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Pokémon card grading has two separate jobs: first, a company authenticates the card; then it evaluates condition and assigns a grade. The graded card is sealed in a tamper-evident holder with a label and certification number. A grade describes condition under that company’s standards—it does not guarantee a price, buyer demand or profit.
PSA states the distinction plainly: “Authentication verifies the originality or genuineness of a trading card, while grading assesses the quality and condition.” The sequence below follows PSA’s published process; other graders use their own procedures and labels.
How does Pokémon card grading work?
Although submission portals and service levels differ, a typical submission has three substantive stages: authentication, condition assessment and encapsulation. PSA explicitly says grading occurs after a card is deemed authentic, then places the assessed card in a sonically sealed case with a LightHouse label and certification number (PSA’s trading-card grading service). Treat that as PSA’s documented workflow, not a promise that every company uses identical steps.
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1. Select a service and prepare the submission
You choose a grading company, service level and declared value. PSA explains that recent graded sales can help estimate declared value; that value is used to select an appropriate service level and determine available insurance coverage. Fees and turnaround estimates are service-specific and can change, so verify the live submission page before mailing a card.
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2. Authentication
Specialists check whether the card is genuine. This is a separate question from whether it is clean, centered or undamaged. A card that is not authenticated does not proceed to an ordinary condition grade under PSA’s stated process.
3. Condition assessment
After authentication, graders examine the physical card using the company’s standards. They consider multiple characteristics rather than assigning a score from centering alone. The resulting number is an assessment of the card’s condition at the time it was examined.
4. Encapsulation and certification
The card is sealed in a protective holder and labeled. PSA’s label includes the grade and a certification number. Encapsulation helps preserve the card and makes later tampering more evident, but the case does not make a damaged card better or guarantee future value.
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What do graders look for?
PSA and CGC publish overlapping categories, but neither source presents a universal weighting formula. Use the following as inspection areas, not as a calculator that predicts a precise grade.
| Inspection area | Examples described by grading guidance |
|---|---|
| Centering | How evenly the printed borders are positioned from side to side and top to bottom. |
| Corners | Sharpness, fraying, rounding or other wear at each corner. |
| Edges | Chipping, whitening, rough cuts and handling damage along the perimeter. |
| Surface | Scratches, scuffing, indentations, stains, soiling, fading, print defects and evidence of play. |
| Creases and folds | Visible bends or structural breaks in the card stock. |
| Manufacturing defects | Printing or production issues that occurred before a collector handled the card. |
| Preservation and handling | Signs of storage damage, repeated handling, alteration or cleaning. |
PSA’s preparation guidance tells submitters to inspect centering, surface, edges, folds or creases, stains and damage. CGC additionally lists manufacturing and handling defects, preservation, evidence of play, scuffing, indentations, soiling and fading in its explanation of grading factors (PSA’s getting-started guide; CGC’s grades FAQ).
A bright phone photograph can hide a shallow indentation or edge whitening. Inspect under diffuse, angled light with clean hands, and treat an at-home inspection as a screening step—not a guarantee of the eventual number.
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What does a PSA grade mean?
PSA uses a 1–10 scale, with 10 as the highest number. Its published examples give a practical sense of the upper grades:
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall| PSA grade | PSA description in practical terms |
|---|---|
| 10 | Essentially perfect: extremely good centering, pristine corners and no surface damage or imperfections in the cited PSA description. |
| 9 | Nearly perfect, but with one minor flaw. |
| 8 | Still excellent, while allowing slight corner fraying, a minor printing imperfection or slight off-centering. |
| Lower numbers | PSA’s examples describe progressively more visible wear, scratches, rounding, discoloration, creases or other damage as the number falls. |
These descriptions are PSA’s examples, not a promise that every card with one visible flaw will receive the same number. A grader considers the card as a whole, and the exact boundary between grades is determined by PSA’s standards. Do not transfer the PSA wording to another company’s label.
How do PSA, CGC and Beckett grades compare?
The same numeral can represent a different label, scale or reporting format. The reviewed company pages do not support a one-to-one conversion.
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| Company | Published scale or format | Subgrades and holder information | Current service note |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1–10, with 10 highest. | Grade and certification number appear on a LightHouse label; the card is sonically sealed in a tamper-evident case. | PSA publishes prices and turnaround estimates, but says estimates are not guaranteed. |
| CGC | 10 (Pristine) down to 1 (Poor) in its card-grading FAQ. | CGC currently says it no longer offers subgrades. | Labels and service availability should be checked on CGC’s current submission pages. |
| Beckett | Final grades in half-point increments. | Four subgrades are described on Beckett’s scale page. | The accessed service FAQ reported Base and Standard temporarily unavailable; Express was offered through a temporary form for submissions to the Plano, Texas headquarters. Availability can change. |
Read the company name, label wording, scale and any subgrade information together. A PSA 10, CGC 10 and Beckett 10 share a number but are not automatically equivalent conditions or market outcomes. The source pages for the formats are PSA, CGC and Beckett’s scale.
