Where To Get Your Pokemon Cards Graded

Should You Get Your Pokmon Cards Graded

This is a tough question to answer. Usually it does not make sense to have a card graded unless it is very old, valuable, and in Near Mint Condition or better. Newer cards fit in here too if they are rare, desirable, or chase cards. A chase card is usually a bonus insert that might is not part of the set.

We would say if your card is very collectable card, and worth over $100 you might want to consider getting it graded. And we would usually only send cards out if you think they will receive a score of 8, 9 or a 10.; If its super rare and valuable, a 7 would be a good score too! Caveat: Any Base Set Charizard, Blastoise or Venusaur is worth grading, no matter what condition they are in.; A PSA 2, non-first edition Charizard sold for $850 in November 2020!;;

Check out our Pokemon Price Guide to check current values on cards.;

Check the Completed Sales section on eBay and find the prices that cards have actually sold for, not what they are listed at. First-Edition, Base Set Holographic Pokémon Cards sell at great prices. As do chase cards from many of the sets.

S To Take Before Sending Your Card In

PSA requires you to include two copies of your completed submission form with the card that you are mailing in. Go ahead and print three copies, two to be included in the package and one for your own records.

You may also choose to utilize one of the methods for cleaning your cards without damaging them. Doing so requires immense care, and may not be worth doing if you are concerned that you could damage the card in any way.

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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Packaging And Preparing Your Submission For Safe Shipment

To ship your cards to the Certified Guaranty Company, there are a few routes you can go. For example, if you’re in the United States you can use USPS, UPS, and FedEx.

I’ve personally not chosen to use UPS because the rates are significantly more expensive than the other services. For FedEx, it’s relatively inexpensive to ship, but they can only insure your cards up to a certain value. This makes USPS a better choice if you have expensive cards.

To be honest, I’ve had the best experience with USPS for a number of reasons:

• USPS is cheap to send flat rate packages.
• You can have boxes and shipping supplies shipped to you for free. You don’t have to pay for the shipping or the product to receive these supplies.
• You can schedule USPS to pick up the package at your door so you never have to leave your home.

It’s ultimately up to you which shipping courier you want to use.

The important step is properly packaging your submission. You’ll not only need to secure your cards, but you’ll also need to include the appropriate CGC paperwork and everything in the correct physical order.

Here are the things you’ll need to ship to the Certified Guaranty Company:

• A box
• Packing tape
• A printer for your packing slips and labels
• Card Saver 1 cases and penny sleeves
• Extra cardboard
• Bubble wrap or bubble bags

Depending on the value of your cards, you may want to take the supplies to another level for safety.

When you have a cardboard sandwich, wrap it in bubble wrap and insert into your box.

Benefits Of A Gradeheart Grading

enhance the value

Selling a graded card is generally much easier than attempting to sell an ungraded version of the same card. Buyers and sellers trust the accuracy and integrity of a GradeHeart Grading, paving the way for higher prices and a smoother transaction.

£10m Insurance

Maximize The Value

Whether you intend to keep your cards or sell them, having a GradeHeart grading will enhance the value of them.

Protection & Preservation

Condition is a critical component of trading card value. At GradeHeart, each card is sealed in our tamper-evident slab for protection.

£10m Insurance

We understand just how important your cards are. That’s exactly why you’re fully protected with our £10m insurance policy.

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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:-

Whats The Most Valuable Pokemon Card

The Pikachu Illustrator cards have sold for the highest amount, publicly at least. These cards were awarded to winners of a Pokemon contest held in Japan circa 1998. Less than 40 of these cards are known to exist. In recent years, a few have sold for between $100,000 and $375,000.

Gem mint 10 first edition holographic Charizards from the 1999 base set are nearly as valuable. They have sold for as much as $369,000 at auction.

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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.

Other Places To Sell Your Pokemon Cards

• Cardmarket: a German-based online marketplace that caters to trading-card-game hobbyists.
• Troll and Toad: a hub for all things gaming-related, including video games, table-top games and trading-card games.
• TCGplayer: an e-commerce marketplace that allows stores and hobbyists alike to buy and sell trading cards.
• : a free tool connected to your Facebook profile that allows you to buy or sell almost any physical item locally.
• Local comic book or hobby shops: a great alternative to Facebook Marketplace if you want to buy or sell Pokemon cards without the hassle of shipping.

