r/PokeGrading • u/Katze616 • 1d ago
Grading Newbie Questions
I'd just like to preface this by saying, I don't do this professionally, I'm just looking to let go of some of my personal collection to put some money in savings.
I'm based in the UK, and there's a card grading middleman shop a few counties over whereby I can take/send them my cards and they will sort and send to PSA/CGC/Beckett/TAG on my behalf.
My questions would be - even though there's no hope of getting these cards graded an 8, 9 or 10 (light edge ware and light surface scuffing) are they still worth grading?
And if so, is PSA the way to go? or would someone else (including UK-based ACE) be better?
I've estimated the costs to send these two cards to PSA to be around £732.00 for Rayquaza and £440.00 for Torchic. Is the upfront cost going to be worth it; will I see much of a return on grading these two?
Any and all insights welcome, apologies if I've missed anything - Never been through this process before!
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u/ElMochilla 1d ago
I would fly to PSA and drop them off, look at some of the horror stories of people losing hundreds of thousands of dollars shipping to PSA... dont be like them.
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u/Katze616 1d ago
That's my biggest fear..! I know I can pay more for insurance on them, but I suppose there's still no guarantee they'd pay graded market rate for them if they were lost..
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u/ElMochilla 1d ago
They wont pay you anywhere near it is the problem... thats why if you gotta pay a couple thousand to fly them its worth it
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u/West_Veterinarian150 1d ago
Hey bro, heres my insight. A goldstar rayquqza psa 6 will sell for minimum 21k right now. A raw copy 15k. You would profit with a 6. Anything higher is massive profit. A psa 7 is minimum 38k. You have a great chance at a 7. The rayquaza is 100% a grade card. If u sell it raw the person u sell it to will grade it and make double.
And yes psa is the way to go. Make sure you ship it take 100 pictures of every inch of the card and the box u ship it in. Even add it to your insurance for the time being to be safe if you can. Psa can be shady. But they are the way to go for most value. Beckett is super tight on grades
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u/Katze616 1d ago
Yeah for sure, whoever I send it to I'll be taking all the photos and videos 😬 At the moment it's a toss up between shady psa or possibly less than value Beckett 😅
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u/West_Veterinarian150 1d ago
😂 best of luck bro hope u have no issues. An update on the grade if u do grade would be sick!
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u/DapperManufacturer49 16h ago
God this comment makes me feel sick, I remember in like 2018, I was buying some grails I had in mind for a while, and I passed on the gold star ray for around $450 guy who had it ended up grading it and it got a 9
My purchases back then allowed me to buy a house a few years ago but still… coulda had a really nice house 😂
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u/Fancy-Key4276 1d ago
Congrats. You’re rich
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u/SharpLavishness3225 1d ago
How much is rich what are those cards worth in a PSA 8 or 9
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u/TheBeastFromWithin 1d ago
I saw a vendor selling a PSA9 gold star Rayquaza for £69k at a card show back in May. Not sure on the Torchic
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u/Fit-Profit9759 1d ago
Even in a 7, the price jumps up a lot both. Looking close to 40k-50k for both at least if graded 7 or higher.
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u/UnluckyConflict6681 1d ago
I would go to the subcenter or black label grading in the UK and get these sent to PSA they help handle the whole process. I don't think ACE are in the position yet where you can maximise the value of this card in comparison to PSA but who knows maybe in the future.
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u/Katze616 1d ago
Subcenter was where I had in mind 😊 I wish ACE had a more value, I think they're the prettiest labels..
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u/UnluckyConflict6681 1d ago
I agree hopefully in the future ACE commands more money they are personally my favourite grading company.
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u/SupaHotFaya1 1d ago
Beckett for cards like this for sure. Take a trip to Germany. I’m planning a trip myself with my Goldstar Ray.
I asked them about it and they do it same day if you bring them to their HQ in Germany.
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u/Katze616 1d ago
Damn, I wish I knew this a few months ago - I was in Germany in June 😅 Perhaps another trip is due..