Pokémon-specific issue: sheet sticking on early cards
Some early Wizards of the Coast-era Pokémon cards with 1st Edition stamps could stick together before the ink fully dried. When separated, stamp ink could transfer from one card to another. In a July 9, 2025 policy statement, CGC said it treats evidence of sheet sticking as cosmetic damage caused by a production quality-control breakdown, rather than as an error. CGC also says the extent of the damage determines its effect on the grade (CGC’s policy article). This is a CGC-specific policy; do not assume another company will apply the same treatment.
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Grading is most useful when the card’s authenticity, condition, protection or documented description matters enough to justify the fee, shipping risk and waiting time. It is not automatically worthwhile for every card.
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Reasons grading can make sense
- You want an authenticated, sealed holder for long-term collection storage.
- You need an independent condition description for insurance records or a potential sale.
- The card is scarce or valuable enough that a buyer may care about a recognized certification.
- You have inspected the card and can tolerate a result lower than your hoped-for grade.
Reasons to pause
- The card has obvious creases, heavy whitening, deep scratches or other damage that makes the fee disproportionate to its likely value.
- You are submitting only because someone promised a high grade or guaranteed profit.
- The service level, insurance limit or current availability does not fit your declared value or deadline.
PSA directs submitters to research sold listings for the specific card and grade and notes that the value is not known until grading is complete. Sold prices are evidence of past transactions, not a guaranteed payout for your copy.
How PSA’s published population figures should be read
PSA’s getting-started page gives approximate, company-reported population estimates and says it grades each card individually. The page does not identify a publication year for these figures, and they are category-wide rather than Pokémon-only:
| Category on PSA’s page | Approximate result reported |
|---|---|
| Ultra-Modern Sport cards (2017–present) and Modern TCG cards (2003–present) | 90% received PSA 8 or higher. |
| Modern Sport cards (1986–2016) | 80% received PSA 8 or higher. |
| Vintage TCG cards (pre-2003) | 80% received PSA 7 or higher. |
These percentages are not odds for your Pokémon card, do not predict a PSA 10, and should not be presented as current-year or Pokémon-only statistics.
How to prepare a card for grading
- Identify the exact card. Record the set, card number, language, variant and any edition mark so that sold-listing research compares like with like.
- Inspect without altering it. Check front and back centering, corners, edges, surface, stains, folds and dents under good light. Do not polish, erase, press, scrape or chemically clean the card.
- Research realistic outcomes. Review sold listings for the same card at several plausible grades. Separate the card’s raw price from prices for authenticated, graded copies.
- Estimate declared value. Use recent graded sales as a reference, then choose the service level and insurance coverage that the grading company allows for that value.
- Use protective materials. PSA recommends a penny sleeve followed by a semi-rigid card holder before submission (PSA’s submission guidance). These materials reduce handling risk; they do not raise the grade.
- Follow the live submission instructions. Print forms, package the holder so it cannot move, and use the accepted shipping or drop-off route shown by the company. Instructions and available service levels can change.
- Keep records. Photograph the card and package, save the submission number and insurance documentation, and inspect the returned holder for damage or a mismatch in certification details.
PSA’s grading standards list evidence of alteration or cleaning as potentially adverse designations (PSA grading standards). A cleaner-looking surface achieved by intervention can therefore hurt the result rather than improve it.
Fees, turnaround and availability
Do not plan around an old screenshot of a price or turnaround time. PSA’s service page lists current levels and estimates but cautions that estimates are not guaranteed. Beckett’s accessed FAQ showed Base and Standard temporarily paused while Express was available through a temporary US-headquarters form; that status is time-sensitive. Before sending a card, confirm the fee, estimated turnaround, declared-value limit, insurance terms, accepted holder type and submission address on the company’s official page.
Common grading mistakes and how to avoid them
- Assuming centering decides everything: corners, edges, surface, print defects and handling evidence can change the grade even when borders look balanced.
- Treating a company number as universal: compare the company’s scale and label, not just the numeral.
- Cleaning or altering the card: intervention can create an adverse designation; preservation is safer than cosmetic treatment.
- Overvaluing a population statistic: PSA’s percentages are approximate categories, not a promise for one card.
- Ignoring service availability: a paused tier or changed submission route can delay or prevent a submission.
- Expecting the slab to create value: authentication and a condition assessment may improve buyer confidence, but market price still depends on the specific card, grade, timing and demand.
A practical decision checklist
Submit when you can answer yes to all of these: the card is genuine or worth authenticating; its likely condition and market justify the fee and shipping risk; you have checked recent sold listings; the chosen company’s scale suits your purpose; the service level and insurance match the declared value; and you are prepared for a lower grade than hoped. If any answer is no, keep the card safely stored and reassess rather than treating grading as a guaranteed investment.
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