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Beckett Pokemon Card Grading Scale

Beckett has a more in-depth process, giving subgrades for the four key factors mentioned above. Their range runs from a Poor 1 to a Pristine 10.

Interestingly, they also have an elite level above that called a Black Label Pristine 10 for cards that score 10 for all the subgrades. As you can imagine, these cards are highly sought-after and valuable.

See here for more info on grading your Pokemon cards with Beckett.

What Are The Card Grading Services

The three big players out there for you to use: They are PSA and BGS and Certified Guaranty Company .;

• CGCis the new kid on the block as far as grading Pokemon cards. But their company has been around for over 20 years.; CGC was mostly known as a Comic Book Grading Company, and just started grading cards in the summer of 2020. They use their famous blue label for grading comics and cards.; I have used CGCs services for over 10 years for grading comics, and I recently started using them for Pokemon and Magic: the Gathering cards.; They have the fastest turnaround times right now, and are also the least expensive to use.; They are considered very strict graders by many collectors.; They also offer subgrades on their cards.; Here is a link if you want to test the waters with CGC.; I have been happy with CGC, and find them very reliable.; CGCs bulk submissions require a 50 card minimum, and are $9 per card.; Their turnaround time is currently 90 working days.;;

All 3 services are great and trustworthy.; You really cant go wrong with any of them.; I personally use both CGC and PSA for Pokemon cards.; But I would trust all 3 with my cards.; PSA grades currently seem to have the highest realized value right now when selling.; CGC is the new kid on the block, with the cheapest price and fastest turnaround times.; BGS and CGC both offer subgrades on their cards, which is awesome for very valuable cards!; You can see examples of subgrades on this page.; I wish PSA offered subgrades like CGC and BGS.;;

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The Best Place To Sell Your Pokemon Cards Online: Ebay

;The main marketplace is for sure going to be eBay, Pratte says. Even if youre someone who just stumbled upon your childhood collection, its really easy to take a couple of pictures make a decent listing.

Why eBay? Its home to several high-profile deals, and it also caters to the $20 and $30 transactions. In short, eBay is the perfect meeting ground for nostalgic buyers and sellers and those whove been wheeling and dealing Pokemon cards since the 90s.

Top Tips In This Article

Scott Pratte, our expert card trader and collector, provided lots of tips to make money selling Pokemon cards. Here is his best advice:

• First edition or New Edition? All kidding aside, we know that you know New Edition is a boy band from the 70s and 80s. Still, you need to know what you have in that box of Pokemon cards. In other words, which are the rare cards and which are not. Do you have one of the original holographic cards? Cha-ching.
• Whats the condition of your cards? If theyve been under the bed in a box so light didnt fade them or the dog didnt get to them, you may be in good shape. Never taken out of the wrapper? More cha-ching. That is whats called mint. All cards in good condition are likely worth more than what you paid for them.
• The best place to sell Pokemon cards? Its eBay all the way. It would be great to sell one card for oodles of money and eBay has facilitated some of that. But if you want a big audience and buyers willing to shell out $30 a pop for your cards, you can rack up sales.
• Think youve got something valuable? Consult the Professional Sports Authenticator and get an estimate. This will put you in a good position to haggle with a buyer, which you should expect to do.

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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.

The Key Factors To Get A High Grade On Pokemon Cards

• 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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Introducing The Cgc Trading Cards Holder

Posted on 7/13/2020

The CGC Trading Cards holder combines crystal-clear optics and the most advanced archival materials for the best in display and protection.

CGC Trading Cards has invested significant time and resources to develop the hobby’s best holder for Pokémon TCG and Magic: The Gathering cards. The result is a display-worthy holder that combines crystal-clear optics and superior long-term protection. An attractive and easy-to-read certification label provides a detailed description of the card and its grade. In addition, numerous security features in the holder and label protect against counterfeiting and tampering.

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.

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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.

*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.;;

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