HOW TO PSA GRADE POKEMON CARDS! (Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
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Grading your Pokemon cards is the best way to increase their value while also protecting them from potential damage. Whether you are a entry level collector or seasoned veteran, knowing the grading criteria and how it applies to Pokemon cards is essential when determining which cards to submit and at which service level. Grading companies like PSA, BGS, and CGC rate condition on a 10-point scale assessing a card's surface, centering, corners, and edges. Unfortunately, many of the guides provided by these websites are made for sports cards, rather than Pokemon and other trading cards.
In this video, I will share some of the tips and tricks that I've gained over 10 years of service with PSA, submitting vintage Pokemon cards. I will also share a few of the tools I use for lighting and magnifying cards while inspecting them for potential damage or flaws. Links to these tools can be found below:
High Intensity Light (Rechargeable): amzn.to/3wvenFi (Affiliate Link)
Desk Magnifying Lens: amzn.to/3OLHcUm (Affiliate Link)
Thanks for watching,
Pokemon Classics
✅CARD PROTECTION (affiliate links)
◾UltraPro Sleeves (Amazon): amzn.to/3c81Ux9
◾BCW Toploaders (Amazon): amzn.to/3uFoLXm
◾Card Savers (Amazon): amzn.to/3nUufd3
◾PSA SLEEVES (Amazon): amzn.to/3axyXdO
✅CARD STORAGE (affiliate links)
◾Divided Storage Box (Amazon): amzn.to/3P1my0I
◾Monster Storage Box (Amazon): amzn.to/3IsdBLr
◾Toploader Storage Box (Amazon): amzn.to/3IvUxfg
◾Graded Card Storage Box (Amazon): amzn.to/3ItmVyB
✅CARD DISPLAY (affiliate links)
◾Black UltraPro Stands (Amazon): amzn.to/3uL1S50
◾Acrylic Easel Stands (Amazon): amzn.to/3EIelt4
◾Acrylic Risers (Amazon): amzn.to/31SVcWG
◾36 Card Display Case (Amazon): amzn.to/3yZVnxz
◾8 Card Display Case (Amazon): amzn.to/3asTqAk
◾Acrylic Booster Box Case (Amazon): amzn.to/3yYSxZT
◾Acrylic Elite Trainer Case (Amazon): amzn.to/3c83hff
✅POKEMON PLUSHIES (affiliate links)
◾Charmander (Amazon): amzn.to/3nWUcsu
◾Bulbasaur (Amazon): amzn.to/3P6vuBN
◾Squirtle (Amazon): amzn.to/3yJKm2m
◾Blastoise (Amazon): amzn.to/3APeYSI
◾Snorlax (Amazon): amzn.to/3yykMx8
◾Gengar (Amazon): amzn.to/3yXZFWg
◾Espeon/Umbreon (Amazon): amzn.to/3PlFiYl
✅POKEMON BINDERS(affiliate links)
◾Pikachu Binder (Amazon): amzn.to/3IvUQGW
◾PokeBall Binder (Amazon): amzn.to/3awS2g3
◾Team Rocket Binder (Amazon): amzn.to/3nWIy0I
✅POKEMON PLAYMATS (affiliate links)
◾Charizard Playmat (Amazon): amzn.to/3ICzmby
◾Pikachu Playmat (Amazon): amzn.to/3IsJa7U
◾Mewtwo Playmat (Amazon): amzn.to/3It8VF9
◾Mew Playmat (Amazon): amzn.to/3yXMnJq
✅POKEMON CLASSICS (Social Media)
◾TH-cam: / @pokemon_classics
◾Instagram: / pokemonclas. .
◾eBay Store: www.ebay.com/str/pokemonclass... (Affiliate Link)
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Only very recently got into collecting, and this is probably the best, most informative video I've seen on card grading. Keep up the great work!
Love the easy going vibe with just the info. No shaky camera angles or hyped editing. You are just telling a story and educate the people.
Thank you! This was a helpful explanation between grades! I'm going to send cards for the first time and I'm excited
Awesome video, thanks for the explanation. I really appreciate the multiple examples of each grade since that is not something I have seen in other grading tutorial videos. I just finally sent my first cards to PSA and I am definitely anxious to get them back and see what they graded. It's hard for me to tell the difference between PSA 7/8/9 but once I get them back it will be a great learning experience.
best psa video on the internet
one of the most comprehensive videos on grading, well done
AMAZING video, so helpful, straightforward, concrete exemple, this video got it all man !!! I am just starting in the pokemon collection world and currently got in the decision process of "which card should I grade ?", and I was so afraid to grade a card and that it come back with a way lower one as I am not experienced at all. But now I am way more confident in my choice. This video really came exactly when I needed it thank you so much.
We've all been there and grading can be such an unfamiliar and intimidating experience at first. I was hoping this would help people get a rough understanding of what to look for . . . it gets significantly easier with experience and is a great way to maximize the value of your cards. Best of luck!
@@pokemon_classics Yeah, and I have to give it a try or I will never learn. Thank you !
