POKEMON CARD GRADING
Understand everything about Pokemon Card Grading
Card Grading, Card Certification or Card Authentication are terms referring to the same process:
sending a collectible card to a third-party organization for encapsulation in a sealed box (with a grading label).
This article explains the subtleties and benefits of grading your Pokémon cards.
The history of Pokémon card grading
Pokémon card grading began with the TCG in 1999, but really took off in the 2010-2020s.
In recent years, grading has become an indispensable service when building a card collection.
A recent survey among a community of collectors showed that 53% of occasional collectors own at least one graded card, and 94% of confirmed collectors (over 2 years of active collecting) have graded cards in their collection.
What is a graded card?
A graded card (Pokémon, for example) is a collectible contained in a clear case (sealed by ultrasound) with a label identifying all its characteristics and attesting to its condition, usually on a scale from 1 to 10. A grade of 10 corresponds to a card in perfect condition, and a grade of 1 to a card in poor condition.
Why have a card graded?
The grading service allows you to :
Protect your cards
Thanks to a tailor-made sturdy case, the card is protected forever. Protecting your cards in sleeves and binders isn't enough: they can continue to be damaged by friction caused by the movement of binder pages, for example.
Display and admire your collection
Protection in an ultra-transparent slab, without a sleeve, is the only way to admire your cards without unwanted glare. The aesthetics and premium look of the case are much appreciated by collectors.
Get an impartial, professional and detailed grade
This grading will enable you to understand the condition of your card and to get a fair and impartial grade based on a precise grading scale and 4 sub-criteria. CCC Grading also offers a grade report detailing each element impacting the grade on your card: the "GradeReport".
Increase the value of your collectible
A graded card will attest to potential buyers that the condition is reliable and safe. In fact, it's the only way for buyers to be sure of a card's condition, to avoid unpleasant surprises in the event of a purchase. This translates into an increase in value for cards in the best condition. Beware, however, that not all grading companies have the same reputation and credibility when it comes to ratings.
Authenticate your cards
The grading process always include an authentication step that ensures that the card is genuine, but also that it has not been tampered with (e.g. false "1st Edition", retouching, etc.).
How can I get my Pokemon cards graded ?
To have your Pokémon cards graded, follow these steps:
- Choose your cards and prepare them
In this article, we offer a guide to help you choose the best cards to grade. Next, it's important to prepare and protect them.
To do this, make sure you use new sleeves. Even the slightest dust in the sleeves could be enough to create micro-scratches on your cards during insertion/removal. Then insert your cards in card savers or toploaders to ensure rigid protection. - List your cards on your grading company's submission center
Via the submission center, you'll need to list the cards you'd like to have graded, following the instructions. You can also choose any options you may require.
Help is provided for each field, in particular for estimating the declared values of your cards. The submission center also allows you to estimate the cost of grading. - Send your cards (or hand-deliver them)
Once you've placed your order, all you have to do is pack your cards correctly, following the shipping guidelines.
It is also possible to hand-deliver your cards (CCC Grading offers this option in France).
Which grading company to choose?
When it comes to choosing a grading company, today's market offers collectors a wide choice.
There are many criteria to take into account, and each company has its own particularities.
Typical characteristics of a grading company to analyze
Important criteria include :
The slab and the label
These are the two physical elements that will directly highlight your collectible. This aesthetic choice is up to you.
For example, CCC offers a slim, ultra-transparent case and professionnal labels (neutral / timeless look), but offers premium "Gold Label" and "Black Label" labels for perfect cards that achieve a grade of 10.
Some companies prefer to offer a more entertaining choice of labels (e.g. colored/designed labels) for a different way of collecting.
As far as the slab is concerned, companies may sometimes source it from wholesalers. This represents a major risk of counterfeiting - there is indeed a risk that counterfeiters may reproduce graded cards by purchasing identical cases from the same wholesaler. It is important to check that the company uses custom-made cases. CCC guarantees this with a unique design (made in France and protected) and a thick logo on the back.
Professionalism and customer satisfaction
The world of trading cards is complex and involves many questions and uncertainties, so it's important that the company delivers impeccable customer satisfaction, since you'll be entrusting it with precious, and often high-value, goods.
The company's reputation
We recommend consulting online reviews and feedback concerning the services offered and each company's reputation among collectors.
Process optimization and Turnaround times
Depending on the grading company, processing times can vary from a few days to several months! CCC Grading is committed to maintaining a maximum processing time of 3 to 25 working days, depending on the service type chosen (Regular, Express, Super-Express), and to temporary close some options on submission center if no grading slots are available. This system ensures that deadlines are respected at all times.
Mastering multi-TCG data / databases
The Pop Report is an important tool for determining the distribution of grades among different cards.
It is essential and it needs to be public, reliable and precise, to enable collectors to better understand the market of graded cards.
Expertise and grading quality
Collectors' confidence in a grading system is based on several factors: consistency, coherence, expertise and knowledge of the specific features of each TCG and series.
The GradeReport® and 4 sub-grades are essential to support these factors.
What's the difference between PSA / BGS / CCC?
PSA, BGS and CCC are three well-known grading companies:
- PSA is a U.S.-based company and one of the first to enter the world of certification, notably through the grading of sports cards and objects. The company is known as the oldest and most widely used in the USA.
- BGS is one of PSA's competitor in the USA. It offers a stricter grading system based on 4 sub-grades. It offers a less colorful label and a clear massive slab that is sometimes appreciated by collectors. The card is protected by a sleeve inside the case. However, that makes it harder to admire the cards inside. At BGS, the grades of 10 are often considered harder to obtain which makes the Gold and Black extremely valuable.
