Before We Startquick Verdict
PSA is one of the most popular grading services, and its been in the game for decades now. Theyre known for providing a bit more expensive service but it also takes longer for them to grade their cards.
However, PSA-graded cards almost always sell better and for more than those graded by BGS. Theyre especially great for vintage cards of great value, and its easier to get higher grades with PSA than it is with BGS. Another positive thing to mention is the PSA registry where collectors can organize their sets and connect with other collectors.
On the other hand, BGS has some advantages going for it, too. Its cheaper and faster than PSA. It has the sub-grading system in place, so you can get a score of 9.5, for example. This can be a double-edged sword for some, but it makes for more accurate grading. BGS is preferred for newer cards mostly.
However, Beckett is tougher on grading and a BGS 9.5 is just not as good as a PSA 10 or even PSA 9. Plus, the BGS cardholders are slightly bigger than PSAs holders, which might become a problem for those who dont have a lot of space.
This is just a short verdict in a nutshell To find out more about these two services in detail, read my review of each of them.
Get Pokemon Cards Graded In Just 72 Hours
We grade Pokemon, Topps, Sports Cards, Football Cards, Baseball Cards, Stickers, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic and virtually all other TCG too.
Your cards will be protected and complimented in our gold secure cases with our gold security features. We feel strongly that PGC graded cards look superior to PSA, BGS, CGC or any other established card grading company in the USA.
Submit your cards today and let them look their best!
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.
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Are You Looking To Grade Your Pokmon Cards
Unlike other grading companies around the world, we dedicate our time purely to the trading card game of Pokemon. We also encapsulate your card in a beautifully frosted slab with an aesthetically pleasing hot foil shining label. We guarantee youll love the results. Thats why were a 5 STAR Google rated business.
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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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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.
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
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What Is A Psa 10 Charizard Worth
In 2021, the thirst for vintage Pokémon cards continues: Now, someone’s paid $311,800 for a single, holographic Charizard card, as spotted by Nintendo Life. The 1999 first-edition Shadowless Charizard, with a PSA 10 Gem Mint rating, sold on eBay, through PWCC Auctions, for $311,800 after a long bidding war.
What Is Beckett Grading Services
Beckett Grading Services is one of the best grading services on the market to date. Becketts unique grading method means your cards will receive four category grades and one overall grade. Beckett uses corners, centering, edges and surface as its four categories which influences the overall grade scored on a scale 1-10.
Only OFFICIAL UK & EUBECKETT Intermediary
We are the ONLY OFFICIAL UK & EU Beckett Grading Service. Being the only one does not mean we relax our service. Our customers are always at the forefront of our minds.
Card protection with insurance
Your cards will be protected with premium insurance whilst in transit to and from the USA. That means if your cards were to get damaged or lost during their journey, youre covered.
Hassle-FreeApproach
Using an intermediary service like Black Label Grading means we do all the leg work, so you dont have to. Leave it to us to deal with complex forms, shipping and import legislation
Handled With Care
We know first-hand how important and fragile your cards are. We ensure all our cards are handled with care, love and in a clean and protected environment.
Secure Shipping
Using Black Label Grading means your cards will be packaged and sent to Beckett securely. We provide semi-rigids and double walled boxes to ensure protection.
Top Communications
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Why Would I Want To Get My Cards Graded
A small minority of major collectors will actually use the PSA Grading service almost to compete with other collectors to get official grades on their best and rarest cards. When a card gets graded it has its own unique reference number with PSA which can be looked up on their website, there you can find information about how many of that type of card have been graded, general card info, and how many other cards of that kind in the world share the same grade.
Other collectors may simply want to get their most rare and valuable cards graded because not only do PSA give your card a grade they also encapsulate the card to completely protect and preserve it, so not only does it score a certain grade, it will be maintained.
Some people may not be big collectors, and may simply have a couple of cards from their childhood which have sentimental value to them, the grading process is a great way of having your card evaluated and protected and preserved in PSA casing.
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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Is Psa Grading Or Bgs Grading Worth It
The concept of grading sports cards is to ensure authenticity and increase the value of a card. Though, not all sports cards are worth grading. Concerning the long-term value of sports cards, grading is only worth it for cards that will carry more money after being graded by PSA or BGS. Grading sports cards are a costly endeavor, especially now with just thin service options available from PSA and BGS. If your card isnt worth more than the value of the service fees of grading, then you shouldnt grade that particular sports card.
Also, remember that condition is at the core of the value of the card. While a graded sports card will typically carry more value than a raw sports card, its imperative to research your cards to discern if having a card graded will ultimately increase the cards value.
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.
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Items You May Need Before You Submit Cards For Grading
Fortunately, there are only a few items you may need before you submit your cards for grading, including:
- Penny sleeves: these are flimsy, thin plastic sleeves that serve as the first line of defense against scratches, finger prints, and any other source of surface damage. I always buy Ultra Pro and have been happy with their products thus far.
