Grader scorecard
Ace Grading
The sensible choice for grading Pokémon in the UK or EU — but a US buyer won't pay a premium for an Ace slab.
Our score38/100TierDNo. 10 on the scorecards
Resale standingRegionalTrusted in one market and discounted outside it.
Cheapest way in£18Basic
Typical turnaround30 business daysReader reports →
BacklogNone published
Cert lookupPublicVerify a cert →
Owned byIndependentFounded 2021
The short version
2 min to read it all, belowWhy it scores 38
The full breakdownWhere the slab sells
- eBay Authenticity GuaranteeSearchable, not covered
- Major US auction housesNot standard inventory
- Public cert lookupYes
What to watch
Recognition is regional, and that is the whole risk. In UK and EU Pokémon circles Ace has a real following; in the US sports-card market, where most graded-card money moves, its slabs carry little weight.
All known concernsPricing
Official price listSeven levels, and the two cheapest are gated. Core (£12, 75 business days) and Value (£14, 60) are for AceSelect members only, so the open floor is Basic at £18 on a 30-day wait.
| Tier | Price | Quoted turnaround | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £18per card | 30 business days | |
| Standard | £22per card | 15 business days | |
| Premier | £28per card | 10 business days | |
| Ultra | £50per card | 5 business days | |
| Luxury | £100per card | 2 business days | |
| CoreRestricted | £12per card | 75 business days | AceSelect members only |
| ValueRestricted | £14per card | 60 business days | AceSelect members only |
Prices as checked on 26 Oct 2026. They change often; the grader's own list is the final word.
From there, paying for speed still escalates steeply, though less than before a price cut in late October 2026: Standard is £22 for 15 days (was £25), Premier £28 for 10 (was £32), Ultra £50 for 5 (was £60) and Luxury £100 for 2 (was £120). Priced in pounds throughout, so anyone submitting from outside the UK is adding international shipping to every figure.
The full file
What sets them apart
A seven-level UK operation, priced in pounds, with colour-match and Ace-branded label options as paid add-ons. The two cheapest tiers are reserved for AceSelect members.
Strong standing in UK and European Pokémon circles specifically, where slab design and turnaround are weighted heavily.
Where the slab sells
Acceptance here is geographic. An Ace slab works in the market it was built for and travels poorly into the US, which is where most graded-card money moves.
eBay
Listed in eBay's professional grader filter, but not covered by the Authenticity Guarantee, so Ace slabs receive no eBay authentication or buyer protection at any price.
Auction houses
Not standard inventory at Goldin, Heritage or PWCC, all of which are US-centric and key to the four majors.
Card shops and general resale
Genuine recognition within UK and European Pokémon circles, where Ace is an established name and slabs trade normally.
Turnaround
Basic; Ultra tier is 5 days at GBP 60
Price history
Ace Grading has not raised a listed price since Oct 2026.
Show the price history: 7 tiers, 2 changes
These come from our own records. Small ticks are sightings where the price held. A line ends where the evidence ends.
Basic£18 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Standard£22 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Premier£28 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Ultra£50 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Luxury£100 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Paused or retired
CoreRestricted since 30 Oct 2026 · was £12
ValueRestricted since 30 Oct 2026 · was £14
Every change
| Date | Tier | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Oct 2026 | Core | Paused at £12Routine checked the pricing page: unchanged | Our twice-weekly check |
| 30 Oct 2026 | Value | Paused at £14Routine checked the pricing page: unchanged | Our twice-weekly check |
An archived page shows the price on the day it was saved, so a change happened somewhere between that page and the one before it.
The slab and the label
Subgrades: None
A standard clear holder in roughly PSA's footprint.
Example slab shown for reference, not a card the editor owns.
A clean white flip with barcode and cert number, checkable through Ace's own lookup. Restrained and legible — a UK-facing label that copies nobody, which is rarer here than it should be.
What they grade
- Sports Cards
- TCG
Who it's for
- Personal Collection
- Protection & Preservation
Personal collections and protection, particularly for UK and European collectors who avoid transatlantic shipping. Tiers run GBP 12 to GBP 120 by speed.
Known concerns
Recognition is regional, and that is the whole risk. In UK and EU Pokémon circles Ace has a real following; in the US sports-card market, where most graded-card money moves, its slabs carry little weight.
If you may eventually sell into the US, that gap costs more than the shipping saved. Pricing also moved sharply on 1 June 2026 — increases of roughly 50 to 140 percent across tiers — which drew visible collector backlash; the tiers and prices on this scorecard already reflect the new, higher rates. Elite 4 Trading and Grading, an Ace partner, formally ended its affiliation over the increase.
History
Ace Grading launched in 2021 in the United Kingdom, built on a gap the American majors left open: submitters outside the US faced international shipping, customs and a long return leg to grade a card.
Ace offered a domestic alternative.
Its focus followed the European market's center of gravity — Pokémon and other TCG rather than sports cards — and it has grown a solid regional reputation on that basis.
Recognition in the US sports-card market remains limited.
Score breakdown
Five parts, each scored 0 to 100 and weighted. Market acceptance carries 60 of the 100, because the point of a slab is what the market pays for it.
Market acceptance 28 / 100 (weight 60). The other four parts together 53 / 100 (weight 40).
Market acceptance
28 / 100weight 60adds 16.8
Unverified, scored as zero: Sold-price parity with the leading label, same card and grade.
Trust and verifiability
65 / 100weight 15adds 9.8
−5 Elite 4 Trading and Grading, an Ace partner, formally ended its affiliation over the June 2026 price increase.
Unverified, scored as zero: Public population report.
Holder and label
57 / 100weight 10adds 5.7
+5 A clean, legible label that copies nobody.
Unverified, scored as zero: Sealed, tamper-evident holder.
Turnaround and access
65 / 100weight 5adds 3.3
+5 A 5-day Ultra tier exists at GBP 60.
Pricing
25 / 100weight 10adds 2.5
−5 Priced in GBP only, so non-UK submitters add international shipping to every figure.
Unverified, scored as zero: Entry price, USD, cheapest tier any submitter can use; Limits on that tier.
Weighted total 38.0, shown as 38 out of 100.
Scored on 5 Oct 2026. 5 inputs could not be verified and score zero. How we score
On the Wire
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