PSA, Beckett (BGS), CGC and TAG all grade Pokémon cards on a 10-point scale, but they don’t ask for the same thing. Here is what each one needs for its top grades, how centering is judged, and what grading costs today.
Checked against each company’s own website on November 12, 2026. We re-check every 30 days.
The four companies at a glance
| Company | Top grade | Front centering for it | Subgrades | Cheapest service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA Professional Sports Authenticator | 10 Gem Mint | 55/45 | Yes | $39.99 90-100 business days |
| BGS Beckett Grading Services | 10 Pristine (Black Label) | Not published | Yes | $79.95 Express (the one tier consistently reported open; price from third-party trackers, not beckett.com) · 15 business days |
| CGC CGC Cards (Certified Guaranty Company) | 10 Pristine | Not published | Yes | $20.00 90 business days |
| TAG Technical Authentication & Grading | 10 Pristine | Not published | Yes | $59.95 45 business days |
PSA: Professional Sports Authenticator
The largest grader by its own description, with slabs that PSA says often sell at a premium, and in 2026 a multi-million-card backlog that has kept its cheapest bulk tiers paused.
Scale: 1 to 10 with 10 best, single overall grade; half-point grades exist below 9 (there is no 9.5); an off-centre card can carry an OC qualifier, and cards that can't take a number may be slabbed as Authentic or Authentic Altered.
| Grade | Front centering | Back centering | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Gem Mint | 55/45 | 75/25 | Near-flawless card: all four corners sharp, crisp focus, full factory gloss and no staining. A slight print imperfection is tolerated when it doesn't hurt eye appeal. |
| 9 Mint | 60/40 | 90/10 | Superb card held back by a single minor flaw, such as a small print imperfection, slightly off-white borders or a faint wax stain on the back. PSA gives about 5% front-centering leeway at grade 7 and above when eye appeal is good. |
| 8 Near Mint-Mint | 65/35 | 90/10 | Passes for a 9 at first glance; closer inspection may show slight fraying at one or two corners, a minor print flaw, slightly off-white borders or a faint wax stain on the back. |
Subgrades: None: PSA assigns one overall grade.
Special labels: None above Gem Mint 10. Qualifiers such as OC (off-centre) can be attached to a grade; Authentic / Authentic Altered slabs carry no numeric grade.
Service levels
| Service | Price per card | Max declared value | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| $39.99 | $500 | 90-100 business days | |
| $59.99 | $1,000 | 70-80 business days | |
| Priority (formerly Regular) | $79.99 | $1,500 | 50-60 business days |
| $199.00 | $2,500 | 20-30 business days | |
| $349.00 | $5,000 | 10-15 business days | |
| Premier (formerly Walk-Through) | $599.00 | $10,000 | 7-10 business days |
BGS: Beckett Grading Services
Four subgrades printed on every full-service slab and the rare Black Label 10.
Scale: 1 to 10 in half-point steps (8.5, 9.5 and so on), with four subgrades behind the overall grade. This comes from third-party guides: beckett.com could not be read in this check.
| Grade | Front centering | Back centering | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Pristine (Black Label) | — | — | A Pristine 10 where all four subgrades (centering, corners, edges, surface) are also 10. Beckett's published wording and centering figures were not confirmed: beckett.com was unreachable in this check. |
| 10 Pristine | — | — | Top numeric grade, described by third-party guides as virtually flawless across all four subgrade areas. Beckett's published wording and centering figures were not confirmed in this check. |
| 9.5 Gem Mint | — | — | The tier between Mint 9 and Pristine 10. Beckett's published wording and centering figures were not confirmed in this check. |
| 9 Mint | — | — | Beckett's published wording and centering figures were not confirmed in this check. |
Subgrades: Centering, corners, edges and surface, printed on the label. Third-party price lists show them included on Standard and optional on Base ($17.95 with, $14.95 without).
Special labels: Black Label: a 10 with all four subgrades at 10. A third-party guide citing Beckett's label key (April 2026) gives gold labels for Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 9.5 and silver for everything lower.
Service levels
| Service | Price per card | Max declared value | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express (the one tier consistently reported open; price from third-party trackers, not beckett.com) | $79.95 | — | 15 business days |
| Priority (listed by third-party trackers; availability unconfirmed) | $124.95 | — | 5 business days |
CGC: CGC Cards (Certified Guaranty Company)
The lowest no-minimum entry fee of the four ($20 Economy) and a separate Pristine 10 above Gem Mint 10; third-party guides describe its grading as strict.
Scale: 10-point scale from 1 (Poor) to 10 (Pristine) with half grades such as 9.5, 8.5 and 1.5; there are two 10s, Gem Mint 10 and the higher Pristine 10.
| Grade | Front centering | Back centering | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Pristine | — | — | CGC's top "chase" grade, sitting above Gem Mint 10. CGC's detailed wording and centering figure for this grade were not captured in this check. |
| 10 Gem Mint | — | — | The standard 10 on CGC's scale. CGC's detailed wording and centering figure for this grade were not captured in this check. |
| 9.5 Mint+ | — | — | A Mint card with premium eye appeal: standout centering, surface quality or colour can lift it above a 9. |
| 9 Mint | — | — | Four sharp corners with only minor wear, slight edge flaws at most, and full original gloss with a few specks or one minor surface defect; TCG cards may show only a few minor manufacturing or handling defects. CGC's 60/40 front and 90/10 back centering figure is stated for sports and non-sports cards, not TCG. |
Subgrades: Not confirmed in this check: CGC's subgrade policy was not on the pages retrieved.
Special labels: Pristine 10 is the top grade above Gem Mint 10. CGC's current scale descriptions show no Perfect 10; third-party guides say it was retired in the 2023 scale update.
Service levels
| Service | Price per card | Max declared value | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20.00 | $1,000 | 90 business days | |
| $55.00 | $3,000 | 10 business days | |
| $100.00 | $10,000 | 5 business days | |
| $300.00 | $100,000 | 2 business days | |
| Unlimited Value ($300 + 1% of fair market value) | — | Unlimited | 2 business days |
TAG: Technical Authentication & Grading
Computer-vision grading with a 1000-point score and a public digital report (DIG) showing each card's defects.
Scale: 1 to 10 grade derived from a 1000-point TAG Score; half grades at every level except between 9 and 10 (no 9.5), and two 10s: Gem Mint (950-989) and Pristine (990-1000).
| Grade | Front centering | Back centering | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Pristine | — | — | TAG Score of 990-1000. TAG says this exceeds the industry's Gem Mint 10 standard and covers under 1% of the cards it grades. |
| 10 Gem Mint | — | — | TAG Score of 950-989. |
| 9 Mint | — | — | TAG Score of 900-949. |
| 8.5 NM MT+ | — | — | TAG Score of 850-899. |
Subgrades: No traditional four-subgrade line: every card gets a DIG report with centering metrics and corner, edge and surface analysis, and the Premier tier adds DIG+ with 1000-point subscores.
Special labels: Pristine 10 (TAG Score 990-1000). The 1000-point TAG Score with leaderboard rank is included from the Standard tier up; Value and Base give the 1-10 grade only.
Service levels
| Service | Price per card | Max declared value | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| $59.95 | — | 45 business days | |
| $79.95 | — | 30 business days | |
| $149.95 | — | 10 business days | |
| $299.95 | — | 3-5 business days |
Prices and turnaround times change often and can depend on memberships and declared value: check the company’s site when you submit.