Intermediate · 8 min read
PSA vs CGC vs TAG: Pokémon card grading in Australia
Quick answer
Grading is a third party assessing a card's condition, assigning a numeric grade and sealing it in a tamper-evident holder with a certificate number. PSA, CGC and TAG all do this with different scales and presentation. For most Australian collectors, buying a card that is already graded is cheaper and faster than submitting one.
Published 17 August 2026 by Mochi Pals · Prices in AUD
A graded card is not a better card — it is the same card with an independent verdict on its condition, sealed so that verdict stays true. That verdict is what people pay for: it removes the argument about whether a card is mint, and it makes a card safe to buy sight-unseen.
This guide explains what the three graders Australian collectors run into most — PSA, CGC and TAG — actually do, how grades translate into price, and when submitting is worth it against simply buying a slab that already exists. Every price quoted is from our own graded collection, held in Australia and priced in AUD.
Part of our pokemon singles australia guide series.
What grading actually is
You send a card to a grading company. They authenticate it, assess centring, corners, edges and surface, assign a numeric grade, and seal the card in a rigid tamper-evident holder — a *slab* — with a label carrying the card details, the grade and a unique certificate number you can look up on the grader's own database. Once slabbed, the card cannot be swapped or altered without visibly breaking the holder, which is the entire point.
The three graders in practice
PSA
PSA is the name most collectors and buyers recognise first, and that recognition is the practical difference: a PSA 10 is the most widely understood shorthand for a mint modern card, and it is the grade most buyers search for by name. The scale runs to 10, with PSA 10 labelled Gem Mint. In our own stock the PSA 10 Kingdra ex SVP Black Star Promo #131 is the highest-priced slab we hold at $750.
CGC
CGC came to trading cards from comic and collectibles grading and is well established with modern TCG collectors. It grades on a 10-point scale with half-point increments, and its top designations distinguish a perfect card from a merely excellent one. Collectors who want granularity in the top band — a clear difference between a strong 9.5 and a flawless 10 — tend to prefer this style of scale.
TAG
TAG is the newest of the three and takes a different approach: automated, image-based assessment with a detailed subgrade report you can view online for each certificate. For a buyer that means unusual transparency — you can see how the grade was reached rather than only the final number. Most of our own slabs are TAG, including the TAG 10 Pikachu ex 219/191 from Surging Sparks at $170 and the TAG 10 Gyarados VMAX 207/203 from Evolving Skies at $115.
| PSA | CGC | TAG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale | 10-point, Gem Mint at the top | 10-point with half grades | 10-point with published subgrades |
| Best known for | Widest buyer recognition | Granularity in the top band | Transparent, automated assessment |
| Slab look | Classic red label | Multi-tier label | Modern label with online report |
| Verification | Certificate lookup | Certificate lookup | Certificate lookup plus subgrade report |
| Best for | Resale to the broadest audience | Collectors who want precise condition | Buyers who want to see the reasoning |
How a grade turns into a price
Three things set a slab's price: the card itself, the grade, and the grader's recognition. The card dominates — a 10 on an ordinary common is still an ordinary common. Then the grade: the gap between a 10 and a 9 on a desirable modern card is usually large, because a 10 is what the market treats as flawless. Recognition sits on top, which is why PSA slabs generally clear at a premium over the same card and grade in a less established holder.
| Slab | Grade | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdra ex SVP Black Star Promo #131 | PSA 10 | $750.00 |
| N's Zoroark ex 127/100 (Japanese) | TAG 10 | $250.00 |
| Pikachu ex 219/191, Surging Sparks | TAG 10 | $170.00 |
| Eevee ex 223/187, Terastal Festival ex | TAG 10 | $160.00 |
| Jolteon ex 209/187, Terastal Festival ex | TAG 10 | $150.00 |
| Gyarados VMAX 207/203, Evolving Skies | TAG 10 | $115.00 |
| Umbreon 059/131 Poké Ball reverse holo | TAG 9 | $60.00 |
Should you grade a card, or buy one already graded?
Submitting makes sense in a narrow set of cases: the card is already valuable, it looks visibly clean under a light at every corner and edge, the centring is good, and the premium a high grade would add clearly exceeds what the submission costs you. If any of those is shaky, grading can cost more than it returns — a mid grade on an expensive card frequently leaves you behind.
- Buy the slab instead if you want a display piece or a known-condition card now, with no fee, no postage risk and no waiting.
- Submit instead if you already own a genuinely clean, genuinely valuable card and are comfortable with the cost and the wait.
- Do not submit bulk, played cards or low-value commons — the fee will exceed the card.
- Never buy a slab you cannot verify — look the certificate number up on the grader's own site first.
Buying graded Pokémon cards in Australia
Buying a slab locally removes the parts of the process that go wrong: no international postage on a rigid high-value item, no customs step, no currency conversion, and no waiting weeks to find out what turned up. Every slab in our graded collection is a card we physically hold, listed with the grading company, the numeric grade, the card number and the set in the title, priced in AUD, and posted from Australia within two business days. Standard shipping is $10, Express $15, signature on delivery $3, and Standard is free on orders of $200 and over — which most slabs at this level clear on their own.
If you would rather buy the raw card
Plenty of collectors never grade anything, and there is nothing wrong with that — a near-mint raw card in a sleeve and a rigid holder looks the same in a binder for a fraction of the price. Our English singles and Japanese singles are assessed by hand to a near-mint standard unless stated otherwise, and how those prices are set is explained in how Pokémon card prices work in Australia.
Frequently asked questions
- Is PSA, CGC or TAG best for Pokémon cards?
- It depends on your goal. PSA has the widest buyer recognition, which helps most on resale. CGC offers a finer scale with half grades for collectors who want precision. TAG publishes a detailed subgrade report per certificate, which suits buyers who want to see how a grade was reached. None of them makes the card itself better.
- Is grading Pokémon cards worth it in Australia?
- Only for cards that are already valuable and visibly clean. Grading costs money and takes time, and a mid grade can leave you with less than the raw card was worth plus the fee. For most collectors, buying a card that is already graded is the cheaper and faster route.
- What does TAG 10 mean?
- It is TAG's top numeric grade on a 10-point scale, assigned through their image-based assessment, with a subgrade breakdown available against the certificate number on the slab. Like any 10, it describes the card's condition — not its rarity or desirability.
- How can I check a graded card is genuine?
- Every slab carries a unique certificate number on its label. Look that number up on the grading company's own verification database and confirm the card, set and grade match the slab in front of you. Every graded card we list keeps its original holder and label intact.
- Do you grade cards or offer a submission service?
- No. We sell graded cards we hold in Australia, and we are not affiliated with PSA, CGC or TAG. If you want a card graded, submit it through the grading company directly.