How to Verify a Graded Pokemon Card Before You Buy

What a cert check proves, and what it doesn't

Every slab from PSA, CGC, Beckett (BGS) or TAG carries a certification number that the grader records in its own database (see Cert number (certification number) and Slab). Looking it up answers one question: was this number issued, and for which card and grade?

It does not prove that the plastic and paper in the photo are the ones the grader made. PSA says so on its own lookup page: verification does not eliminate risk, because criminals do attempt to counterfeit PSA labels using real cert numbers taken from public sources.

So a full check has four steps: the number, the lookup, the match, and the holder. Do all four, in that order.

Step 1: Get the cert number from the listing

• Read it off the label in the photo. The number is printed on the front of the label. If the photo is too small or blurry to read it, that is your first question for the seller.

• Check the item specifics. eBay asks sellers of graded cards to add the grader, the grade and the certification number, but the number is only recommended, so many listings leave it out.

• Make sure the two agree. If the description and the label show different numbers, ask why before you go further.

• Ask for the back of the slab. Current PSA and CGC labels carry a QR code on the back. If the listing doesn't show it, ask the seller for a photo.

Step 2: Look it up on the grader's own site

Type the number into the grader's own lookup yourself, not a link or screenshot from the seller. You want what the grader recorded, not what the seller shows you.

A note on Beckett. Beckett says its website and app went offline after what it called suspicious technical activity, and that its online tools may be unavailable. The lookup above is described from an archived copy of Beckett's page. If Beckett's lookup won't load, ask the seller for sharp photos of the slab's front and back, and lean harder on the seller's record and, for $200 or more, eBay's Authenticity Guarantee.

Step 3: Match every line, then the images

A cert that exists is not enough. Check that it is the card in the listing.

1. Card name and card number. The lookup's card number should match the number printed on the card in the photo (see Card number (set number)). A cert for a different card in the same set is a common way for a number to "look right" at a glance.

2. Set and year. The same Pokemon appears in many sets. The set name on the cert should be the set you are paying for.

3. Variety. This is where 1st Edition, Shadowless and holo versions are recorded (see First edition (1st Edition) and Shadowless). If the title says 1st Edition, the cert should too.

4. Grade. The grade on the cert should match the label in the photo, including any qualifier such as OC (see PSA grading scale).

5. Images. When the grader has images, put them next to the seller's photos. Look at things that don't change: centering, a mark on the border, the holo pattern, a print line. They should be the same card.

6. Label style. PSA's lookup shows the label type. PSA introduced its current label in 2017, with a wave pattern of "fugitive ink" in the background and a Lighthouse hologram. If the cert describes the newer label but the photo shows an old plain one, or the other way round, ask the seller.

If anything does not match, stop there. A wrong photo may be an honest mistake, but that is the seller's to explain, not yours to assume.

Step 4: Check the holder and the label in the photos

PSA describes its holder as tamper-evident, not tamper-proof. It is sealed by a sonic weld, and breaking it leaves traces. This is what PSA says to look for:

• "Frosting" along the edges, where the clear plastic turns cloudy, and sometimes small cracks. This can show in a good photo, so ask for close shots of all four edges.

• A holder that flexes or pops open at the edge. You can only test this in hand, so do it the day the slab arrives.

• A label you can't see through. Held to a strong light, a real PSA label lets you see the text on the other side. A fake front glued onto a real label is too thick for that. This one is in hand only too.

• The hologram. On current PSA labels, tilting the slab makes the Lighthouse logo hide and reveal a pattern behind it. Ask the seller for a short tilt video.

CGC and TAG do it differently. CGC says its labels carry microprinting, UV ink, holographic foil, a unique cert number and barcode, and a QR code on the back, in an ultrasonically welded case. TAG has no paper label at all: the grade is inscribed inside the slab, and TAG says every slab carries digital security you can check with a phone. See PSA vs CGC vs BGS vs TAG for Pokemon Cards for how the labels differ.

Most of these checks need the slab in hand. Online, you only have the photos, which is why the first three steps carry so much weight.

When something doesn't add up

• Ask the seller for a clear photo of the label front and back, all four edges, or a short video. A seller with a real slab can usually send these.

• Ask for PSA's confirmation. PSA says that if you are worried about an item before you buy, you can contact PSA to arrange a review, and that there is nothing wrong with making a deal depend on PSA's confirmation. It adds that a seller who hesitates may have already given you your answer.

• Walk away if the number, the card and the photos still don't line up.

Where eBay's Authenticity Guarantee fits

For single cards sold for $200 or more (before tax and shipping), eBay's Authenticity Guarantee sends the card to an authenticator before it ships to you. For a graded card, the authenticator inspects the holder for signs of tampering and checks that the case and label are authentic to the grader. It does not regrade the card. If authenticity can't be verified, the card goes back to the seller and you get a refund.

Two limits matter for slabs. The guarantee accepts graded cards only from PSA, SGC, CGC (and CSG) and BGS, so a TAG slab is not on the list. And it is only for buyers in the United States. How to Spot a Fake Pokemon Card Before You Buy covers the guarantee and eBay's Money Back Guarantee in more detail.

How I check a slab

I always check the cert number on PSA's site before I buy, no matter what. I've never seen a cert that didn't match the card in the photo, though I haven't checked that many.

No card with the Authenticity Guarantee has ever failed on me. The guarantee only covers slabs that sell for $200 or more. Below that, I want a seller with at least 50 feedback, and I'd rather see 100 or more. Even at a high price, a seller with a lot of feedback can be fine without the guarantee.

When the slab arrives, I check the holder for scratches and its overall condition. Do the in-hand checks from Step 4 that same day too.

If you want the lookup one tap away, a ChaseBoard alert for a PSA slab links straight to PSA's cert page when the eBay listing gives the cert number, and a watch can be set to Authenticity Guarantee only.

A checklist before you buy a slab

• Cert number readable in the photo, and the same as in the item specifics

• Looked up on the grader's own site, typed in by you

• Card name, card number, set, year and variety all match the listing

• Grade and any qualifier match the label in the photo

• Grader's images, when available, show the same card as the seller's photos

• Label style matches what the lookup describes

• Close photos of the edges, with no cloudy "frosting" or cracks

• Label front and back shown, and for a PSA slab a tilt video if you have doubts

• For $200 or more from PSA, CGC, BGS or SGC: the Authenticity Guarantee badge, or a reason you're fine without it

• A seller record you are comfortable with