Pokemon Card Grading Tips: Maximize Your PSA and BGS Grades
Expert Pokemon card grading tips for PSA and BGS submissions. Handle holos, check WOTC quirks, and pre-screen with AI before grading.
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Expert Pokemon card grading tips for PSA and BGS submissions. Handle holos, check WOTC quirks, and pre-screen with AI before grading.
In short: Pokemon cards live or die by centering — narrow borders make every millimeter of shift visible. Check centering first, then inspect holo surfaces under angled light for print lines and scratches. AI pre-screening catches both before you spend on submission fees.
Pokemon card grading has become essential for serious collectors and investors. Whether you hold vintage Base Set holos or the latest Scarlet and Violet chase cards, a high professional grade can multiply your card's value dramatically. But Pokemon cards have unique characteristics that require specific knowledge to evaluate properly before submitting.
These Pokemon card grading tips cover everything from handling holo cards to understanding WOTC-era quirks, helping you maximize your PSA and BGS grades on every submission.
One of the most important distinctions in Pokemon card grading is the difference between vintage and modern card stock. This difference affects how cards age, what defects to look for, and how strict grading standards apply.
Vintage WOTC Era (1999-2003):
Modern Era (2004-Present):
Japanese Pokemon cards use slightly different card stock than their English counterparts. Japanese cards tend to be slightly thinner and have a different texture. The borders on Japanese cards are typically narrower, which means centering issues are more visible. If you collect Japanese Pokemon cards, centering evaluation requires extra attention.
Holo cards are the crown jewels of Pokemon collections, and they require special handling during evaluation and preparation for grading.
| Holo Type | Era | Key Concerns |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmos Holo | Base Set, Jungle, Fossil | Scratches extremely visible |
| Galaxy Holo | Various modern sets | Surface contamination shows easily |
| Full Art Holo | Modern sets | Edge whitening on dark borders |
| Textured Holo | Modern premium cards | Texture damage is irreversible |
| Reverse Holo | Most modern sets | Print lines and roller marks common |
| Gold/Silver Foil | Premium cards | Foil peeling and bubbling |
Holo surfaces show scratches more readily than non-holo cards. A scratch that is invisible on a standard card becomes immediately apparent when light catches the holographic foil.
How to check for holo scratches:
Even brand-new holo cards can have factory scratches from the packaging process. Cards that were loose in booster packs (not in a protective wrap within the pack) are more susceptible to surface marks.
Silvering is a phenomenon where the holographic foil becomes visible along the edges of the card, appearing as a silver or metallic border. This is a manufacturing issue common in WOTC-era holos and some modern sets.
Impact on grades: Silvering is considered a defect by all grading companies. Light silvering along one edge might drop a card by half a grade at BGS or one full point at PSA. Heavy silvering on multiple edges can drop a card by 2-3 points.
What to look for: Hold the card at a slight angle and examine the edges. If you see a metallic sheen or silver line along any edge, that is silvering. It is most common on the left and right edges of WOTC-era holos.
Wizards of the Coast era Pokemon cards have specific characteristics that affect grading. Understanding these quirks is essential for anyone grading vintage Pokemon cards.
WOTC Pokemon cards went through multiple print runs, and quality varied significantly between them.
Base Set:
Jungle and Fossil: These sets had fewer print run variations but still exhibit centering and print quality differences.
| Defect | Frequency | Grade Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Off-center printing | Very common (30-40% of cards) | 1-3 grade points |
| Ink dots on surface | Common | 0.5-1 grade point |
| Print lines on holos | Common on unlimited | 1-2 grade points |
| Edge whitening | Very common on older cards | 0.5-2 grade points |
| Yellowing | Common on improperly stored cards | 1-3 grade points |
WOTC-era Pokemon cards are notorious for poor centering. Industry estimates suggest that fewer than 20% of Base Set Unlimited cards meet PSA 10 centering standards (60/40 or better front centering). This scarcity is one reason well-centered WOTC holos command extreme premiums.
