Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Best Grader For Pokemon Cards

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Card & Autograph Dual Reholder Pricing

I Graded My Top 25 Pokemon Cards of 2021 ($10,000)

Out with the old, in with the new when you select our Reholder service for your Dual Service cards. Choose the service level based on the type of card holder that you wish to Reholder.

with demand.

Any declared value.

Please note: All items will be automatically reholdered UNLESS the sonic weld on the PSA case shows signs of tampering or the PSA case is fractured over the item itself. If the case is fractured over/near the item, it will be examined raw to ensure it has not sustained damage and that the original grade is still valid.


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.

Where Should I Get My Cards Graded

Currently, three official card grading companies are trusted by card collectors worldwide. They are Beckett Grading Services , Certified Guaranty Company , and Professional Sports Authenticator . Having your cards graded by any of these companies would give your card a seal of legitimacy that can drive up its resale price.

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Best Pokemon Card Grading Service

More and more collectors are sending their cards to get graded by different companies. Its important to pick a trustworthy grading service so a potential buyer knows that the card is truly authenticated and graded. Here, well compare some of the top grading services for Pokemon cards. This information will help you when choosing which grading service is better. Each of these services have their pros and cons but which grading service is best for Pokemon cards?

Getting Psa Graded Pokemon Cards

How to Grade Pokemon Cards For PSA

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 youâd hoped ð A couple of our latest and greatest graded cards can be found below, be sure to check them out!

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What Are You Supposed To Do With Pokmon Cards

Younger kids tend to just collect and trade the cards. As they learn to read, they may also want to play the trading card game. The point of collecting the cards is to build a powerful deck of 60 that will help you win battles against other trainers. But your kid might just be interested in collecting the cards he likes best or deems most valuable. Each pack of cards is different, so if your kid doesnt have any cards , you may want to get him started with a theme deck: a pack of 60 cards that comes in a small cardboard box or metal tin. Theme decks also come with a coin and cardboard markers that can be used in gameplay when deciding which player goes first or when counting damage, but you can also use die instead. Cards also come in booster packs of 10, in tins or blister packs.

New cards are released every time a new season of the TV show comes outyour kid might refer to this as a new generation or series. The new series usually coincides with the latest video game titles. Right now, the trading card game is in its eighth generation, so all of the newer collections of cards will say Sword & Shield on the box.

Which Are The Estimated Turnaround Time To Get Your Card Graded At Psa

PSA have been working over the past few months to tackle their huge backlog of cards to be graded. As of July 2021 they were able to open up their most expensive service for Express Grading. This costs $200 per card, and clearly, is only worth it for cards of considerable value.You can find the updated turnaround time to get your cards graded at the following communication link of PSA website.


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A Quick Comparison Of Card Grading Services & Prices

Revised 4/28/2021

I am only going to look at value pricing for this next comparison, as that is how most people get their cards graded. You can spend up to $600 to get a single card graded quickly, but thats not our target audience here.

Pojo Note: I updated these prices April 28, 2021 to reflect recent price increases by all companies.

PSA psacard.com


Value Pricing is $20/card. The maximum declared value is $499/card. And you must send in a minimum of 10 cards. Subgrades are not offered. PSA is currently not accepting any cards. PSAs current turnaround time was greater than 8 months on Value Pricing, so they decided to shut down submissions so they could catch up on backlog.

BGS beckett.com

Beckett Pricing is: $20/card. Add $15 per card for subgrades. This pricing is essentially the same as PSA, giving you an option for subgrades. Subgrades are worth it on valuable cards in my opinion. Becketts current turnaround time is sitting at around 11 months on Value Pricing.

CGCcgcomics.com

Bulk Pricing for CGC is $15/card for a 50 card submittal. Add $10/card for subgrades. The coast for grading with CGC has essentially doubled in less than 1 year. CGCs current turnaround time is 144 working days = 6+ months of real time. We expect that to increase in the near future, and wouldnt be surprised if the stop accepting submissions for a few months to catch up on backlog.


Inspecting The Holographic Box

PSA Took 365 Days To Grade My Pokemon Cards | Was It Worth It?

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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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?

Look For Rare Pokemon Cards

Some cards could be worth more than others because they have unique features like holofoil or a special symbol. Other cards may not have many copies.

