Should You Grade Your Pokémon Cards? A Beginner’s Guide
, by Kutay Ozel,
6 min reading time
Should you grade your Pokémon cards? Learn what PSA and CGC look for, how to check condition and when grading may make sense for your collection.
Pulling a rare Pokémon card is exciting. Then comes the next question:
Should you grade it?
Card grading can authenticate a card, professionally assess its condition and protect it inside a tamper-evident holder. But that doesn't mean every valuable-looking Pokémon card should automatically be graded.
For collectors in the UAE, grading also involves submission fees, shipping and waiting time, so choosing the right cards matters.
In this guide, we'll explain how Pokémon card grading works, what graders look for and how to decide whether your card is worth grading.
What Is Pokémon Card Grading?
Professional card grading is the process of sending a trading card to an independent grading company that examines its authenticity and condition.
Companies such as PSA and CGC Cards authenticate submitted cards before assigning eligible cards a numerical grade. Both use grading scales that reach 10, although their exact standards and grade names differ.
After grading, the card is encapsulated in a protective holder commonly called a slab, with information such as the card identification, grade and certification number.
What Do Card Graders Look For?
A card may look perfect at first glance but still have tiny imperfections that affect its grade.
When evaluating a Pokémon card, some of the most important areas are:
Centering — Is the artwork properly positioned within the borders?
Corners — Are all four corners sharp and undamaged?
Edges — Look for whitening, chips and other imperfections.
Surface — Scratches, print lines, dents, stains and other defects can affect the grade.
PSA's published standards, for example, describe a PSA 10 as a virtually perfect card with sharp corners, original gloss and approximately 55/45 or better front centering. CGC similarly evaluates characteristics including centering, manufacturing or handling defects, preservation and evidence of wear.
This is why pack fresh doesn't necessarily mean Gem Mint 10.
A card can come directly from a booster pack with imperfect centering, print defects or edge damage.
What Does a Grade of 10 Mean?
A 10 generally represents an exceptionally high-quality card, but a 10 doesn't mean exactly the same thing at every grading company.
PSA's highest standard numerical card grade is PSA 10 Gem Mint.
CGC has both Gem Mint 10 and a higher Pristine 10 designation. CGC says Pristine 10 is reserved for cards that are flawless under 10x magnification.
This is one reason collectors should understand the grading company and label rather than comparing only the number printed on the slab.
Should You Grade Every Valuable Pokémon Card?
No.
Before submitting a card, consider three things:
Condition + card value + grading cost.
Imagine you own a raw card worth AED 150.
Even if that card looks beautiful, grading fees and associated submission costs may make grading unattractive purely from a financial perspective.
On the other hand, a particularly rare or valuable card could be worth grading even if you don't expect a perfect 10.
Vintage cards are another good example. PSA specifically notes that vintage cards can remain valuable even at lower grades because rarity and scarcity can matter alongside condition.
How to Check a Pokémon Card Before Grading
Before submitting your card, inspect it carefully under good lighting.
Start with the front centering. Compare the borders on opposite sides.
Then inspect all four corners and edges. Small white spots can be easy to miss.
Tilt the card under a light and examine the surface from several angles. You're looking for scratches, dents, print lines or other imperfections.
Finally, check the back.
Collectors sometimes concentrate so much on the artwork that they forget the reverse of the card is also part of the grading assessment.
And don't attempt to repair, trim or otherwise alter a card to improve it. PSA states that cards showing evidence of trimming, recoloring, restoration or other tampering won't receive a normal grade.
PSA vs CGC for Pokémon Cards
This deserves its own complete article, but here's the basic distinction.
PSA is one of the most established names in trading-card authentication and grading and uses its familiar 1–10 grading system.
CGC Cards also grades TCGs using a 10-point scale and offers both Gem Mint 10 and its higher Pristine 10 designation. CGC says its process includes authentication, multiple professional graders, encapsulation, imaging and quality control.
Which company makes sense can depend on the particular card, your collecting goals, grading costs and what you intend to do with the card afterward.
We'll compare PSA vs CGC for Pokémon and other TCG cards in detail in a future Nimoverse guide.
Can Japanese and Chinese Pokémon Cards Be Graded?
Grading isn't limited to English Pokémon cards.
Major grading companies accept a broad range of international TCG cards. CGC, for example, states that it grades virtually all TCGs, subject to its certification policies.
That means your collection doesn't have to be English-only to consider grading.
Sometimes — but grading doesn't automatically make a card more valuable.
The result depends on the card, its raw value, rarity, demand, grade received, grading company and current market.
A high grade on a desirable card may command a significant premium over a raw copy.
But if you submit an inexpensive modern card and receive a lower-than-expected grade, the market value may not justify what you spent grading it.
That's why it's useful to research recent sales for:
Raw card → Grade 9 → Grade 10
before submitting.
Don't look only at asking prices. Look for actual recent sales whenever possible.
Grading for Collecting vs Grading for Profit
Not every grading decision has to be an investment calculation.
Maybe you pulled your favorite Pokémon.
Maybe the card came from your first booster box.
Maybe it's something you want to keep permanently.
Grading can provide authentication, protection and a standardized condition assessment even when you have no intention of selling the card.
For personal collections, sentimental value can be a perfectly valid reason to grade a card.
Pokémon Card Grading in the UAE
For UAE collectors, sending individual cards overseas yourself can involve international shipping, submission procedures and return shipping.
Nimoverse is a CGC dealer and offers grading submissions for collectors in the UAE, making it possible to submit eligible trading cards through us rather than arranging the entire international process yourself.
