How to Grade Pokémon Cards

Work on a clean, dry surface under diffuse light. Handle the card gently by its edges with clean, dry hands. If you can safely remove it from its sleeve, do so: marks or reflections on the sleeve can be mistaken for damage to the card. Do not force a card out of a tight holder.

Check the front and back, then look at the card from several angles. A straight-on view helps you compare borders; gently changing the light angle can reveal scratches or shallow dents. Do not rub, polish, flatten or try to repair a defect for grading.

• Identify the set, card number, language and exact variant before comparing it with another copy.
• Keep short notes of each visible defect and its location, such as “white spot on back, top-left corner”.
• Separate an uncertain reflection from a confirmed mark; recheck it under different light.

Inspect each area on both sides. A clean-looking front does not rule out wear on the back, and one prominent defect can matter more than several attractive features.

• Centering: compare the left and right borders, then the top and bottom. Use the design of the exact card as your reference; artwork and border styles vary. A tilted photo can make a centered card look uneven.
• Corners: look for whitening, rounding, bends or separation of the layers. Check all four on both sides, without pressing them flat.
• Edges: follow the entire perimeter for chips, rough areas, whitening or dents. A white speck could be glare, so inspect it again before recording it as wear.
• Surface: look for scratches, print lines, stains, dents and creases. Change the light angle gently; holographic patterns and printed texture can obscure marks or look like them.

“Fresh from a pack” describes where a card came from, not its condition. Check it with the same care as a used card. Likewise, a high asking price, rarity or a favorite illustration does not make a card physically better preserved.

Do not average four personal scores and assume that the result matches a grading company. A crease or dent can be significant even when the centering looks excellent. Photographs can also hide physical defects: an area that is not visible should remain uncertain.

A personal assessment is your record of the visible condition. It helps you describe a card consistently, but it is not a certification. An AI estimate adds a photo-based reading; its usefulness depends on what the images show and what the model can detect.

Professional grading involves submitting the physical card to a service and following that service’s process. Standards are service-specific. For example, PSA publishes its own grading standards; consult the official definitions instead of treating an AI number as their equivalent. A Pokedy estimate of 9 does not make a card a certified PSA 9.

Read PSA’s official grading standards

Write down the card identity, visible flaws and any areas you could not assess. Revisit unclear areas before deciding to buy, sell or submit the card. If you describe a photo estimate to someone else, label it as an AI estimate and include its limitations.

Pokedy connects this preliminary analysis to a card already in your collection. You need an account and must add or select that card before supplying front and back photos. Review the result alongside your own inspection; it cannot guarantee authenticity or the outcome of a physical grading submission.

Prepare clear front and back photos

Decide whether professional grading fits your card and your goal