade your cards and return them to you.

At PGC, our graded cards are sealed in protective hard plastic cases, making them easier to store and admire safely.

Our card grading process confirms the card’s authenticity and assigns a grade to the card based on its condition.When it comes to buying and selling, graded cards have a higher value compared to non-graded cards. The higher the grade, the higher the price people are willing to pay for the card.

PGC is an alternative to PSA, BGS or CGC, who are all based in the USA and have stated extremely long graded card return times of up to a year or more. Pokemon card grading in the UK with PGC means your cards can be graded in just 72 hours.

What Is The Best Card Grading Company In The Uk

First and foremost, itll depend on what youre planning to send off for grading. Theres no point in settling for something inferior, even if the wait times seen with the bigger names in the United States are crazy.

There are multiple UK grading services to choose from, and the best option is likely to be a matter of personal preference. Which cards would you like to collect, if any?

You can always send them off to be reslabbed at a later date, and the UK companies are fairly stringent in terms of the grades they dish out. Ideally, theyll be equivalent to PSA graded copies.

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How To Grade The Corners

Look for whitening on the back and front. You want as little white as possible. Having solid blue and yellow is ideal. Do not get discouraged. There are Gem Mint 10s on the market with very minor whitening on a single corner. Dont get your hopes up if there is any other issues with the card though.

My Strategy For Grading Pokemon Cards In The Uk

But Clive, cards graded by these new companies still doesnt sell for as much on the secondary market!

Youre absolutely right.

The masses adopting and accepting a company like Tree Frog Grading, would not only take time, but would also take you agreeing with what Ive said in this article

So if you want to take advantage of the ability to grade cards here in the UK, and to turn a profit, here are two strategies I think work well:

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The Rise Of Uk Pokemon Card Grading Companies

Thankfully, this situation gave rise to a group of savvy and opportunist entrepreneurs who decided to start their own grading companies on home soil.

Lets not underestimate the low-to-mid five figure investment needed to purchase machinery, casing, staff, technology develop, websites and marketing.

Some of the people hating-on these start-ups, are the exact same people who are hating-on the likes of PSA and Beckett for not being open!

Its super hypocritical really!

In my book, anyone who has the cajones to risk it for a biscuit in the Pokemon market deserves a chance at least!

That doesnt mean to say I think theyre all great and worthy of your cards or money.

In fact, quite the contrary

To compete with the likes of PSA, Beckett and CGC, these UK grading companies must go above and beyond what our US counterparts are doing or quite frankly they risk being eliminated when their services become more affordable again, which they will.

So, this begs the question

Whos The Best Pokemon Grading Company In The Uk

In a rush? Find out who my #1 recommend UK grading company is here!

Its important to remember, that if youre purely looking to protect your cards, grading and encapsulating them in plastic will do the job, no matter who you do it with.

If youre looking to simply display them, I recommend going with the company that has the slabs and labels that appeal to you most. Its totally personal preference!

But if youre looking to add value to them, like I am, then this calls for greater detail and transparency in the grading process

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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*

Tree Frog Grading

and these are the reasons

Im sending my cards to Tree Frog Grading, and I think fellow collectors would be happy with the results should they do the same

Submit Your Trading Cards Now

UK BASED – QUICKEST TURNAROUND

Offices located in the UK now means you no longer have to wait 7-8 months for your cards to return or worry about sending them halfway around the world.

Every single step of our grading and encapsulation process is done in UK.

What Makes MGC Different?

Majesty Grading Co. was launched to provide the UK and EU with an outstanding grading service accessible and affordable for every member of the UK TCG Community.

Our state of the art cases and label technology are leading the way against counterfeiting and fraud. we have introduced technology that no other authentication and grading company have in the world.

Our state of the art offices based in Hertfordshire’s business and Technology centre ensures we have the correct facilities for our MGC in-house trained grading team to authenticate, grade and encapsulate your cards using our high tech machinery and AI authentication equipment.

Anti-Counterfeit Labelling Technology

MGC Label Technology has been developed over hours of research, testing and consulting with Counterfeit prevention experts.

This has allowed us to create a case and label which is impossible to replicate and counterfeit.

Our Security measures include Microchips, Tamper proof Holographic designs, Customer Serial Number, hidden MGC Serial Number, UV security ink and most importantly MGC Secure tech.

MGC SECURE TECH

MGC Secure tech is the first of its kind in the Grading and Authentication industry.

Accurate Grading

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Pokemon Card Grading Companies

There are three established Pokemon card grading services that are widely accepted among collectors.

Note: All of these companies are based in the US.

