FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Our submission form has been created to guide you through each step. Starting a submission and following the guides will often answer your questions.

However, if you want to submit a card for which you don't know the details (set for example), the best way is to do a search on a search engine or on specialized sites / forums.

For special cards, select the associated FAQ section:

→ Yu-Gi-Oh cards

→ Pokémon cards

→ MTG cards

→ Dragon Ball cards

We strive to keep our database of sets up to date, only matching the cards we are able to certify.

• If you can't find your set using your set code, please look carefully in the drop-down lists: the code may sometimes differ from what is written on your card.
• In some cases, groupings are made (e.g. Pokémon Promos Card -> grouping by block), so make sure you enter the correct grouping.

If you still cannot find the set, we most likely can't certify that card.

In cases where:

- The expansion is recent and not yet available on the form: Please write to us on social networks so that our database administrators add it more quickly.

- The set cannot be found after a careful search, but the card seems important to you (high value for example), please send an email to soumission@cccgrading.com starting your subject with "Add a set to the form" and giving the details of your request. We will only process necessary requests.

For our purposes, the declared value of a card is defined as follows:

"The declared value is the estimated monetary value of the good on the market at the time of the order. It is expressed in euros and its determination can be based on the following:

-Recent sales on online sales platforms
-Average price of current ads on these platforms
-Recent prices during official auctions
-Expertise from reputable stores or regular collectors
-Rarity
-Distribution rate
-Current market interest rate for the card.

This value fluctuates but can be determined approximately by any internet user at any given time."

It is important that you take the time and use the resources at your disposal to correctly estimate the value of your cards. Indeed, this declared value will impact the following elements

• Grading fee
• Insurance in the CCC's warehouse.
• Insurance during transportation.
• Value taken into account for any future request made to CCC Grading.

CCC Grading asks you to establish a realistic, honest and researched estimate based on several sources.

Yes, the declared value depends on the condition of the card.
For example, a card in perfect visual condition with a value of 200€ could potentially have a value of 100€ if its condition was poor.

It is your responsibility to enter the most accurate and realistic value because in case of a claim, this is the value that will be taken into account.
We apply a degree of tolerance and do not systematically penalize minor errors.
However, we can refuse your declared value in the following cases.

• If the declared value is found to be highly underestimated, we may ask you for an additional payment to make up for any shortfall after reassessing the costs associated with the new value honestly estimated by CCC Grading.
  A processing fee of 1€ per underestimated card will be applied.
• If the declared value is deemed highly overestimated, we reserve the right to not certify the card and return the card with the order, refunding only the card certification fee. You will be notified of this and the insurance you have purchased will be readjusted to the value honestly estimated by CCC Grading. You will also be notified of this.
  We may also accept the order and proceed to lower the declared value to our honest estimationn. You agree that these adjusted values will be the only ones considered for future claims (e.g., for reimbursement under the insurance policy). If you have paid an excess fee due to these overestimates, you will not be reimbursed for the difference.

For MTG, Force of Will , Flesh & Blood or DBZ Super cards, it may happen that your card also has another title on the back.
In this case, enter the title of the side that you think is the front side and select "Other specificity: Double-sided card" in the form. Our operators will enter the 2nd title during the verification process.

Multiple errors can increase your processing time. If it is a typing error or an extension, our operators will correct it. If it is a significant error on the declared value, you may be charged a fee according to our Terms and conditions.

In any case, if you want to make sure that these errors have been correctly modified, we recommend that you contact us at support@cccgrading.com, specifying in the subject line "Error in the form - Order n° ####".

In general, a saturated service returns within one to two weeks of closure, which is the time it takes to return to a reasonable saturation level.

However, this depends on the number of orders received with the modes available during this period.

We publish a story on social networks to warn of the reopening. Follow us: @cccgrading !

