Grading Pokemon cards is a popular way of authenticating and showing others that you have the best quality card. But sometimes you think you’ll get a 10 when you actually get an 8 or 9. This leaves collectors wondering how to get a PSA 10. Taking a look at PSA’s grading standards, or whoever you chose to grade with, and following their guidelines is a great way to ensure you’ll get a good grade. Here are other steps you can take to make sure you get the highest grade on your Pokemon cards that some might miss.
How To Get PSA 10
The first thing you should check before sending a card in for grading is centering. This usually comes first because it’s easy to see if you have an off-center card. For a grade of 10, most grading services such as PSA 10 require centering to be within a 55/45 range. This means it shouldn’t be more than 5% off center. There’s no way to fix a card that’s off center, obviously, so you should either find a different card or send it in with lower expectations.
Another major thing you need to check for are scratches, print lines, or other manufacturing errors. Pretty much any damage to the face of the card or the edges will knock the quality grade down quite a bit. For a PSA 10, you want it to be as pristine as possible!
Speaking of errors, make sure the card you’re sending in for grading doesn’t have any! If you have an error card, you need to bring it to the grading services attention so they can properly authenticate it. Error cards are sometimes worth much more than normal cards. For this reason, you’ll want to keep an eye out and make sure if you have an error Pokemon card, that you know it’s worth.
Things To Do Before Grading Pokemon Cards
Besides grading the card yourself before you send it in for a professional opinion, there are a few things you can do that might help your card grade higher. For example, if there’s any dust on the card, this will count towards your final grade because grading services don’t clean your cards. This means you’ll have to clean your cards before sending them in. PSA also has packaging guidelines that you should follow when shipping your cards. This ensures your cards won’t get damaged during shipping and handling. Lastly, a very important thing to do when sending Pokemon cards in for grading is keeping your expectations low. Sometimes grading services can be harsh and a card you think is perfect doesn’t get the grade you wanted. To prevent getting disappointed in the future, don’t expect 10/10 grades. This also makes it more exciting when you actually do get a grade 10.
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