Update September 2021 PSA have been working over the past year to tackle their huge backlog of cards to be graded. As of September 2021 they are grading over 35,000 cards per day, however their biggest submission day of 2021 was noted to be over 600,000 cards. Thats right, all in just one day!

In July, they were able to open up their most expensive service for Express Grading which cost $200 per card. In their latest update they have dropped the price of this to $150 per card. Its a very small step in the right direction, but reinstating their more cost-effective tiers still feels a long way off.

Here are links to their previous customer updates:

As of June 7th 2021, Beckett also suspended their grading services to tackle their growing backlog.

CGC also have significant wait times. Read more here.

Inspecting The Holographic Box

Lots of light, a magnifying lamp and tilting the card. Tilting the card at different angles in bright lights will allow you to catch micro scratches.

One of the most crucial grading flaws on the front of Pokemon cards is the condition of the holographic box. You need to inspect this area thoroughly. Any scratching will reduce your overall grade significantly.

When looking at the holographic you need multiple light sources and a magnifying lamp. Its going to be difficult to find small scratches with low light using your naked eye.

Read more: the best magnifying lamps to use for grading your cards.

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Going Above And Beyond

The next question I ask is, are these UK companies doing anything that goes above and beyond their competitors that actually adds value?

Its my opinion that investment in the design of the slab or label is actually misplaced.

Im not saying as collector I dont want a neat looking slab. But in terms of actually adding value to the card, whether youve got a funky label or smart looking plastic doesnt make the difference.

Dont agree?!

Just look at the PSA slabs! Pretty basic labels, pretty basic plastic. The value comes from the grade the card gets, not anything else.

So, along with sub-grades I also want a UK grading company that can go above and beyond and give me as much detail as possible about the condition of the card.

What might that look like?

How about a detailed grading report

Now were talking!!

If I can understand all about the condition of my card, where the imperfections lie, and it gives me justification as to why it achieved the grade it did, now that is what I call adding value.

And is there company that does both of these things?!

Sure is

How Long Does Pokemon Card Grading Take

This past year has seen unprecedented demand for Pokemon card grading services. As such wait times have never been longer.

Expect to wait over a year for the likes of PSA and Beckett. Id expect CGC to be multiple months. But of course, these new grading companies can do it in a matter of weeks or even days.

Personally I believe the best view to take is that you are encapsulating an investment piece for the future. Try not to worry too much about the wait times

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Pokemon Card Grading Scale

There are four key factors that effect the grade of your Pokemon cards:

1. Centering

This refers to 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.

2. Corners

This refers to the condition of the corners. Anything like whitening, nicks, or unsymmetrical cutting can affect the grade of a card.

3. Edges

This refers to the condition of the edges of the card. Again, whitening, nicks and edgewear can affect the grade.

4. Surface

This refers to the condition of the surface of the card. Scratches, nicks print lines and even holographic bleed can affect the grade.

What To Fill In

• Your name at the top. As youre a new customer, youll be given an account number when they receive your order.
• The Ship To Box Your name, address, email.
• Ship Via select international shipping. Be aware, youre going to have to pay to ship it back to the UK unlike grading services here who incorporate shipping into their fees.

• Next, fill in your card details. One row per card. Youre also going to need to estimate the declared value of your cards. This is for insurance purposes. The fees are below:

• Next youll need to decide on the grading service you want. This includes whether you want subgrades or not, and how quickly you want your cards back. For the latest Beckett turnaround times, see here:
• Almost there calculate your costs, add your payment details, sign and date!

And thats it!

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Why Cgc Trading Cards

The popularity of trading cards has grown significantly since the release of Magic: The Gathering in 1993 and Pokémon TCG in 1996. With prices for many early and rare cards increasing substantially in recent years, trading card collectors want to be completely confident that their cards are genuine, accurately graded and preserved.

CGC Trading Cards provides this confidence through its expert and impartial authentication, grading and encapsulation services for the most popular trading card games, including Pokémon, Magic, Dragon Ball Super, Flesh and Blood, MetaZoo and many more.

CGC Trading Cards has assembled a team of expert trading card graders who, as collectors and players themselves, care deeply about providing comprehensive certification services that benefit the hobby. To ensure impartiality, CGC Trading Cards graders are prohibited from buying and selling collectibles commercially.

After a trading card has been authenticated and graded by CGC Trading Cards, it is encapsulated in the CGC Trading Cards holder, which provides the best in protection and display while being portable and easy to store.

Whilst we aim to cover most questions about grading, we understand that we can not answer every question on a website so please feel free to drop any questions you may have that the website doesn’t answer to us in the Contact Us section.