- CCC is the most recent company, created in 2020 and emerging leader in France, it offers more innovations such as: the GradeReport® (Online Grading report), grading via 4 sub-grades, a unique slab that is particularly thin and transparent, HD scans of the card, an intuitive multi-TCG submission system etc. CCC also offers Gold and Black labels for cards with the highest grades which helps cards go up in value.
Which card to choose for Grading ?
There are many reasons to choose the best cards for grading:
- The "Collection" aspect:
Very often, collectors choose to certify cards to complete a collection, particularly cards of the same rarity or generation. Pokémon: "alternate art" cards from the "Sword & Shield" and "Scarlet & Violet" era, for example, account for almost 60% of CCC's Pokémon submissions. Holo cards from the Wizards block and "ex" cards from the EX block also receive high submission rates. Some Promo cards can also be interesting to grade, depending on how they were obtained or their history.
Umbreon 13/75 et Espeon 1/75 in 1st Edition : extremely rare cards from Neo Discovery.
Source : CCC official scans (Cert. Numbers : 974164130 et 443124422)
- Aesthetics :
Many collectors choose to have their most aesthetically appealing cards certified, whatever the value. Among the most popular Pokémon cards, we can quote the "artistic cards" such as "Pikachu Von Gogh - Promo Scarlet & Violet" or "Noctali VMAX - 215 - Évolution Céleste", as well as artist illustrations such as those by Mitsuhiro Arita (e.g.: Charizard from Base Set or Pikachu Stamp Box Japan Post (S-P Promo 227)).
Umbreon VMAX 215/203 : one of the most popular cards of the "Sword & Shield" era.
Source : CCC official scans (Cert. Number : 336052664)
- The financial aspect:
The monetary aspect is also one of the main reasons why collectors decide to have their cards graded. If the condition of the card is superior to that of the majority, grading it will increase its value (to a greater or lesser extent) on the secondary market. Note that this increase in value depends on the reputation of the grading company and the confidence that collectors have in its grading system. A grading report, together with HD scans of the cards, is therefore an important element in reassuring potential buyers when you sell.
High-value cards in good condition are those for which certification is often considered indispensable. Whether rare or "vintage", these cards will always benefit from lasting protection, a certificate of authenticity and confirmation of their condition.
Rayquaza STAR 107/107 and Shining Mewtwo 109/105 : extremely rare cards in excellent and mint condition.
Source : CCC official scans (Cert. Numbers : 490990268 et 264593879)
- The emotional aspect:
Every collector has a different personal affect towards Pokémon cards. The best choice for grading is often the card that has the most emotional impact for you. Rediscovered childhood memories or the fruit of a long search to achieve a goal: two ideal reasons to encapsulate your cards and show them off to their best advantage.
Charizard ex 105/112 : one of the most sought-after cards in the "ex" era.
Source : CCC official scans (Cert. Number : 683360127)
How do I know if my Pokemon card is a fake?
To determine whether a Pokémon card is genuine or not, there are various methods such as analyzing the texture, colors, cardboard used, printing details and so on. It is necessary to compare with a similar authentic card, or to gain experience by viewing several cards.
The safest method, however, is authentication by a card grading company. This service will always include professional multi-step authentication. At CCC, in the case of a non-authenticated card, the grading report tells you what led to this conclusion.
How to know how much my Pokémon card is worth?
When submitting your cards for grading, you will be asked to enter the declared value of your cards.
The ideal way to estimate the value of Pokémon cards is to consult resale platforms between private individuals and/or professionals (called "Marketplaces" - for example: eBay or TCG Player) and analyze the resale values for each card you wish to estimate. The condition of the card is important, as values can fluctuate greatly depending on the card's condition.
Some platforms offer graphs to illustrate recent sales, or "Recent sales" filter options.
CCC Grading : the n°1 Grading Service for Pokémon cards in terms of reputation
Since its creation in 2020, CCC has established itself as a major player in certification, particularly in France and Europe and now expanding to the USA.
Why CCC Grading ?
CCC Grading's slab : the ideal protection for your collectibles
Grading your Pokemon cards allows them to be protected in an ultra-transparent, ultrasonically-welded, high-end case. This case cannot be opened unless it is broken, guaranteeing the CCC expertise of each graded card.
The CCC case is designed in France to protect the card with a custom-sized slot.
The slimmest case on the market, while maintaining significant robustness.
• UV protection:
Our high-transparency plastic also protects your cards from UV rays and alterations due to time (rubbing of pockets or folders / yellowing etc.).
• Sleek, premium design:
The CCC case has been designed to achieve an ultra-sleek look that highlights the card. This allows you to admire your collectible with a perfect finish, avoiding the reflections of a sleeve or toploader.
CCC Expertise
Our team is made up of several TCG experts who know every detail about this TCG. For example, any printing defects are minimized when determining the final grade. For more details on our grading system, click here.
For each eligible certification, CCC provides a grading report called the GradeReport®. This certificate, also available online on your card's page, will enable you to visualize any defects on the card and better understand your grades.
The CCC aesthetics
Grading your Pokémon cards allows you to have a standardized collection in a slim, ultra-transparent, stackable case, compatible with custom accessories for graded cards. The CCC case makes the most of your collectible card.
The added value
CCC's impartial and accurate grading, and the trust that collectors place in our grading system, means that your cards will systematically gain in value.
For cards in a perfect condition, or those recently pulled from a booster, the exceptional Gold Label & Black Label (CCC 10), indicative of a card in pristine condition, are accompanied by a very sharp increase in value compared to an ungraded version.
You can view the distribution of Lorcana card grades by entering the name of the desired card on our Population Report.
Want to get your cards graded ?