The processing time is counted from the receipt of your order at CCC until its shipment. It is therefore independent of transport time. Depending on the choice you made when you placed your order, the delay varies :

• Regular = processing within 25 working days.
• Express = processing in 7 to 10 working days.
• Super-Express = immediate processing in 1 to 3 working days.

If your processing time is longer than expected, don't panic, here is the procedure:

• Check the status of your order on the "My Account" page.
   

• If the status is still at the "Paid" stage and it has been more than 3 days since it has arrived to our address, check to see if there was a problem with the carrier. We probably didn't receive it or it's stuck at the post office.
• If the status is at the "Customer contacted" stage, check that CCC Grading has not sent you an email to clear up a situation (e.g., declared value found to be incorrect; multiple errors). The email could have been redirected to your junk box.
• If the status is at the "Sent" stage, the package is in the hands of our carrier, a tracking number is available on your order, it will be delivered soon.

• If your order has a large quantity of cards, it may also take a little longer. Allow a few extra days for processing.
• If it is a particularly busy time of year (e.g. new set release) and you have chosen economy processing, allow an extra week or two. We are likely to receive many priority orders (express and super-express processing) during these periods.
• If your order is still not shipped from our warehouse after the estimated processing time + 14 days, please contact us at delai@cccgrading.com and specify in the beginning of your subject "Delayed processing - Order n° ####".

No, we do not offer the option of consulting grades in advance.

Indeed, we believe that receiving the cards at the same time as the GradeReport® (as well as the sub-grades) will help you to have a better understanding in case of questions.

At the moment, we only grade the TCGs available in the submission center.

We are already working on adding future TCGs, but no announcements or information can be given in advance. The announcements will be made on our social networks. We do not respond to requests for new TCGs.

We do not certify Sports cards for the moment. On the long term, we plan to open a dedicated department, an announcement will be made in due time, on our social networks.

The following cards will be rejected and returned, certification will be refunded, return postage deducted:

• Severely damaged cards (tears, mildew, heavy material deposit, added tape)
• Off-format cards (Jumbo / Oversize)
• Cards that do not belong to the original set or whose extensions are not listed in the submission center. Exceptions apply.
   

The following cards may be submitted but will not be sealed if they are found to be :

• Counterfeit & non-genuine cards
• Altered cards (attempt to paste/cut/colorize)
• Personalized or altered cards (drawings)
  
  

If we receive this type of card, the rate remains the same and is not refundable. Indeed, the work of handling, analysis and authentication is carried out in any case. It is often even more complex and tedious on this type of card.

Yes, we accept « Misprints » of all types. Please specify, if possible, in the comment space of the order the description of the misprint. A special mention will be noted on your label. Excessive off-centering is considered as a printing error. 
We do not mention « Misprint » for cards with only a common text errata.

Our role is to authenticate your cards, you are allowed to send us cards you are not sure about. If they are confirmed as "non-authentic", they will be refused and sent back without encapsulation.
In this case, the cost of the service remains the same and non-refundable. Indeed, the work of handling, analysis and authentication is done no matter what. It is often even more complex and tedious on this type of card.

You don't have to unseal your card - we can take care of that for you.

However, it is sometimes better to unseal your card to ensure its condition and make it easier to insert into a card-saver / toploader.

Please note that a sealed card can sometimes have defects even though it has never been opened (dents/creases etc.). A claim on the condition of a card cannot be made if it was sealed when sent.

During the verification process, we will check the years of printing of cards that have been "Reprinted", i.e. printed with the same code, on different occasions, over several years.

This applies in particular to the first 11 sets (2002-2004) released in English:

• Legend Of Blue Eyes-White Dragon (LOB)
• Metal Raiders (MRD)
• Magic Ruler & Spell Ruler (MRL / SRL)
• Pharaoh's Servant (PSV)
• Labyrinth Of Nightmare (LON)
• Legacy Of Darkness (LOD)
• Pharaonic Guardian (PGD)
• Magician's Force (MFC)
• Dark Crisis (DCR)
• Invasion Of Chaos (IOC)
• Ancient Sanctuary (AST)

When you enter your card into the submission center, it doesn't matter which year you choose : you can choose the year you think is right, or just choose the main expansion. In any case, we will check the year of printing and modify with the corresponding year.

