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Trading card guides: value, grading, rarity, and keeping what you own
These guides cover the questions collectors actually stop on: is this card real, what will grading cost and is it worth it, what the rarity marks mean, how Japanese printings are priced, how to store a collection, and where to sell it. Each one is written to be used with the card in your hand.
Condition and grading
- Near Mint vs Lightly Played: the card condition guide collectors useNear Mint, Lightly Played, and the rest: what each grade looks like and what it costs.6 min read
- Graded vs ungraded Pokémon cards: where the price gap comes fromWhy the same card has three prices, and what one grade point is worth.7 min read
- Pokémon card grading cost: what PSA and CGC charge, all inWhat PSA and CGC charge per card, and the line where grading pays for itself.7 min read
- PSA vs BGS vs CGC: which grader is right for this cardFees, turnaround, and what each slab says, so you can pick one for your card.7 min read
- How to read a PSA population report before you pay a grading feeHow many copies exist at each grade, and what that does to the price.7 min read
Authenticity
Selling
Collection
- How much is my Pokémon card collection worthHow to price a whole box by sampling instead of one card at a time.7 min read
- How to store trading cards so they stay Near MintSleeves, toploaders, binders, and the plastics that quietly damage cards.7 min read
- How to organize Pokémon cards so you never sort the box twiceFour ways to order a binder or a box, and what each one costs you.7 min read
Pokémon
- Pokémon card rarity symbols explained: circle, diamond, star, and beyondCircle, diamond, star, and the modern rare tiers, with where to find them on the card.6 min read
- How to read a Pokémon card: the six marks that name one printingThe six things on a card that tell you which printing you are holding.7 min read
- 1st Edition and shadowless Pokémon cards: how to tell what you haveHow to tell a 1st Edition and a shadowless Base Set card from an unlimited print.5 min read
- Japanese Pokémon cards: how to read them and what they are worthRarity letters, set numbering, and why Japanese and English prices stay separate.6 min read
- Pokémon card errors: which ones pay, and which are just print flawsMiscuts, crimps, and ink errors: which ones are worth money and which are damage.7 min read
Magic: The Gathering
Yu-Gi-Oh!
- Yu-Gi-Oh! card rarities explained: how to read the foil, Common to StarlightFrom Common to Starlight and Quarter Century Secret Rare: how to read the foil.7 min read
- Yugioh 1st Edition vs Unlimited: how to tell which one you are holdingGold foil or silver: how to tell a Yu-Gi-Oh! edition in two seconds.6 min read