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Verify any PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC, or TAG certification number. Free, instant lookup across all major grading companies.
For a deeper verification experience, visit our dedicated PSA Cert Lookup page.
The world’s largest card grading company. PSA slabs feature holographic labels and a 1-10 grading scale trusted across all major card markets.
Scale: 1-10
Sub-grades: No
Population data: Yes
Beckett Grading Services offers half-point grades and four sub-grades for centering, corners, edges, and surface — the most detailed breakdown available.
Scale: 1-10 (half grades)
Sub-grades: Yes
Population data: Yes
CGC Cards brings the trusted CGC Comics methodology to trading cards, with tamper-evident cases and a growing population database.
Scale: 1-10 (half grades)
Sub-grades: No
Population data: Yes
SGC is known for fast turnaround times and a tuxedo-style slab design. Their QR code labels link directly to the cert database.
Scale: 1-10
Sub-grades: No
Population data: Yes
TAG Grading uses a unique 1-1000 point scale for maximum precision. Each slab includes a QR code linking to the full certification report.
Scale: 1-1000
Sub-grades: No
Population data: No
Side-by-side comparison of scales, features, and lookup capabilities across all five grading companies.
View comparison table ↓Counterfeit graded cards are a growing problem in the hobby. Industry estimates suggest that a meaningful percentage of graded cards on secondary markets — particularly high-value slabs listed on social media and less-regulated marketplaces — may be fake, re-labelled, or re-cased with altered grades. As graded card values have surged, so has the financial incentive to produce convincing fakes.
The financial risk is real. A counterfeit PSA 10 can cost an unsuspecting buyer hundreds to thousands of dollars. Even experienced collectors have been burned by slabs that look legitimate at first glance but fail cert verification. The few seconds it takes to look up a cert number can save you from a costly mistake.
The best defense is a two-layer approach: always verify the certification number in the grading company's online database and physically inspect the slab for signs of tampering. Digital verification confirms the cert exists and matches the card description. Physical inspection catches re-cased cards where a real label has been paired with a different card.
Determine whether the card was graded by PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC, or TAG. The company name is printed on the slab label. Each company has a distinct label and case design.
Find the unique cert number on the slab label. It’s typically printed near the top of the label or encoded in a barcode or QR code. This number is your key to verifying the card.
Use the quick lookup tool above or visit the grading company’s website directly. Enter the cert number and review the returned record for the card description and grade.
The card description, grade, year, set, and card number in the database should exactly match the physical card in the slab. Any mismatch is a red flag.
Check for uneven label alignment, loose or re-sealed case edges, missing or blurry holograms (PSA), and inconsistent font weight. Hold the slab at an angle under good lighting to spot subtle defects.
Dedicated lookup tools and guides for every major grading company
Verify PSA certification numbers and check population data
Verify Beckett Grading Services cert numbers with sub-grade details
Look up CGC Cards certification numbers and authenticity
Verify SGC graded cards via their cert code lookup portal
Access TAG Grading’s 1000-point certification portal
Detailed comparison of the three biggest card grading companies