Guide
Pokémon card conditions and grading explained (PSA, CGC, BGS) for South African collectors
Two cards with the same name can be worth very different amounts. The difference is condition. This guide explains the condition words shops use for raw (ungraded) cards, how professional grading works, how the three best-known grading companies (PSA, CGC and BGS) label their grades, and what a South African collector should know before sending cards away.
Raw cards: the condition words
A raw card is a card that is not in a grading slab. Shops describe its condition with a short scale. The words are not an official standard, but most card shops use them the same way:
| Condition | Short | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Near Mint | NM | Looks almost unplayed. At most a tiny mark, a very slightly soft corner or a faint line on the back. |
| Lightly Played | LP | Small signs of use: light whitening on edges or corners, a few faint scratches. No creases. |
| Moderately Played | MP | Clear wear: edge whitening, scuffs or scratches you notice at once, perhaps a small crease. |
| Heavily Played | HP | Heavy wear: creases, bends, marks all over. Still whole and genuine. |
| Damaged | DMG | Tears, water damage, writing or a large crease. |
Some shops add “Mint” above Near Mint, but a card straight from a pack is often not perfect: centring, print lines and small edge chips happen at the factory. That is why collectors who want a guaranteed condition buy graded cards.
When you buy a raw single, look for photos of the actual card, front and back. At Galaxy Boxx every card in the Pokémon singles binder is photographed front and back and has its condition on its page.
What grading is
Grading means sending a card to an independent company. Its graders check the card’s authenticity and condition, give it a number grade, and seal it in a tamper-evident plastic case (the “slab”) with a label. The label carries the card’s name, set, number, the grade and a certification number you can look up on the company’s website.
Graders look at four things:
- Centring: how evenly the picture sits within the borders, front and back.
- Corners: sharp or rounded, whitened or clean.
- Edges: chips, whitening or roughness along the sides.
- Surface: scratches, print lines, dents, stains or fingerprints on the front and back.
Grading does not make a card better. It records its condition, protects it, and makes it easier to sell to someone who cannot see the card in person.
The three best-known grading companies
PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)
PSA grades on a scale of 1 to 10. A PSA 10 is “Gem Mint”, a PSA 9 “Mint” and a PSA 8 “Near Mint-Mint”. PSA has been grading Pokémon cards for a long time, and PSA slabs are the most widely traded, which is why many collectors choose it for valuable cards. A card can also be labelled “Authentic” without a number grade, for example when it has been altered or trimmed.
CGC (Certified Guaranty Company)
CGC grades cards on a 1 to 10 scale with half grades. It has two top grades: “Pristine 10”, for a card with no visible flaws, and “Gem Mint 10”. CGC is also known for grading comic books, and its card slabs are clear and easy to read.
BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Beckett also grades on a 1 to 10 scale with half grades, and can print four subgrades on the label: one each for centring, corners, edges and surface. The overall grade follows from them. A card with a 10 in all four subgrades gets the rare “Black Label” Pristine 10, which collectors pay a premium for.
Other companies
There are newer grading companies too. Their slabs can be fine for your own collection, but the three above are the names most buyers recognise when you resell.
Comparing grades between companies
A grade from one company is not the same as the same number from another. Buyers often pay different amounts for a PSA 10, a CGC 10 and a BGS 9.5 of the same card. When you buy, compare like with like: the same card, the same company, the same grade.
Getting cards graded from South Africa
The large grading companies do not have a grading office in South Africa. You have two ways to get cards graded:
- Send them yourself. Create an account on the company’s website, fill in the online submission form, and courier the cards to the address it gives you. Pack each card in a sleeve and a semi-rigid holder, insure the parcel and keep the tracking number. The graded cards come back to you by courier, and import duty and VAT may be charged when they arrive.
- Use a local submission service. Some South African shops and services collect cards from many collectors and send them in one group submission. This can lower the cost per card and saves you the paperwork. Ask about their fee per card, insurance, how long it takes, and what happens if a card is damaged in transit.
Either way, expect grading to take weeks or months, not days. The fee usually depends on the card’s declared value and how fast you want it back.
Which cards are worth grading?
Grading costs money and time, so most collectors grade only:
- cards worth clearly more than the total cost of grading and shipping;
- cards in excellent condition, where a high grade is likely; check the centring and the back before you send it;
- cards with personal value that you want to protect.
A worn common card is rarely worth grading.
Buying graded cards
- Check the certification number on the grading company’s website. The card, set and grade must match the slab.
- Inspect the slab for cracks, deep scratches or signs it was opened. A slab that has been tampered with loses its value.
- Look at the card, not only the number. Two cards with the same grade can look different; photos of the actual slab, front and back, help.
Galaxy Boxx’s graded Pokémon binder shows the actual slab, front and back, with the grading company and grade on every card. The rarest graded pieces, such as sealed packs graded as a set, are in The Vault. Graded cards ship within one to two business days; delivery anywhere in South Africa costs R119 by courier or R79 to a Pudo locker (Vault pieces go by courier only).
New to buying cards online? Read where to buy Pokémon cards in South Africa, which also covers how to spot fake cards and slabs.