How to pack cards for grading: CGC and TAG rules
Grading 8 min read
How to pack cards for grading at CGC and TAG, stage by stage: the stack, the paperwork, the seal, box markings, the address, the carrier and cover in transit.
Guides, page 8
Older guides
How to grade sports cards: CGC, SGC and TAG compared
Grading 8 min read
Which sports cards CGC, SGC and TAG accept, from vintage to thick patch cards, how each treats autographs, what a submission costs and what each label shows.
How to grade Pokémon cards: CGC, SGC and TAG compared
Grading 7 min read
Which Pokémon cards CGC, SGC and TAG accept, from Japanese cards to promos, jumbo and error cards, which service fits each card, and what each label shows.
How to find a local card shop
Offline and retail 6 min read
How to use CGC's and the card makers' store locators to find a card shop, what a listing does and does not tell you, and what to ask before you visit.
How to find a card show near you
Offline and retail 7 min read
Where card shows are listed, how to read a listing's hours, tables and admission, and how local, regional and national shows differ before you travel.
How to clean a graded card case
Grading 6 min read
Cleaning the outside of a CGC, SGC or TAG slab: what to use, what to keep off it, which marks are normal, and when a free fix or a new holder is better.
How to check a graded card's cert: CGC, SGC, TAG
Safety and fakes 7 min read
Where to look up a slab's cert number at CGC, SGC and TAG, what each record shows, and what it means when the record and the slab in your hand disagree.
How to buy sports card boxes: formats, sellers, seals
Sports cards 7 min read
What hobby, jumbo, mega, blaster, hanger and fat pack boxes hold, with 2026 Topps Series 2 as the example, where sealed boxes are sold and how to check one.
How to buy Pokémon cards online: printings, shipping, claims
Buying and selling 7 min read
How to match a Pokémon listing to the exact printing, keep shipping down across sellers, and buy Japanese and sealed product under each marketplace's rules.
How to buy cards at a card show
Offline and retail 6 min read
What to check at a dealer's table before you pay: a raw card's flaws, a slab's record at CGC, SGC or TAG, how each way to pay works, and the receipt to keep.
How to buy a booster box: sellers, seals and contents
Buying and selling 6 min read
Where Pokémon, Magic, One Piece, Lorcana and Yu-Gi-Oh! boxes are sold, what each maker says a box or pack holds, and how to check a seal and a seller.
How to avoid card scams online: red flags and protection
Safety and fakes 7 min read
Red flags behind common online card scams, which ways to pay carry buyer protection as PayPal and the marketplaces describe it, and what to do next.
How card consignment works: fees, premiums and timing
Buying and selling 4 min read
What a card consignment house does, how seller commissions and buyer's premiums work, the premium Goldin charges, and what to ask before you consign.
Evolving Skies: the Pokémon set explained
Pokémon 7 min read
Pokémon's Evolving Skies: its 237 cards, every Eevee evolution's V and VMAX by number, the 34 cards above the printed total, and what Pokémon's counts cover.
Dragon Ball Super Fusion World rarities explained
Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece and Lorcana 7 min read
What L, C, UC, R, SR and SCR mean on Dragon Ball Super Fusion World cards, how alt-arts and Super Alt-Arts are marked, and what a booster pack holds.
Donruss Rated Rookies explained: Donruss and Optic
Sports cards 6 min read
What a Donruss Rated Rookie is, how Donruss and Donruss Optic number their rookies, and how to tell the base card from Press Proof, Holo and Optic parallels.
Digimon card rarities and alt-arts explained
Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece and Lorcana 7 min read
What C, U, R, SR, UR and SEC mean on Digimon cards, how Bandai marks an alternative art with stars, and how a set's card-type count adds up.
Destined Rivals: the Team Rocket Pokémon set explained
Pokémon 8 min read
Pokémon's Destined Rivals set: its 244 cards, the 83 Team Rocket's cards and other Trainer's Pokémon, every rarity and its numbers, and what each box holds.
Crown Zenith and its Galarian Gallery explained
Pokémon 7 min read
Pokémon's Crown Zenith: its 160-card main list, the 70-card Galarian Gallery by card type, what Pokémon's counts cover, and the products with their pack counts.
CGC subgrades explained, and why CGC dropped them
Grading 7 min read
CGC stopped giving subgrades in 2023. What the four scores covered, what they cost, how older CGC and CSG labels showed them, and what a new holder removes.
CGC Pristine 10, Perfect 10 and Gem Mint 10 explained
Grading 7 min read
What separates CGC's Pristine 10 from its Gem Mint 10, what the retired Perfect 10 meant at CGC Trading Cards and CSG, and how SGC and TAG set their top grades.
Card sleeves and holders: which one does which job
Safety and fakes 7 min read
Penny sleeves, inner sleeves, toploaders, semi-rigid holders, magnetic holders and team bags: what each is for, the sizes makers give, and what graders accept.
Card grading mistakes to avoid at CGC, SGC and TAG
Grading 9 min read
The grading mistakes that cost money or time at CGC, SGC and TAG: low declared values, the wrong level, refused cards, form gaps, packing and late claims.
Bowman Draft explained: draft picks and Chrome
Sports cards 6 min read
What Bowman Draft is, how its paper and Chrome base cards pair up, the Refractor ladder, the prospect autographs and what a 2025 hobby box holds.
Card images from Scrydex.