Heres how to identify rare Pokemon cards.

Rarity Symbols

To determine how common or uncommon a card is, you can look for rarity symbols.

Most Pokemon cards have one of three rarity symbols:

  • Stars: Rare
  • Diamonds: Semi-rare
  • Circles: Common

Cards with a star icon on the back are the rarest and can be worth the most money. You will want to pay closer attention to these rare cards and look for additional special features that add value.

Holofoil

If you collected Pokemon cards as a kid, you likely got excited when a pack of cards contained a holofoil card. They just looked cooler than all the other cards.

Now theres another reason to be excited about holofoil cards. These cards are more valuable than a standard card thats ink-only. The entire Pokemon image may be holographic or only the reverse side.

Rare Letters

Certain card series have rare letters stamped on the front.

Some examples include these stamped letters:

  • GX
  • LEGEND
  • LV.X

These letter stampings can be for recent releases with the United States version of the Sun & Moon set launching in 2016.

Secret Numbers

Some cards may have a secret number that is higher than the actual number. For example, you might have card number 123 of 100 printed cards.

It can be worth your time to have a professional card grader verify the authenticity and condition of rare cards.

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How Do Psa Grade Their Cards

To help you understand why PSA-graded cards are worth so much, lets go over how they grade their cards and their grading system.

They employ a simple grading scale that spans from 1-10:

PR 1 Mint 9GEM-MT 10

Now, the higher grades mean that the cards are in better condition than lower-graded cards. This increases their value massively, and it helps potential buyers know what shape the cards are in, and if theyre worth buying. Also, higher PSA grades almost always dictate higher prices than BGS high grades.

There is a lack of half-grades like with BGS, though. This means that there can be some frustration if you feel your card deserves a 10, but only receives a 9, for example. However, a PSA 9 card is almost always worth more than a BGS 9.5, for instance.

PSA grades their cards based on some strict requirements and qualifiers.

Beckett Pokemon Card Grading Scale

How to Grade Pokemon Cards For PSA

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.

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Black Star Ishihara Signed Gx Promo Card

A card featuring the Pokémon Company’s President himself.

Sold for $247,230 in April 2021

The most recent card to make headlines for pure value, this card sold for nearly a quarter of a million dollars at auction on April 26th 2021. You can find the full details at our story here, but this card depicts Pokémon Company founder and current president Tsunekazu Ishihara, and was given to the company staff as a celebration of the man’s 60th birthday in 2017.

That makes the card rare, but this specific version is even rarer, as Ishihara actually signed this near-mint card to boost its price even further. The “2017 P.M. SM Black Star #TPCi01 Tsunekazu Ishihara Signed Pokémon GX Promo Card”, to use its full title, is a testament to the raw power apparently held by the Pokémon president. The ability “Red Chanchanko” is in reference to the red vest traditionally worn on 60th birthdays in Japan, and prevents the effect of any attack, ability or trainer card against Ishihara. Meanwhile, its GX move “60 Congratulations”, tells you to flip 60 coins, and take a present for each one. A truly legendary card.

Pokmon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind

An ultra-rare promo card – one of only a dozen ever made

Sold for $65,100 in October 2020

Only 12 Tropical Wind cards were produced as promo cards for the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle, a precursor to the Pokémon World Championships, making it one of the most valuable Pokémon sets around.

The Tropical Mega Battle saw 50 players from around the globe take part in a tournament for the trading card game in Honolulu, Hawaii. The only way to participate was to win a battle in your local region and earn an invite, making it an exclusive event for the best Pokémon trainers in the world – and the cards offered as prizes some of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence.

This particular Tropical Mega Battle promo card, the 1999 Japanese-language copy of Tropical Wind, has sold at auction for as much as $65,100 in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition, with the most recent record-breaking sale taking place in October 2020. PSA estimates its value to be as high as $148,482, making the ultra-rare card a contender for one of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever made.

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Grading Your Cards Here Are Your Options

Of the many grading options available, PSA, BGS, and CGC are three of the best and most reputable, but which is better, and what are the differences between the three?

The modern card market is dominated by marvels like online auctions and virtual collections, but the process of getting an item graded is the same as ever.

