Raw or graded? How to choose, and what a slab’s label tells you
Should you buy your next chase card raw or in a PSA, CGC, Beckett or ACE slab? What grading is, what the grades mean, and how to check a slab is genuine before you buy.
Sooner or later every collector asks the same question: should I buy this card raw, or graded? There’s no single right answer, but there is a right answer for each card. Here’s how to decide.
What grading is
A graded card has been assessed by an independent company and sealed in a tamper-evident plastic case, a slab, with a label showing the grade and a certificate number. The grader looks at four things: centring, corners, edges and surface, and gives an overall grade, usually from 1 to 10.
The graders you’ll see
- PSA grades from 1 to 10. A PSA 10 is Gem Mint, and PSA slabs are the most widely traded.
- CGC grades from 1 to 10, with Pristine 10 above Gem Mint 10.
- Beckett (BGS) gives subgrades for centring, corners, edges and surface, plus an overall grade. A BGS 10 Black Label has perfect subgrades, and it’s one of the rarest labels in the hobby.
- ACE is a UK grading company, based in Banbury and founded in 2021. An ACE 10 is Gem Mint.
There’s more in our help page on graded cards.
When to buy graded
- High-value cards. On an expensive card, the grade takes the guesswork out of condition and protects your money: a 10 is a 10.
- Cards you’re keeping for the long term. A slab protects the card from handling, humidity and accidents.
- When the grade itself is the point. A top grade is scarce, and collectors pay for it.
When to buy raw
- Cards you want to play with. You can’t sleeve a slab.
- Binder and set collecting. Most collectors finish a set raw: it’s cheaper, and the cards sit flat on the page.
- Lower-value cards. Grading costs money and takes time, so it rarely makes sense below a certain value.
Buying raw doesn’t mean buying blind. Every single we list is checked front and back under a lamp and graded by condition: our condition guide explains exactly what Near Mint means here.
How to check a slab before you buy
- Look up the certificate number on the grader’s own website. It should show the same card and grade, and often photos of the slab.
- Check the case. It should be uncracked, unscratched and sealed, with nothing loose inside.
- Check the label matches the card: set, number, name and language.
We check every slab’s certificate number on the grader’s website before we buy it, and every graded listing shows the certificate number so you can check it too. Slabs ship wrapped in bubble wrap inside a boxed mailer, and orders over £250 go by Special Delivery, signed for and insured: see delivery.
Browse the graded cards in stock, or the top-end raw cards: our Special Illustration Rares. If you’re after a particular slab, send us a request: we can source singles and slabs from other vendors, within the budget you set.
