Pokémon grading hub

Pokémon cards are now the busiest category at PSA: in a February 2026 article for the game's 30th anniversary, PSA called Pokémon “the #1 most submitted category” it handles. It was not always so. PSA says its first Pokémon submission, 11 cards, arrived in mid-1999; its yearly Pokémon counts grew from 757 in 2008 to 18,874 in 2013; and it certified its one-millionth Pokémon card, a Hidden Fates Charizard GX graded PSA 10, in October 2019. This hub gathers what the graders publish about how a Pokémon card is graded and what keeps one from a 10, and it links every Pokémon page on this site. Everything was read on October 15, 2026.

Pokémon pages on this site

How PSA grades a Pokémon card

PSA grades Pokémon cards on the same 1–10 scale it uses for sports cards; its grade definitions contain no separate rules for trading-card games. The four upper grades, as PSA words them (the definitions are reproduced on GameStop's PSA grading page):

Two rules sit on top of the numbers. PSA's grading standards say graders may make a judgment call based on a card's eye appeal, and that a small centering variance may occasionally be allowed for the same reason. And when a single flaw falls below a grade's standard while the rest of the card meets it, PSA can add a qualifier rather than drop the number: OC for off-center, PD for print defect. PSA's own example is a card that meets the Mint 9 standard but measures 65/35, which becomes a “Mint 9oc”. The PSA grading scale page covers the lower grades and the half-point grades.

What drives a 10

1. Centering

Centering is the one condition you can measure before you submit, and PSA's lingo calls it “one of the most important factors in determining a card’s grade or condition.” For a PSA 10 the front must be within about 55/45 and the back within about 75/25. CGC's Gem Mint 10 uses the same 55/45 and 75/25 limits, while Beckett's Pristine 10 asks for 50/50 all around on the front and 55/45 or better on the back. Measure the left/right and top/bottom borders and enter them in the centering calculator: a card that measures 60/40 on the front has already missed a PSA 10 on the numbers, whatever the rest of it looks like.

2. The holo surface

Foil is where Pokémon grading differs most from a cardboard baseball card. CGC's guide to Pokémon rarity symbols describes the finishes: on a holo card only the Pokémon's art box has the holographic shine; a reverse holo has foil across the whole card except the art box; and full art cards are completely holographic. CGC adds that scratches on the holofoil, and blemishes across the surface, will lower the value of any card.

• Scratches. CGC lists holofoil scratching among the most common signs of wear, alongside roughed-up edges and whitening. Beckett's Pristine 10 surface must be “devoid of scratches and metallic print lines.”
• Print lines and roller lines. PSA's PD qualifier covers significant print flaws, which it says can appear as print dots, print “snow” or print lines. CGC notes holo roller lines on early Pokémon cards and grades production defects by severity and prevalence: a flaw common to a whole print run gets “the benefit of a slight curve”, and heavier roller lines are judged more harshly than light ones.
• Gloss and print spots. CGC's Gem Mint 10 surface must be free of print spots with perfect gloss; PSA's 10 calls for full original gloss.

3. Edges, corners and whitening

On a dark border, wear shows up as white: flecks along an edge or a pale, soft corner. CGC names card whitening as one of the most common signs of wear, and PSA's lingo uses “chipping” for the condition of a card's edges. The grade definitions set the bar: a PSA 10 needs four perfectly sharp corners, an 8 may show the slightest fraying at one or two corners, and a 9 is allowed only one minor flaw in total. Not all edge damage comes from handling: CGC lists rough edges from dull factory cutting blades as a production defect and names the Pokémon Jungle set as an example. The condition glossary defines each of these terms.

1. Front centering: compare the left and right (and top and bottom) borders. A PSA 10 allows about 55/45 on the front (PSA).
2. Scratches on the holo: on a holo card the shine sits in the art box; scratches on the holofoil lower a card's value (CGC).
3. Print line: a straight line from the press. PSA's PD qualifier covers print lines; Beckett's Pristine 10 must have no metallic print lines.
4. Corners: a PSA 10 needs four perfectly sharp corners (PSA).
5. Whitening: white flecks on an edge or a pale corner, easiest to see on a dark border; CGC lists whitening among the most common signs of wear.
6. Back centering: PSA allows about 75/25 on the back for a 10 and 90/10 for a 9 (PSA).

How rare a PSA 10 is: one example

Population counts show how few cards clear every bar at once. PSA's CardFacts page for the 1999 Pokémon Game Charizard-Holo #4 — PSA lists the Shadowless and 1st Edition versions separately — gave these counts when read on October 15, 2026:

That is roughly 17 PSA 9s for every PSA 10. The same page's condition census gave 490 PSA 10s; PSA calls the census a work in progress to be used only as a guide. In PSA's anniversary article this card was the most-graded Pokémon card of the 2010s (9,702 grades) and fifth in the 2020s up to February 2026 (78,627). Counts change daily, so treat these as a snapshot and see how to read a population report before relying on any figure.

Before you send a Pokémon card: checklist

1. Make sure it is genuine. The Pokémon Company's support page says counterfeit cards are often easy to see through when held up to a bright light, and that a pack priced far below suggested retail is a near-certain warning sign.
2. Identify the exact card and print — for Base Set, 1st Edition, Shadowless or Unlimited (see Pokémon card grading).
3. Measure centering front and back and compare it with the table above.
4. Tilt the holo under one light source and look across the foil for scratches and print lines.
5. Check the back edges and all four corners for whitening and chipping.
6. Choose a service level and pack the card using PSA fees and turnaround and how to submit cards.
7. When it comes back, verify the cert number and store it as described in card storage and handling. Buying a graded card instead? Check the holder against the fake-slab red flags.