Grader scorecard
PCA Grade
The European default for Pokemon, and largely invisible to the American market.
Our score39/100TierDNo. 9 on the scorecards
Resale standingRegionalTrusted in one market and discounted outside it.
Cheapest way in€10.90Classic, 10+ cards, cards up to €249
Typical turnaround1 month (Fast)Reader reports →
BacklogNone published
Cert lookupPublicVerify a cert →
Owned byIndependentFounded 2015
The short version
1 min to read it all, belowWhy it scores 39
The full breakdownWhere the slab sells
- eBay Authenticity GuaranteeSearchable, not covered
- Major US auction housesNot verified
- Public cert lookupYes
What to watch
PCA's own FAQ gives its full name as Professional Card Authenticator, the name that appears on eBay's grader list.
All known concernsPricing
Official price listClassic is EUR 10.90 a card from ten cards (EUR 12.90 otherwise) and is the cheapest route to a slab in Europe, but PCA itself now quotes six months.
| Tier | Price | Minimum | Card value up to | Quoted turnaround | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic, 10+ cards | €10.90per card | 10 cards | €249 | 6 months (PCA's own current quote) | Lowest declared-value band (EUR 1–249); higher-value cards are priced in separate bands |
| Classic | €12.90per card | — | €249 | 6 months (PCA's own current quote) | Lowest declared-value band (EUR 1–249); higher-value cards are priced in separate bands |
| Fast | €19.90per card | — | €249 | 1 month | Lowest declared-value band (EUR 1–249); higher-value cards are priced in separate bands |
| Fast+ | €49.90per card | — | €249 | 1 week | Lowest declared-value band (EUR 1–249); higher-value cards are priced in separate bands |
| Excelsior | €149per card | — | €249 | Same day | Hand-delivered to the Paris workshop. Lowest declared-value band (EUR 1–249); higher-value cards are priced in separate bands |
Prices as checked on 28 Sept 2026. They change often; the grader's own list is the final word.
Fast is EUR 19.90 for one month — expensive against CCC at EUR 15 and Pure at EUR 12 — and is the tier that actually delivers on time. Fast+ is EUR 49.90 for one week, and Excelsior, hand-delivered to the Paris workshop, certifies a card the same day for EUR 149. These are the rates in the lowest declared-value band (EUR 1–249); higher-value cards are priced in separate bands.
The full file
What sets them apart
The oldest grading company in France, running since 2015, and the default for Pokemon across eBay.fr and eBay.de.
Every card is assessed independently by three graders before a number is assigned — a consistency control the American majors do not publish an equivalent of.
Where the slab sells
Strong within European Pokemon circles, where PCA slabs trade normally and are understood. Thin in the United States, which is where most graded-card money moves. A PCA slab is an asset in the market it was built for and a discount elsewhere.
Turnaround
The paid Fast tier quotes one month and independent testing says it holds. The cheap Classic tier is the problem: PCA now quotes six months itself, and submitters have reported six to eight.
Price history
PCA Grade has not raised a listed price since Oct 2026.
Show the price history: 5 tiers, 0 changes
These come from our own records. Small ticks are sightings where the price held. A line ends where the evidence ends.
Classic, 10+ cards€10.90 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Classic€12.90 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Fast€19.90 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Fast+€49.90 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Excelsior€149 unchanged since 30 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: None
A compact holder, roughly 125 × 75 × 40mm, lighter and smaller than the American slabs — a real advantage in a European shipping market where weight is cost.
Example slab shown for reference, not a card the editor owns.
The two halves of the case are sealed ultrasonically.
Widely called the best-looking label in France, and that is not a trivial point for a service whose customers largely buy it to display. Grades run 1–10 with a '10+ Collector' above Gem. There is a public certification lookup, though the card database behind it is dated.
What they grade
- TCG
Who it's for
- Resale Value
- Personal Collection
- Protection & Preservation
- Display & Presentation
Resale and display inside France and francophone Europe, where the label is the local currency. If the card is heading to a US buyer, this is the wrong holder.
Known concerns
PCA's own FAQ gives its full name as Professional Card Authenticator, the name that appears on eBay's grader list.
Beyond that, the concern for a US seller is simply geography — recognition drops sharply outside Europe.
History
Founded in Paris in 2016. The leading grader in continental Europe by volume, with heavy Pokemon concentration and a strong presence on eBay's German and French sites.
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 56 / 100 (weight 40).
Market acceptance
28 / 100weight 60adds 16.8
Unverified, scored as zero: Standard inventory at the major US auction houses; Sold-price parity with the leading label, same card and grade.
Trust and verifiability
65 / 100weight 15adds 9.8
−5 The card database behind the public lookup is dated.
Unverified, scored as zero: Public population report.
Holder and label
47 / 100weight 10adds 4.7
Unverified, scored as zero: Scannable cert code on the label.
Turnaround and access
40 / 100weight 5adds 2.0
Unverified, scored as zero: Backlog figure published.
Pricing
60 / 100weight 10adds 6.0
Unverified, scored as zero: Entry price, USD, cheapest tier any submitter can use; No price rise over 25% in the last 12 months.
Weighted total 39.3, shown as 39 out of 100.
Scored on 10 Oct 2026. 7 inputs could not be verified and score zero. How we score
On the Wire
Nothing on the Wire about PCA Grade yet. It fills in as stories are reported.
Reader reports
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