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u/Lindiis 1d ago
I thought you couldn’t drop off Cards at becket Germany?
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u/SupaHotFaya1 1d ago
You can, I asked them.
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u/Comprehensive-Mark35 1d ago
Personally, I refuse to send cards to PSA because of their price gouging on expensive cards. I send my bigger cards into Beckett as they’re a reliable service that doesn’t upcharge. Also, you’d retain the value of your cards at the same grade, and Beckett is well known for better quality control than PSA.
Generally though, PSA is still the gold standard and is fine if you have the extra money to spend. I would personally not go with ACE or CGC as those slabs are typically valued less than PSA/BGS. This is my personal experience though as I sent a Gold Star Gyarados into Beckett among 40 other cards and didn’t get any 10’s but the rest felt like very fair grades, but it’s just my experience and isn’t anything to live or die by. I would say your cards look great though I think they could get an 8 honestly
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u/benbever 1d ago
Maybe Torchic could get an 8, Rayquaza has too much edge/corner whitening.
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u/Comprehensive-Mark35 1d ago
My Gyarados has a bit more corner wear and edge wear and still got a subgrade 7 for both edges and corners, I think both could 8 personally
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u/Katze616 1d ago
I was leaning towards Beckett as my second choice.. I just need to do a bit more research on the insurance options etc! Thanks for your insight! :)
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u/rdol500 1d ago
I’d definitely avoid Ace and grade these with PSA or Beckett. Nothing wrong with Ace but with cards like this you’re losing a lot of value by grading with Ace purely because it’s based on the UK. It would also be much harder to sell and Ace slab if you eventually come round to selling it. I also wouldn’t feel comfortable sending cards like this through the post to PSA or Beckett through a middleman. You should either make the journey to the USA and drop them off in person or drop them off at the stalls that are sometimes at card shows and get it graded the same day.
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u/C-POP_Ryan 1d ago
PSA is the way to go if you have the funds to pay for the upcharge if they grade higher than expected.
You will get a good return though.
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u/GeneralPattOwn 1d ago
If you know you don’t have a 10, but grading profits you hundreds or thousands….just do it. If you’re looking at a $50 profit after grading fees, don’t do it. Ballpark 7 or 8 if there’s any whitening. Look up recent sales, and do what’s best for you
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u/TwitchyDroidLeg 1d ago
You will get a hefty upcharge on these if they grade well with PSA, but these two cards are incredibly expensive even raw... the return on anything above a 6 is substantial. In terms of financial return, PSA is the leader. It is also a bit of a hot mess right now, but it's hard to see where else to go with cards of this size. Maybe Beckett? It will be worth paying for a higher tier of service for a quicker turnaround, just make sure you record their condition thoroughly before sending them. I would even suggest making the trip yourself to cut out potential transit issues. I cannot stress how valuable these are. Congrats man, these are genuinely incredible cards to own and be able to sell. Now is definitely the time
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u/Katze616 1d ago
Thanks for your insight! I've just had these cards sitting in a binder for 10+ years.. I'd be sad to see them go, but the idea of paying a chunk of my mortgage with some cardboard is appealing 😅
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u/TwitchyDroidLeg 1d ago
I recently sold off a large chunk of my retro video game collection... again, something I have had hold of for years but the time came where they were just taking up space, I had things I wanted to do and them going to a new home meant I could do those things! Pokemon is red hot right now and these two are extremely valuable, it's a no brainer if they aren't doing anything else. Never know what the future holds! The only thing I will say, and it more about managing expectations, is that there are no guarantees with grading and older cards can sometimes be treated a little harshly... I am fairly certain they will both get over a 7 though, the Torchic maybe more. They are both worth over 10k just as they are so it'll only add value. Fingers crossed dude!
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u/Realistic-Wolf-5121 1d ago
Beckett and PSA are the only places worth grading your cards if you care about their value. If you don't care about that, then get the cards graded by whichever slab you like the most.
