Independent graded-card guide — not an auction house and not affiliated with the former Crazy Uncle Auctions / Uncle's Attic.
Reference · Graded cardsCrazy Uncle's Card Notesgraded cards & auction records, explained

Home / Guides

Pokémon card grading

Who grades Pokémon cards, how to tell the Base Set print runs apart, and what to check before a card goes in the box.

Pokémon cards go through the same mail-in grading process as sports cards, but two questions come up far more often with them: is the grader willing to take this card, and which print run is it? The second matters because a 1st Edition, a Shadowless and an Unlimited copy of the same Base Set card are different collectibles. This page gathers what PSA and CGC publish about Pokémon cards and how CGC and Bulbapedia, the fan-run Pokémon encyclopedia, describe the print runs. Everything was read on October 13, 2026. Other graders, including SGC and Beckett, are covered in our grader comparison.

Who grades Pokémon cards

What PSA and CGC say about Pokémon and other TCG cards
GraderWhat it says it acceptsNotes
PSA“Whether vintage, modern or TCG, PSA authenticates and grades cards throughout the hobby.”No separate Pokémon or TCG price tier is listed on PSA's pricing page. See PSA fees and turnaround.
CGC Cards“All standard-sized Pokémon cards in all languages” (October 2020)CGC opened its trading card division in July 2020 with Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering. It warns that some foreign promo cards may be rejected if it cannot determine their origin, and that new cards not yet in its database may take longer.

How CGC describes TCG flaws by grade

CGC's published scale uses the same 10-point ladder for sports, non-sports and TCG cards, but adds a line about TCG cards at several grades. Its wording, grade by grade:

TCG notes on CGC's card grading scale (cgccards.com, read October 13, 2026)
GradeWhat CGC says about TCG cards
Mint 9Only a few minor manufacturing or handling defects
NM/Mint+ 8.5Could show small handling defects
NM/Mint 8Could have small-to-moderate handling defects
NM+ 7.5Could have a moderate defect or a number of small handling defects

CGC's numeric centering limits on that page are stated for sports and non-sports cards. PSA's grading standards, for their part, leave room for judgment: graders may adjust a grade based on a card's eye appeal, and a small centering variance may occasionally be allowed. Before you submit, measure the borders with the centering calculator and read what each number means on the PSA grading scale.

Base Set: four English print runs

The English Base Set was released on January 9, 1999 and has 102 cards, numbered by rarity with the holo rares first (cards 1–16), according to Bulbapedia. CGC and Bulbapedia describe the same sequence of print runs:

Telling English Base Set prints apart (CGC, Bulbapedia)
Print1st Edition stampArt-box shadowOther tells
1st Edition (first run)Yes, on every cardNoThinner HP and attack text than Unlimited
Shadowless (second run)NoNoSame thin text as 1st Edition; Trainer and Energy copyright line reads “© 1995, 96, 98, 99 Nintendo”. Exclusive to the English Base Set.
Unlimited (third run)NoYes, on the right side of the art boxRedesigned to be easier to read; Trainer and Energy copyright line reads “© 1995, 96, 98 Nintendo”
Later print (CGC: UK print run, 2000)NoYesCopyright line reads 1999–2000; CGC says these cards often look lighter than earlier runs

Bulbapedia notes that the stamp is the easiest way to separate a 1st Edition card from a Shadowless one, and that Trainer and Energy cards — which have no illustration window, and so no shadow to check — are told apart by their thinner text and copyright line.

Where to look when identifying an English Base Set print Three generic card outlines with no real artwork. Left: a creature card with an art window; a marker on the left edge about midway down shows where the 1st Edition stamp sits, and a dark band along the right side of the art window shows the drop shadow added on Unlimited prints. Middle: a Trainer card with the stamp position marked at the bottom left. Right: an Energy card with the stamp position marked at the top right. A strip along the bottom of each card marks the copyright line. Numbered markers match the list below. Creature card Trainer card Energy card 1 2 3 4 5
  1. 1st Edition stamp, creature cards: left side, about midway between top and bottom (CGC).
  2. Drop shadow: Unlimited prints add a shadow on the right side of the art box; 1st Edition and Shadowless prints have none (CGC, Bulbapedia).
  3. Stamp on Trainer cards: bottom left corner (CGC).
  4. Stamp on Energy cards: top right corner (CGC).
  5. Copyright line: Shadowless Trainer and Energy cards read “© 1995, 96, 98, 99 Nintendo”, Unlimited reads “© 1995, 96, 98 Nintendo”, and the later print reads 1999–2000 (Bulbapedia, CGC).
Generic card outlines drawn by Crazy Uncle's Card Notes from CGC's and Bulbapedia's descriptions. Not to scale; no real card art, set symbols or stamps reproduced.

1st Edition beyond Base Set

  • English sets: Wizards of the Coast printed 1st Edition runs for every set from Base Set up to and including Neo Destiny, except Base Set 2 (Bulbapedia). CGC counts about ten sets over roughly three years, and notes that Base Set 2 reprinted cards from Base Set and Jungle.
  • No modern English 1st Editions: CGC says English cards have had no 1st Edition stamps since Neo Destiny; Bulbapedia says the runs were dropped altogether after Nintendo took over the card game.
  • Japanese 1st Editions ran from the 2001 VS set to the 2016 20th Anniversary set. CGC describes that symbol as a large “1” above the word EDITION between two horizontal lines, in the lower-right corner of Pokémon and Trainer cards but not Energy cards. It adds that Japanese 1st Editions are often much more common than their unlimited versions.

How many have been graded

CGC published a population snapshot for Base Set in 2022. Its counts for 1st Edition and Unlimited cards, including Charizard:

CGC-graded Base Set cards as of May 31, 2022 (CGC)
PrintAll cards gradedCharizards gradedCharizards at CGC 9 or 9.5Charizards at CGC 10
1st Editionalmost 23,000252fewer than 200
Unlimitednearly 68,000nearly 6,000more than 3000

Before you submit a Pokémon card

  1. Identify the print. Check for the stamp, then the art-box shadow, then the copyright line on Trainer and Energy cards.
  2. Confirm the grader takes it. CGC accepts standard-sized Pokémon cards in all languages but may reject foreign promos it cannot trace; PSA lists TCG cards among what it grades.
  3. Measure centering with the centering calculator and look over corners, edges and surface under good light (the card condition glossary explains what to look for).
  4. Estimate the graded value and choose a service level from it — see PSA fees and turnaround.
  5. Pack and ship following how to submit cards for grading.
  6. When it comes back, verify the cert number on the grader's site.

Sources

  1. PSA — Services & Pricing (card grading service levels)
  2. PSA — Grading Standards
  3. CGC — “Game On — Introducing CGC Trading Cards!” (July 6, 2020)
  4. CGC — “What Pokémon TCG Cards does CGC Trading Cards Grade?” (October 21, 2020)
  5. CGC Cards — Grading Scale
  6. CGC — “How to Tell if a Pokémon Card is a First Edition” (June 3, 2022)
  7. Bulbapedia — 1st Edition (TCG)
  8. Bulbapedia — Base Set (TCG)

Sources checked October 2026.