If you have a Yu-Gi-Oh card that does not have a code, please enter "NO CODE" in the "Expansion Code" field.

For Yu-Gi-Oh, the Bandai cards are available by entering the code "NO CODE".

The 1st Generation is composed of cards n°1 to 42.
The 2nd Generation is composed of cards n°43 to 88.
The 3rd Generation is composed of cards n°89 to 118.

We also grade the Bandai Sealdass cards.

English and european cards

Examples :

-Pikachu "Stamped" Poketour 1999 obtained as a promo during the Poketour convention in Australia :
Category = "Original (1999-2000)"; Set = "Base Set" ; Other specific element = "Stamp - Tournaments / Championships / Conventions"

-Deoxys "Stamped" sortie à l'occasion du film Destiny Deoxys :
Category = "EX (2003-2007)"; Set = "Ex Deoxys" ; Other specific element = "Stamp - Movie logos"

Special case :

-Reprint expansions (Celebrations, Evolutions etc.) :
Please select the reprint expansion directly, not the original set of the card. This also applies to Gold Metal cards from Celebrations.

Japanese cards

We grade these Bandai Carddass sets :

• Monsters Collection (1996)
• Pocket Monsters (1997)
• Anime Collection (1998-2000)

These sets are available in Japanese language, in the category "Others".
For the Anime Collection cards, we will indicate the "Part" (among the 11) on the label.

• If your reprint has a unique and dedicated expansion code, enter it directly.

• To enter a reprint whose code is not appropriate for the extension in which it is released:

To enter a reprint whose code is not appropriate for the extension in which it was released, enter the card's code directly into the Set Code field, then select the correct Set.

If the set in question is not present in the choices, send a message to soumission@cccgrading.com or contact us on social networks.

Example:
If you choose "1988 - 1997 Carddass Hondan (JPN)", the label may contain "Carddass Hondan Part. 15 - 1993".

How to determine (HK) or (JPN) ?

For Hondan & Super Battle:
If your card is a Japanese edition (JPN), the copyright on the back will be in Japanese characters.
If it is a Hong Kong (HK) edition, the copyright will be in Latin characters.
For Visual Adventure:
The golden sticker that allows to determine JPN (Golden and hollowed) or HK (Shenron = not golden).

Once the order is placed, you must send your cards properly protected with your printed summary via any national carrier service to the following address :

CCC – Service Reception
BP 20020
92124 MONTROUGE CEDEX
France

Please note that non-national carriers like DHL or UPS won't be able to deliver in our Post office box.
If your order has a declared value > 1000€ and you wish to use a private carrier (like Fedex) you can contact us so that we give you a different address.

We recommend that you send your cards with a signature + compensation in case of loss. A tracking letter is rarely sufficient. 
To consult the detailed shipping guide, go to the page: Shipping Guide.

It is strongly not recommended to send your cards without a sleeve or rigid protection. If the card appears to be damaged due to poor packaging, we reserve the right to return your cards in their entirety. We will only refund the certification fee in this situation.

The ideal protection is to insert the card in a sleeve, which is itself contained in a semi-rigid protection (or toploader). If you don't have one, a file folder, a rigid protection (cardboard) and bubble wrap are the minimum required. For more information, consult the shipping guide.

Yes, our professional reception area is noted as a collection point on the Post Office tracking system.

Except during exceptional periods, parcels are picked up every day of the week.

Once the parcel has been collected, you will receive CCC Grading's "Now Processing" email within 12 hours.

If your parcel tracking indicates that the parcel has been waiting for more than one working day (excluding weekends), please send us your tracking number to support@cccgrading.com so that we can unblock the situation.