@@shaadow_was_taken It's fairly inexpensive if you start with just a small quantity. I'd also recommend pre-grading your cards and then comparing your actual grades with your guesses when you get them back. It's a great way to reflect and build awareness of condition.
@@pokemon_classics Yeah I will do this for sure, thank you again !!!
I guess I'm kinda randomly asking but does anyone know of a good place to watch new series online?
Thank you you are helping me start grading the cards i have right now
Great video. Really helpful :)
Really good work dude!
Very informative video thank you 😊😁💪
Great video I really appreciate the tips
Great video! Just great! Deserves all the love!
I definitely agree! Very informative
Best vid I ever seen ima subscribe
The TOP channel for understanding the fundamentals of Investing in Pokémon Cards. PERIOD.
amazing video, just got my childhood cards out!
4:50 me with my desk lamp lol
Great video.
I love your videos ♥️
PSA tips would be awesome if only PSA was still grading cards…
I feel like grading is dead now it cost 300$ to grade 1 card and isn’t looking like it’s going down anytime soon it’s actually a problem
Oh wow really? I found my older binder of old cards. Not first edition but it has a lugia in it
Great video! 👌😎
Great info thanks
Excellent, thank you.
bruh, i just sold a non graded charazard evolutions holo for $35 and it had no visible damage
Correct me if I'm wrong/misunderstanding this, but GEM-MT 10 on the PSA grading guidelines states, "The image must be centered on the card within a tolerance not to exceed approximately 55/45 *to 60/40 percent* on the front..."
From this wording, it sounds like a PSA 10 could qualify with 60/40 centering, as long as there's no other issues of course.
Thank you!
Thank you so much I am grading a dragon look thing
Thanks!
Thanks
I think from this video I may have a base set Charizard psa7-8 Definitely has VERY light scratches on the holo (almost unnoticeable) but there isn't any white marks or dents. Very good video, helps a lot
Thank you 🎉❤
Which ones in order would affect grading more? Print lines, off centre cards or whitening?
HI mate what about silvering on front of card how do they grade that the same as whitening on back ? cheers
I’m curious as well about silvering
Great Video!
I was wondering whether you happened to know much more about the 'declared value' of a card when filling out these submission forms is declared value just the raw ungraded cards market price?
Also if in your experience if you ever had final grade fees and how did this effect the cost to you in regards to return shipping and insurance of your now graded card.
Are there extra costs dependent on final grade given and new market value of a card?
If so do you know how this is worked out or if this is even a thing?
What are final grade fees?
Or is the cost of grading just simply the service cost and postage?
Would be great if you could shed some light on this..also would be cool to see you do a 'How to measure Pokémon card centering with a measuring tool' and i think OC grades are also determined by the skew of a card a.k.a Diamond Cut. Thanks in advance Pokemon Classics !
Nice collection and love the intro very clever!
Short answer: The declared value is the approximate value of the card in it's current condition (mainly for insurance purposes with return shipping). The grading fees vary depending on the service level you choose. HOWEVER, if you send cards that are significantly more valuable than the chosen service level, they may be up-charged after the grading process is complete. In my experience, this is pretty rare, generally affecting cards that are obviously worth more . . . for example sending a NM-MINT Shadowless Charizard at a regular service level (meant for cards under $200) which grades a PSA 8 and is worth $3500, is definitely going to get hit with a higher grading fee.
@@pokemon_classics Thanks for clearing this up! Great answer this will really help me and others moving forward. I guess i was overthinking it to some extent, i would never send vintage high valued cards on a saver service!
Great!! I have a question. If everything is perfect but have one factory line(black) can i get psa 9-10?
i think my card is a psa 9-10 its insane nothing is there! i check magnification and stuff and its amazing thank you so much!
Also question, how to we get it graded
I have a perfect card tyranitar 1st edition no whitening pack fresh centered perfect but I have an ink line error is that going to take a away from a 10 ?
When I look at my cards I see that there is no whitening at the backs of some of my cards, but on the front when I hold it in the light I can see silvering edges on some of the edges. I have seen many videos and no one ever talks about this issue. Does that not factor same as the back?
Thanks for the helpful info. I have a Rayquaza vmax Alt Art. the border on the front is 2mm on the left and 3mm on the right. Also a spot with slight whitening maybe slightly raised on 1 corner on the back. Would this exclude it from a PSA 9?
Based on your description, a PSA9 still seems possible. Modern cards tend to grade better overall than vintage. Can’t say for sure though, based on just a description.
if i have like 1 tiny bit of white on the edge would it affect the card grading a lot?
may i know did japanese cards have print lines affected grade?
where can i get the plastic sleeve with the rate?
Hey man great explanation ! I have a celebrations charizard and would like to get your opinion on what grade you think I will get :) is there anyway I can send you a pic ?
This is his job, of course he wouldn’t, unless you paid him under the table a couple extra hundred.
This video was flawless, perfect 10, the only whitening in the corner is minuscule, literally just your pronunciation of the word. Besides that I’ve probably watched a hundred PSA grading videos and absolutely none of them compare to the volume of information on how their scale works, honestly PSA the company doesn’t explain their grading process this clearly. Thank you so much!