Before submitting any WOTC-era card, centering should be your first evaluation. If the centering is off, no amount of perfect corners and surface will earn a top grade.
Print lines are linear marks on the surface of holo cards caused by the printing or lamination process. They run across the holo area and can be subtle or prominent.
| Feature | Print Lines | Scratches |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Parallel, evenly spaced | Random direction and spacing |
| Depth | Surface level, part of the printing | Can be deeper, displacing material |
| Consistency | Same on multiple cards from same run | Unique to individual card |
| Location | Only on holo area | Can be anywhere on card |
| Grade impact | 0.5-1 point typically | 0.5-2+ points depending on severity |
Print lines are considered manufacturing defects and will reduce a card's grade, but typically less severely than scratches of similar visibility.
Whitening occurs when the colored surface layer of a card wears away, exposing the white cardboard core underneath. It is one of the most common defects in Pokemon cards of all eras.
Dark-bordered cards (like shadowless Base Set) show whitening more prominently than light-bordered cards. A tiny white spot on a card with black borders is far more noticeable than the same defect on a card with yellow borders. Keep this in mind when evaluating:
Once whitening exists, it cannot be fixed without altering the card (which will get it flagged as altered). Prevention is key:
Proper storage between evaluation and submission is critical. Many collectors damage cards during the waiting period.
Best for: Vintage WOTC holos, high-value chase cards where resale premium matters most
PSA 10 Pokemon cards command strong premiums in the market. For Base Set Charizard and other iconic WOTC holos, PSA remains the most liquid and recognized grade. PSA's slightly more lenient centering standard (60/40) is helpful given the centering challenges of vintage Pokemon cards.
Best for: Modern chase cards where sub-grades add value, collectors pursuing Black Labels
A BGS Black Label (all four sub-grades at 10) on a desirable modern Pokemon card commands extraordinary premiums. The sub-grade transparency is valued by the Pokemon collecting community, especially for cards in the $100+ range where buyers want to see the condition breakdown.
Best for: Modern sets, bulk submissions, budget-conscious grading
CGC has gained strong traction in the Pokemon community with competitive pricing and faster turnaround. For modern Pokemon cards where the volume of submissions is high, CGC offers good value.
Before submitting any Pokemon card for professional grading, use CardGrade.io's Pokemon-trained AI to pre-screen your cards. The CGI Vision AI has been trained specifically on Pokemon cards across all eras, understanding the unique characteristics of holo surfaces, WOTC-era card stock, and modern full-art textures.
In just 29 seconds, CardGrade.io analyzes your Pokemon card across 47 inspection points with 92.8% accuracy, predicting grades for PSA, BGS, and CGC simultaneously. The system identifies:
Start with 3 trial credits, free 3-day trial, cancel anytime. CardGrade.io is trusted by over 540 teams and has evaluated thousands of Pokemon cards across every era and rarity level.
Use this checklist before every Pokemon PSA grading or BGS submission:
Pokemon card grading tips center on understanding the unique characteristics of Pokemon cards across different eras. WOTC-era cards present centering challenges and are prone to silvering and print lines. Modern cards have better consistency but introduce new evaluation challenges with full-art textures and complex holo patterns.
The key to maximizing your Pokemon card grading results is thorough pre-screening. Check centering first (it is the most common reason for grade drops), examine holos under angled light for scratches and print lines, inspect corners and edges under magnification for whitening, and use CardGrade.io's Pokemon-trained AI to get objective grade predictions before committing to professional grading submissions.
Pre-screen your cards before submitting to PSA, BGS, or CGC. Start free 3-day trial.
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Founder, CardGrade
Jamie Budesky is the founder of CardGrade and the engineer behind its AI vision grading pipeline. An Army veteran and IT specialist (DoD, since 2017), he writes about card grading, AI/ML grading technology, and collecting strategy — grounded in CardGrade's own grading data.
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