Youll need to send over the cards you want to be appraised, and wait for a period of time while they certify the authenticity and quality of your items. Especially now, their has been a massive influx in demand as well as complications due to Covid-19. So with all that, many options are 4 to 6 times the typical time requirement.

Services like Beckett, PSA, and CGC grew to be popular as cards became more and more valuable. CGC has a reputation for being used on Comic Books, the first C in CBC, but in recent years has begun making the transition over to playing and collectable cards.

Buying a graded card is a great way to avoid being stung by a counterfeit card, and its increasingly important online where many collectibles are traded sight unseen.

Another important reason for getting cards graded is to avoid potential counterfeits.

Heres an in-depth guide with everything you could possibly want to know about CGC, PSA, and BGS, including pros and cons, which should help you to decide which is better for your collection when grading cards.

Top 15 Most Rare And Expensive Pokmon Cards

Which Pokemon Grading Company is the Best Value?

Strategic depth: Medium

Publisher:Wizards of the Coast

What do Shadowless Charizard, Masters Key and Prerelease Raichu cards have in common? Theyre some of the most rare and expensive Pokémon cards in existence right now. While the value of cards have been dropping recently, the TCG isn’t going away, the team behind the game recently launched a Pokémon Go set, and now they are apparently even creating a reality TV show.

Within this list we are going to focus on the most valuable Pokémon cards. Cards are typically found in this elite category because very few of them were released or they were part of special events and promotions. You may be surprised to see which cards have made this list, so without further ado lets look at the top 15 right now.

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What Exactly Is Grading

Grading is the objective assessment of the condition and value of trading cards by professional and experienced inspectors. For example, if you want to know which Pokémon cards are valuable and have your Pokémon cards graded, you can contact our experienced inspectors. With the help of their trained eye, as well as state-of-the-art technology and specially developed microscopes, they will confirm the authenticity and quality grade of your cards. At the end of each process, your cards are sealed in secured sleeves to ensure their long-term condition.

Why Should You Get Your Cards Graded

Out of all the trading cards of our generation, there is only a handful that became collectors items that can be resold for a good amount. If you kept your NBA trading cards, Magic the Gathering Cards, or Pokemon Cards in good condition, then theres a high chance that you can sell those for a good amount.

However, this is not the case for every old Pokemon card out there. Although you can check the condition yourself, you still wont be able to sell it at a good price unless its been verified by an authority.

Just ask yourself, would you take the risk of buying jewelry from someone claiming it to be 24 karats, or would you rather go to an authorized, well-known jewelry shop?

Having your cards graded by respectful card grading companies lets you know what your cards exact worth is. So, there is no chance of underselling your card. That right there is enough reason to get your cards sent to the companies well mention later.

So, if youve kept your Pokemon cards in good condition, its time to get them out of your cabinet and have them graded!

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Forensics / Special Tools

A forensic analysis device is then used to check the collection card for particularly fine scratches and other possible blemishes. This ensures that even the smallest hairline cracks are detected. This final inspection process with special tools from forensics ensures the very high quality of our grading.

Cons Of Graded Pokmon Cards

How to Grade Pokemon Cards For PSA

Despite all the positives to graded Pokémon TCG cards, there are also some downsides. The cost of card grading is pretty high and can result in situations where players actually lose money. At PSA, it cost around $18 to $30 to get a single card rated by the company. Rare cards from modern sets such as the Pokémon Brilliant Stars TCG expansion may end up being worth less than the grading fees depending on the score it gets. For instance, a fan that submits their card for grading may lose all potential value if the card doesn’t come back a perfect grade of 10. There are many factors that can play into a Pokémon card not getting the score it needed to have value as well, such as scratches, whitening on corners, or off-center printing.

Because of the TCG‘s recent resurgence in popularity, it’s also resulted in grading companies like PSA and CGC becoming slammed with people trying to send their cards in to be rated. As a result, wait times are extremely long. According to PSA, a single Pokémon card can now take up to 150 days to get graded and sent back. Collectors who want to speed the process up will have to shell out at least $100 in order to get their cards back within thirty days. So not only will it take up to half a year for most fans to get their TCG items graded, but their cards might end up not being worth anything if they end up receiving lower than expected scores.

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