To Grade or Not to Grade?: When Should You Send Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering or Sports Cards to Be Graded by PSA, BGS, or CGC?
Grading collectibles refers to the process of authenticating a collectible item as real, and then assigning a “grade“ to that item based on its condition.
Different companies use different grading scales, but most have a large range from 1 to 10 (in the case of PSA), with a “1” indicating “Poor” condition and a “10“ indicating “Gem Mint“ condition, or a card that is in perfect condition.
In in the past two decades, interest in grading has skyrocketed, driven primarily by increased demand for graded trading cards, such as Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh, One Piece, and Magic: The Gathering cards.
Let’s dive into some specifics about grading collectibles, including (1) why you might want to grade your collectibles, (2) important considerations when grading collectibles, and (3) whether grading actually increases value (aka the price you’ll get if you want to sell).
The Only Real Metal Pokemon Cards: How to Avoid Fake Cards and Where to Buy
Despite what many sellers on eBay, Whatnot, TikTok, and elsewhere would like you to believe, there are actually only 5 (yes, 5!) real metal Pokémon cards that have ever been released as part of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG).
Let’s take a closer look at each of these 5 real metal Pokémon cards to see which set each one comes from, how much they cost (as of July, 2025, at a PSA 10 grade via recent eBay sold listings), and where you can buy them!
And even better, each of the card images you see below are from actual eBay sold listings in our eBay Store at Kendall Square Collectibles!