Grader scorecard
Mana Grading
Publishes its reasoning for the grade, which almost nobody else does.
Our score31/100TierDNo. 18 on the scorecards
Resale standingRaw valueOn a high-value card, expect a buyer to cut it out and regrade it.
Cheapest way in$11.70Bulk Order, 100-card minimum
Typical turnaround20–25 daysReader reports →
BacklogNone published
Cert lookupPublicVerify a cert →
Owned byIndependent
The short version
1 min to read it all, belowWhy it scores 31
The full breakdownWhere the slab sells
- eBay Authenticity GuaranteeNot verified
- Major US auction housesNot verified
- Public cert lookupYes
What to watch
Publishing defect reasoning alongside the grade is genuinely unusual and worth more than it currently gets credit for — it is checkable in a way most grading is not.
All known concernsPricing
Official price listPriced by speed and by whether AI assists the grade: $12 a card with no AI (30 business days), $14 Economy AI (30 to 40), $18 Standard AI (20 to 25), $30 Express AI (3 to 5) and $50 Warp Speed AI (24 hours).
| Tier | Price | Minimum | Quoted turnaround | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk Order | $11.70per card | 100 cards | — | Its own tier; discounts start at 10 cards, $11.70 is the 100+ rate |
| No AI | $12per card | — | 30 business days | |
| Economy AI | $14per card | — | 30–40 business days | |
| Standard AI | $18per card | — | 20–25 business days | |
| Express AI | $30per card | — | 3–5 business days | |
| Warp Speed AI | $50per card | — | 24 hours |
Prices as checked on 9 Oct 2026. They change often; the grader's own list is the final word.
Bulk of 100 or more is $11.70 a card.
The full file
What sets them apart
The widest TCG coverage of any grader on this site by a distance — Lorcana, One Piece, Union Arena, Weiss Schwarz, Flesh & Blood, Naruto Kayou and dozens more, with unlisted sets added on request.
Grading runs through an AI system Mana calls Dragon Eye, which checks for trimming and inking and assigns provisional centering, surface, edge and corner scores before a human confirms them.
Where the slab sells
Recognition is building rather than established, and concentrated in the TCG categories it serves. Not covered by eBay's Authenticity Guarantee. The broad title coverage is a real advantage for collectors whose cards the majors will not take.
Turnaround
A wide published ladder: 30 business days on the human-only tier, 20–25 on Standard AI, 3–5 on Express and 24 hours on Warp Speed.
Reviewers report one to three weeks in practice.
Price history
Mana Grading has not raised a listed price since Oct 2026.
Show the price history: 6 tiers, 0 changes
These come from our own records. Small ticks are sightings where the price held. A line ends where the evidence ends.
Bulk Order$11.70 unchanged since 26 Oct 2026
No AI$12 unchanged since 26 Oct 2026
Economy AI$14 unchanged since 26 Oct 2026
Standard AI$18 unchanged since 26 Oct 2026
Express AI$30 unchanged since 26 Oct 2026
Warp Speed AI$50 unchanged since 26 Oct 2026
Every change
| Date | Tier | Change | Source |
|---|
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: Four, online only
Reviewers single out the slab and label quality, particularly on Naruto Kayou, where Mana is one of very few graders covering the set at all.
Example slab shown for reference, not a card the editor owns.
The cases are sonic welded, and Mana says one cannot be opened without the weld frosting.
Subgrades and the full defect report live in a free Mana Studio account rather than on the label, reachable by cert lookup.
What they grade
- TCG
Who it's for
- Personal Collection
- Condition Documentation
- Protection & Preservation
- Display & Presentation
TCG only, and genuinely broad within it. The draw is the grade report and the breadth of sets covered, not resale.
Known concerns
Publishing defect reasoning alongside the grade is genuinely unusual and worth more than it currently gets credit for — it is checkable in a way most grading is not.
The open question is the one facing every AI-assisted grader: how the system handles surface under fixed lighting, where a human can tilt the card and a camera rig cannot. Review volume is strong but the sample is young.
History
Based in Santa Ana, California. AI-assisted grading at around $18 a card, covering a broad TCG range including titles the majors largely ignore, such as Naruto Kayou.
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 10 / 100 (weight 60). The other four parts together 63 / 100 (weight 40).
Market acceptance
10 / 100weight 60adds 6.0
Unverified, scored as zero: eBay Authenticity Guarantee; Standard inventory at the major US auction houses; Sold-price parity with the leading label, same card and grade; Recognised in a major non-US market.
Trust and verifiability
60 / 100weight 15adds 9.0
+5 Defect reasoning is published alongside the grade, which makes it checkable in a way most grading is not.
Unverified, scored as zero: Years operating; Public population report.
Holder and label
40 / 100weight 10adds 4.0
+5 Reviewers single out the slab and label quality.
Unverified, scored as zero: Standard footprint that fits hobby cases; Scannable cert code on the label.
Turnaround and access
80 / 100weight 5adds 4.0
Unverified, scored as zero: Backlog figure published.
Pricing
80 / 100weight 10adds 8.0
Unverified, scored as zero: No price rise over 25% in the last 12 months.
Weighted total 31.0, shown as 31 out of 100.
Scored on 10 Oct 2026. 10 inputs could not be verified and score zero. How we score
On the Wire
Nothing on the Wire about Mana Grading yet. It fills in as stories are reported.
Reader reports
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