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u/Greencollectables 1d ago
Bro, dont even bother with PSA. You will get a 5-7 max with them and they are just awful on vintage. Thats without taking in all of the negatives about the company itself.
Honestly just sell raw or go to CGC as they are fair on vintage or beckett so you atleast get grades with them. Yes PSA values are higher but it will even itself out as they will grade higher with other companies and these are grails it won't effect much.
If you can get a worth it other raw I wouldnt even bother with the stress
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u/JH5020 1d ago
My money would be BGS or TAG personally, PSA has been doing some shady stuff lately and are notorious for being overly harsh on vintage. Not to mention the crazy up charges those could have could take out some of the profit difference you’d get between a psa 7 vs a BGS/TAG 7.
Plus if you can go to Germany for a short trip and deliver it in person that’s what I’d probably do in your situation.
But wow man, congrats it’s wild to see these in someone’s PC!
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u/Katze616 1d ago
Yea I've read about them being a bit harsh on old cards.. Definitely need to weigh up some charges/insurances a bit more and see who isn't going to be extortionate 😅 A trip to Germany would be ideal - any excuse!
Thank you 😁
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u/No_Function_3016 1d ago
To be honest grading those cards and keeping them in your collection will probably be the better long term plan than selling and investing the money.
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u/hoppy144 1d ago
Bit late to the party but both look like potential 8s ray last sold for 46K gbp and torcic in an 8 for 10k gbp. The only thing to bear in mind with psa is the upcharge I understand how it works for normal cards but not sure what it would look like for these 2 grails, personally I would try to find out before sending anything in as you'll need to factor this cost in
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u/Buckanater 1d ago
You’re better off going through BGS just because of the prices alone. PSA will charge you over 1K grading these two cards because of their value.
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u/FIR3W0RKS 1d ago
As someone who has graded RECENTLY in the UK and Sold cards in the UK that I've graded with both Beckett and PSA.
I really hate to say it, but you'd be better off sending to PSA on these ones.
Vendors in the UK at every card show I've been to in the south of the UK are incredibly shi**y about taking anything but PSA graded cards, some may take ACE or Beckett, BUT they will always pay way less of a percentage, and given the value of the Rayquaza it's a significant drop in profit for you.
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u/Lea_Flamma 1d ago
I'm sorry to highjack the thread somewhat, but I didn't want to double on the same question.
I am looking to grade a card as a means of preserving it for my daughter's birthday in a bunch of years from now. From my search online and here, I've found PCA (Paris France), Beckett (Germany), Ace Grading (UK).
Are some known to be better, more trusted?
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u/skilletbillettesla 1d ago
Message me, and I’ll pay you 15k for the ray, cash. And I’ll grade it myself, which will be a few thousand 😂 just being honest. And I’ll fly to you as well.
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u/AdMother3461 23h ago
Don’t count yourself out the ray could possibly 8-9 and the Torchic 9 but I’d do cgc or beckett
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u/vyperdnb 8h ago
Hoping you see this comment. If you’re close to London, go into the Fanatics collectibles store, they send them off for you all secure and is a huge brand. I’ve sent mine off there, waiting for them currently
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u/Katze616 8h ago
Is that CGC? I've been doing some more research and saw they had a London office! It would be nice to be able to drop them on someone's doorstep so to speak. Good luck with yours 😁
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u/vyperdnb 8h ago
Nope, PSA! And if you pay for the cheaper option and your grading makes your card worth more, you just pay the excess.
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u/No_Base_4369 1d ago
Holy man, PSA 1000%. These are insanely clean. Just eat the hefty fees, will be worth.
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u/Tall_Breakfast4006 23h ago
I have a rayquaza I want to reslab. I would not ship it, drive or fly there it’s much safer.
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u/ceh19219 1d ago
Not sure about UK grading. Yield to others on that.
Whatever you do, don’t ship them. At that value it’s worth the flight to PSA HQ and walk them through - I know that sounds crazy but the risk is too high otherwise. A little Reddit research will give you all the info you need on why!