How to get Pokémon cards graded in the UK
A collector-first walkthrough of PSA, CGC and Ace Grading — costs, turnaround, packaging and what to expect back. Written by the Spartan Cards team from live UK submissions.
Should you grade the card at all?
Grading in the UK costs roughly £20–£45 per card once you factor in postage and insurance. The rule we work to: only grade when a PSA 9 comps for at least 2.5× the raw price, or the card is a nostalgic personal keeper. Bulk-grading commons burns money.
PSA vs CGC vs Ace Grading
PSA
Market standard. Highest resale premium for Pokémon. Value Bulk tier is the entry point most UK collectors use.
CGC
Fast turnaround, tighter subgrade breakdown. Slightly softer resale premium than PSA but excellent slab quality.
Ace Grading
UK-based. Domestic postage, no customs, quickest hands-back time. Growing recognition for modern sets.
Pre-grade condition check
Inspect under a bright angled light. Whitening on corners, edge nicks, print lines on the holo, and centering above 60/40 are the four things that drop a card from a 10 to an 8. If you can see two of them at a glance, the card won't hit a Gem Mint 10.
Packaging for submission
Penny sleeve first, then a semi-rigid card saver (never a top-loader — graders reject them). Group cards in a team bag, wrap in bubble wrap, then a rigid cardboard box. Ship tracked and insured for the declared value.
Turnaround & costs (UK, 2026)
- · PSA Value Bulk: ~£20/card, 65 business days
- · PSA Regular: ~£45/card, 20 business days
- · CGC Standard: ~£25/card, 25 business days
- · Ace Grading: ~£12/card, 15 business days (UK domestic)
Want us to handle it?
We run monthly bulk submissions to PSA. Sell us the raw card and skip the grading queue — or browse our graded slabs already back and inventoried.