- Semi-rigid card holder: these card holders provide a second layer of protection for your cards. Two layers is not overkill, its standard industry practice for trading cards. Card Saver is likely the most well-known brand, and the brand I buy to store and send my cards.
- Painters tape: I use painters tape to secure a more rigid form of protection, such as pieces of cardboard, around the plastic sleeves my cards are in. I like painters tape because I can easily rip into pieces with my hands and remove the tape easily from surfaces.
- Bubble wrap : Bubble wrap can serve as an added layer of protection to wrap your card holders in. I absolutely recommend the added layer of protection, but bubble wrap is only one approach. I use cardboard boxes and packing paper, but bubble wrap also works.
The most important part is ensuring that your cards are protected during shipping. Ive sent many cards using a combination of penny sleeves, semi-rigid card holders, painters tape, cardboard box pieces, and packing paper and have never had an issue with cards getting damaged.
Whats The Best Grading Company For Pokmon Cards
PSA generally gets you the best retail value. The only real exception is a BGS black label .
Im just between which grading to get a card
CGC and its not even close.
Affordable
Lower post grade value than the other 2 big grading companies, so no its not close, CGC is a clear 3rd.
There are few worse looking things in this world than the cgc label imo
In my opinion CGC labels and grading is my favorite. I like how prominent the grade is on cgc, BGS and SGC. I dislike psa labels and how small the grade is. I am getting the card graded, the grade should be at least eye catching with a simple glance but its not. I also think psa doesn’t offer subgrades due to how inconsistent their grading process is. Psa also artifically keeps populations of popular cards down . In 2-5 years I think cgc will be up there with psa in terms of value. Also $100 a card to grade via psa is robbery when they don’t offer sub grades and take months to get your cards back. I know people here dislike anything out of the big 3 but I’m starting to like SGC slabs. The black insert they have can make your card pop and are cheap and fast.
PSA. At least with PSA you have an idea what the grade might be. They have the most experience and their grading is pretty clear even if it ends up with a relatively high 10 population.
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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?
Do Pawn Shops Buy Pokemon Cards
Pawn shops do buy Pokemon cards in some cases, but we dont recommend selling them there. Unless the pawn shop is known to specialize in trading card games, chances are high the clerk wont know the ins and outs of Pokemon card trading. So you can expect a lowball offer.
If you want to sell them locally and in-person, try comic book shops or hobby shops instead.
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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 youâd hoped ð A couple of our latest and greatest graded cards can be found below, be sure to check them out!
Superior Display And Security
A large label allows for detailed card descriptions and excellent readability. If requested, CGC Trading Cards provides Sub-Grades, which give a more nuanced description of a cards condition, and these are easily accommodated on the CGC Trading Cards label. The label also features microprinting, UV ink and holographic foil to prevent against counterfeiting.
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Benefits Of Unopened Pack Grading
Estimated Turnaround Time: 30 Days
Pack must have a declared value of $25,000 or higher
Estimated Turnaround Times are estimates only and not guaranteed. A service levels Turnaround Time is the estimated number of calendar days that an order will be completed and shipped back, once scanned into our facility. These times are based on, and may be impacted by, PSAs submission volume and capacity and other unforeseen circumstances. Turnaround Times may change rapidly without notice as conditions change.
Note: A $5 handling charge is required for each Pack submission in addition to the grading fees.
Ticket Authentication And Grading
Ticket collecting is gaining in popularity as collectors realize that tickets represent tangible artifacts from some of the greatest moments in sports and pop culture. You can preserve your ticket collection and add much needed security and value with PSA grading.
PSA-graded tickets are placed in sonically sealed, tamper-evident holders. These holders provide the best, safest, long-term storage. Plus, ticket pricing is published monthly online in the PSA Price Guide.
Ready to have your tickets authenticated and graded by PSA?
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What Does Grading A Pokemon Card Cost
Many serious collectors will only purchase Pokemon trading cards that have been officially graded by a reputable company. Grading a card can immediately increase its value providing that the grade is high, of course. The cost of grading Pokemon cards can be steep, but the ultimate payoff is often worth it.
Grading a single Pokemon card costs a minimum of $18 to $35. Becket Grading Services charge $20/card for economy service with no sub-grading, or $35/card for economy service with sub-grades. Meanwhile, the Certified Guaranty Company charges $18/card for standard economy service. Professional Sports Authenticator , on the other hand, starts at $20/card with a 10-card minimum submission.
Some providers offer discounts for bulk service, assuming that collectors want to grade enough Pokemon cards to meet the minimum thresholds.
The graders outlined above are the most trusted and prolific service providers when it comes to Pokemon cards and many other collectibles. As such, seeking out a lesser-known grading service to save money could backfire. Many collectors wont purchase Pokemon cards with a grade given by a company theyre unfamiliar with. If they do purchase the card, they may intend to have it graded again. This often factors into the initial purchase price, meaning that the card wont sell for as much as it perhaps should.
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