• When sending your cards :
  
  You are responsible for transporting and securing your goods. Each national carrier offers compensation options based on the value of the item. We recommend that you choose a signed-for shipment to ensure that the package arrives safely.
  If your parcel is insured, please note that the postal service may ask for an invoice to issue a refund. Depending on what you have indicated is in the parcel, you may be able to provide an invoice for a different product than TCG cards (sometimes difficult to obtain).
  If the loss is confirmed before receipt at our premises, you will be eligible for an order cancellation and a credit note for the amount of the order.
• For the return of your certified cards:
  
  We always send packages with a sign-on receipt delivery. In the event of loss, we will reimburse you up to the amount of your transport insurance selected during your order.

For orders with a total declared value of more than 501€, you can drop-off and pick your cards up for free. Select this option when placing your order.

Drop-off and pick-up are only available to customers who can physically come to the address located in Arcueil (94110), next to Paris, France.

1. Print out the hand-delivery proof of delivery form, available in your account.
2. An online planning will be sent to you so you can choose your appointment. The exact address for the drop-off will be communicated to you.
3. Show up for the appointment at the time indicated with your deposit sheet.

If there is any problem with the hand delivery, please contact our customer service at support@cccgrading.com and specify in your subject "Hand delivery - Order n° ####".

Yes, the Ultra-Express mode available on the submission center allows you to order certifications processed the same day.

For hand-deliveries, drop-off is possible from 11am to 12pm, and pick-up is possible in the late afternoon, from 6pm.

All of our experts have several years of experience in TCG, have validated verification tests and have been trained in our grading system.

Professional magnifying glasses are used in conjunction with an analysis lamp to view defects in detail.
CCC Grading developed custom centering grids for each game and adapted to our scale. They are provided to all our operators. For example, the centering grid for Pokémon GX cards is different from Pokémon Wizards etc.

We use the GradeReport™ to justify the grade accurately and to provide you with many details about your grade.

According to our system, the lowest score for centering is 8.

• Perfect centering = 10
• Very Good / Good centering = 9.5
• Fair centering = 9
• Poor centering = 8.5
• Extremely Poor centering = 8

Most of the time, cards with a poor centering get a 8.5 on that sub-grade (Final grade = 9)
The score of 8 is rarely given because it corresponds to an extreme (rare) off-centering.

If the card is abnormally off-centered, it will be marked as "Off-Centered" and the grade will not take into account the centering at all because it will be considered "Abnormal". The grading will be based on the 3 other criteria.

Thus, an "Off-centered" Misprint could get a final grade of 10 with the OC mention.

For more details, consult the CCC Grading System.

At CCC Grading, we minimize the impact of all factory defects on the grading. However, they are not neglected.

We explain this in detail on this page: CCC Grading Factory Defects

Although this is another topic, Misprints are special cases that are graded with an additional mention on the label. The final grade does not take into account the defective criterion at all.

No, the curvature of the cards is one of the few criteria that we do not penalize, as long as it does not look like a fold.

Indeed, the card will be held flat in the slab forever, the defect will never be visible.

There are 3 cases:

1. The card has some ink in a hidden spot or in a location that shows intent to hide a defect
   
   If the expert considers that the ink is located in a place where a defect can be found or that it seems to be hidden (edges / borders / similar color etc.), the card will automatically be noted "A" with the following two mentions:
   - "Altered (Intention.)"
   - "Inked"
   
   
2. The card has ink in a location that does NOT show intent to hide a defect
   
   If, in the expert's opinion, the ink is located in a location that is not confusing and appears to be unintentional (e.g., a light pen stroke over an area with good contrast), the card will be graded normally with the following notation:
   - "Inked"
   
   Please note that ink damage is considered strong damage. Therefore, depending on the intensity of the ink damage, the surface grade of the card will likely be low.
   
