TCGValuerHow to tell if a Pokémon card is fake: a comparison checklist
A comparison checklist for spotting counterfeit Pokémon cards — text, colour, edges, holo and light — plus the honest limits of any check done at home.
Pokémon card guides
Reference pages built from primary sources — the grader's own fee table, the marketplace's own condition standard, the rights holder's own card database — with the date we read each one printed on the page.
If you are here with a single card and one question, the fastest route is what is my Pokémon card worth, which links onward to whichever step you are missing. The calculators live on the tools page.
Identify the card
Which printing you own, decided by the marks along the bottom edge rather than by how the card looks.
1st edition Pokémon cards: how to tell, and which sets have the stamp
How to tell a 1st edition Pokémon card: where the stamp sits on Pokémon, Trainer and Energy cards, how shadowless and unlimited differ, and which sets have it.
Gold Star Pokémon cards: what they are and how to spot one
Gold Star Pokémon cards are EX-era cards with Shiny art and a ★ in the name. How to spot one, how rare they were, and why modern gold stars mean something else.
Holo vs reverse holo Pokémon cards: how to tell the difference
Holo vs reverse holo: a holo has foil on the artwork, a reverse holo everywhere but the artwork. How to tell them apart, which is rarer, and the EX-era exception.
How to read a Pokémon card and identify the exact printing
How to read a Pokémon card and identify the exact printing you own: the collector number, set symbol, rarity mark and regulation letter along the bottom edge.
Pokémon error cards and misprints: are they worth anything?
Most Pokémon error cards sell below a clean copy. The three tests a misprint must pass to be worth more, which errors are real, and what PSA does with miscut cards.
Pokémon card rarity symbols chart: from circle to three gold stars
Circle, diamond and star are only the beginning. What black, foil and gold stars mean, what SAR and AR stand for, and why TCG Pocket uses diamonds and a crown.
Pokémon set symbols: how to tell which set a card is from
The set symbol is the one mark that names the expansion. Where it sits in each era, what to do when you cannot read it, and how modern set codes make it optional.
Shadowless Pokémon cards: what they are and how to tell
A shadowless Pokémon card is a 1999 Base Set print with no shadow beside the art and no 1st Edition stamp. How to tell it from 1st edition and unlimited.
Condition and value
The scale buyers price against, and what actually moves the number attached to a card.
How to store Pokémon cards so they keep their condition
What actually protects a card in storage: the enclosure stack, which plastics are safe, and the temperature, humidity and light limits conservation bodies publish.
Most expensive Pokémon cards: what is actually verified
The record is $16,492,000 and it is certified. Most other figures on the usual lists are private sales and hearsay — here is what can actually be verified.
The TCGplayer condition guide, explained: NM, LP, MP, HP and Damaged
What Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played and Damaged mean in the TCGplayer condition guide — quoted from the standard, not paraphrased.
Where to sell Pokémon cards in the UK, and what you keep
Selling Pokémon cards in the UK on 5 October 2026: eBay charges private sellers no final value fee, but a 3% international fee, postage and HMRC rules still apply.
Where to sell Pokémon cards, and what you actually keep
Marketplace, card shop or consignment — what each one takes. The published fee stack, the trap that costs half the value of a cheap card, and which band sells where.
Grading decisions
What the graders charge, how long they take, and when submitting a card loses money.
Beckett grading cost: BGS tiers, subgrade fees and turnaround
Beckett grading cost per card: Base from $14.95, Standard $34.95, Express $79.95, what is open while beckett.com is offline, subgrade fees, and how BGS compares.
CGC grading cost: every tier, fee and turnaround time
CGC grading cost on 15 September 2026: Bulk $17, Economy $20, Standard $55, Express $100 and up, turnaround by tier, add-ons, and how CGC compares with PSA.
How to get Pokémon cards graded, step by step
Account, tier, declared value, packing and the wait — what each grader requires and when the turnaround clock actually starts, from their own submission pages.
Pokémon card grading: is it worth it? Run the break-even first
Grading pays only when the graded price beats the raw price by more than every fee combined. The formula, the numbers people get wrong, and when to skip it.
PSA grading cost in 2026: every tier, and what BGS, CGC and SGC charge
PSA grading cost per card on 15 September 2026: the new $59.99 Standard tier, Priority, Express at $199, the paused Value tiers, and what BGS, CGC and SGC charge.
PSA grading scale: what each grade from 1 to 10 means
The PSA grading scale from Poor 1 to Gem Mint 10: what each grade allows, centering by grade, half points, qualifiers like OC, and the N codes for ungraded cards.
PSA grading from the UK: what it costs and how to submit
PSA grading from the UK on 5 October 2026: the fees in dollars, what postage and import VAT add on top, Returned Goods Relief, and what the London centre changes.
PSA vs BGS vs CGC: what a 10 means at each company
What a 10 means at each grading company, who gives half grades and subgrades, how each treats altered cards, and which company fits which card.
What does PSA 10 mean, and how close to perfect is it?
PSA 10 means Gem Mint: four sharp corners, full gloss, no staining and centering within about 55/45. What separates it from a PSA 9, and what it does not promise.
TCGValuer is an independent site and app. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK, The Pokémon Company, PSA, Beckett, CGC, SGC or TCGplayer. Product names are used descriptively to identify the cards and services being discussed.