If the foil has several scratches is it still worth getting the card graded?
Do print lines ever affect the grade?
Can you please go over how to clean a pokemon card for grading? I've seen some videos with cotton swabs and just a hint of water but is there a way to get rid of some possible whitening too? Like I'm just not knowledgeable about it and trust your feedback!
There are card stores that actually have that stuff. Help fix scratches or corners. Even have an exact blue marker/pen kinda mix that can fix up anything on the back blue side. Works great for me.
Do you use something to figure out the centering?
I’ve been seeing a trend where 6-9s have perfect backs nothing to detect and a 10 have the white dots. In at least 6 spots. And this is with recent 7 certs as well as 27 certs.
I have so many perfect cards that are slightly off center and I swear it agitates me so much knowing I could of easily have gotten a 10 if the damn thing was centered. A lot are off by like 10 percent which is just makes me want to (insert Vegeta rage yelling)
Great video.
At what point will a card get an off-centre grade?
Also, the print quality on some cards, not necessarily the foil, but for off-centre prints (usually the text)... what i mean by this is when you have a card that has black text with a white border for example. If the interior of that text is not central, how will that affect the grade?
PSA tries to avoid the OC (off-center) qualifier, generally a card needs to be extremely off-center (90/10) to receive that designation. I'm not sure I understand your second question; I'm not aware of any texts that aren't one solid color . . . maybe that's more common on modern?
@@pokemon_classics hyper rare charizard and braixen from cosmic eclipse on the card number of the 236. This interior and exterior of the set number is not well alligned.
Thanl you for the reply. Pretty sure my mewtwo card is at least 90-10 from top to bottom
@@turbo8628 My expertise is limited to vintage, so I don't have an answer for you on that one. It sounds pretty cool though, if it's that off-center though.
@@pokemon_classics if i didnt open it from a pack myself i would swear it was a fake tbh. Quite the shock. I will let you know when i get the return (have to save to send first though haha).
Thanks again 👍
Does it have a blacklight
Coincidentally I bought an edge measuring tool and I was looking at magnification tools
Edge-measuring is a great idea . . . that's one that I've always just ball-parked. I might have to look into something like that.
@@pokemon_classics it was only about $7, definitely worth having with the other tools
There was a dod above the word pokemon on the ten to the right
I have 3 psa 10s with 3 dots on the back corners
How long does the research and ID stage usually take for bulk?
That depends on the service level, lately it has taken months though. It's usually the longest phase.
Do you believe in strong 9 and weak 9s?
I'm surprised you don't use a centering tool
dont know if this vid is too old for you to reply but how does silvering on the border on WOTC cards affect the grade?
It depends on how prominent it is. Generally, cards with light silvering are still capable of earning PSA 9 grades and sometimes even PSA 10's. Silvering that looks is more uneven (like chipping) often drops to a PSA 8 , at best.
How do I decide which cards should I grade? I started collecting now with the celebrations 25th set and GO set. Just the most valuable of each set are to be considered grading? As of right now the grading costs more than some of my best cards... 😅
Generally speaking, I wouldn’t send any cards at $30 submission tier unless they were worth at least $100. Unless, of course, they are cards with sentimental value that you intent to keep. Even then, I would wait for grading prices to drop.
@@pokemon_classics Glad your giving out some advice. I feel like when you grade you should always give it the highest score it could possibly get. Like if your debating whether to give it a 7 or 8, just give it the damn 8 😂
Damn dude I would not want him grading mine. Iv seen some scratches on cards that got a 10 and perfect conditions getting a 9-9.5. It’s all about luck and how that person feels that day. Which is why I sometimes send it twice. One time my rainbow rare Ho-oh Promo got an 8 and I sent it as a regular card again and I swear it came back a 9. I thought it was a 10 but my magnifier only is a 20x and my light could illuminate an entire room, but that wasn’t enough I guess.. All luck on who’s grading. I should try getting a job there, I’ll always hook ppl up with an extra .5 or 1 if it could possibly get that. That’s how they should grade, if it has the possibility of being a 10 from another grader, why be a dick and grade it a 9 or 9.5? Just my 2 cents.
How long it takes to get it back ?
How much does warping effect the rating? I have some good cards that are in good condition but I'm worried about the warp
I'm honestly not sure . . . I've sent some that are slightly curved without issue, but I usually keep my cards in Card Savers or Toploaders to avoid this. You could probably flatten out card curving with some sleeves, Card Savers, and heavy books.
@@pokemon_classics thank you for the reply 🙏
I mean back then I'd be scared with the prices being where they were
My card is probably like an PSA seven or six
My card is and vintage fossilized first edition wheezing
HOLD UP
The psa 9 actually has better centering left to right than the 10 0_0 wth
The centering on a 10 doesn't have to be perfect, they have a range for centering with each grade.
Peek peek peeek pee peeeeekaaaaaa
I like to send some blind so it's a real surprise