   
3. The card has ink in the form of inscriptions or distinctive elements (writings / drawings etc.).
   
   The card will be returned without encapsulation with a GradeReportt. This service remains at the same price and cannot be refunded.

Yes, our grading system does not work with an average system. The final grade is based on the lowest sub-grade.

We explain this in detail on this page: Grading system

In fact, averaging does not work to determine the final grade. For example, a card with a surface grade of 2 (e.g.: card with a strong crease) is objectively not in good condition, even if the other three criteria have been given a 9.

CCC Grading uses custom-designed slabs from our French partner company. The cases are thin, extremely transparent, robust and without colored reflections. The card is held in place by custom-made bars (even for the Yu-Gi-Oh format).

For detailed information about our slabs, please visit the CCC slab page.

Our slabs are all ultrasonically sealed using an industrial machine made in Switzerland. Once sealed, it is impossible to open them without breaking them and leaving permanent marks.

For all the detailed information concerning our slabs, consult the page The CCC slab.

For full details of our labels, please visit the dedicated page: CCC labels
To understand the rating system (Gold & Black labels), please go to: CCC grading system

For French cards, all CCC labels are in French.

For all other cards, label information is in English.

We use high quality labels made in France with a matte coating and a distinctive thickness.

The security of the labels is ensured by :

• A UV ink in the shape of our logo
• A distinctive holographic zone marked with our logo
• A 3D glossy treatment on the CCC logo
• A secured background pattern with Guilloché lines and hidden security features

To see the visual of our labels, consult this page.

The cards are stored securely in a vault under video surveillance. The grading room as well as the receiving and opening area of the packages are also under video surveillance. This also allows us to prove possible transport damage when opening damaged packages.

CCC Grading accepts all International submissions. Shipping costs vary and will be visible when you place your order. If you do not see a shipping method, CCC does not ship to your country.

We have made a Shipping Guide specifically for non-EU customers that explains how to prepare your customs documents.

Find it here: International Shipping Guide.

CCC Grading experts are all TCGs (Trading Card Games) enthusiasts.
They all have years of experience in the game they are grading and a thorough knowledge of all elements of the game related to collecting and printing.
These criteria also apply to all future experts we recruit.

The work of authentication/verification is more complex than that of a grader, as it requires a thorough knowledge of the culture of the game in question and its history. This is what we focus on: all our experts are extremely qualified with the history of printed cards - special editions / misprints / "reprints" / specificities etc.

It is interesting to know that the title "expert" is proved by :

• the quality we provide
• the consistency and quality of the grades given
• the reputation of the company
• our transparency
  
  

There is no official state diploma for this profession yet: our goal is to have our profession recognized at this level in the long term.

In April 2022, our 4 authentication / grading experts are divided into the following areas of expertise:

• Expert n°1
  • Pokémon (all languages)
  • Yu-Gi-Oh (all languages)
  • Magic The Gathering (all languages)
  • DBZ
  • All TCGs recently added
• Expert n°2
  • Pokémon (FR & EN)
  • Yu-Gi-Oh (FR & EN)
  • DBZ
  • Force of Will
  • Vanguard
  • All TCGs recently added
• Expert n°3
  • Pokémon (all languages - JP special)
  • Yu-Gi-Oh (all languages)
  • Magic The Gathering
  • All TCGs recently added
• Expert n°4
  • Pokémon (all languages - JP special)
  • Yu-Gi-Oh (all languages)
  • All TCGs recently added

CCC Grading was created in January 2021 to meet the need for a credible, transparent and high-end French organization in the card authentication and grading industry.

After more than a year of Research & Development on the products, improvement of processes, equipment, logistics and strategy, the company is made public in April 2022.

To know everything about CCC, go to the page Our values.

Our recruitment period for the year 2024-2025 will be announced on social networks. The next jobs for which recruitment will be open are :

• Expert in card authentication & grading.
• Checking & order picker.