TAG accepts licensed 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 trading cards manufactured from 1989-present, up to 50pt cardstock in thickness, and excluding acetate (e.g. Panini Clearly Donruss, Topps Clearly Authentic, Upper Deck Clear Cut), memorabilia/relic/jersey, lenticular (e.g. Sportflics), die-cut (e.g. Panini Crown Royale), and perforated issues (e.g. Sports Illustrated for Kids).
Cards must be on cardstock - glossy, matte, chrome, and embossed cardstocks are acceptable, however steel/metal material releases (e.g. Panini Stainless Stars, many Panini Elements issues, and 2021 Pokémon Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection) cannot be graded and encapsulated by TAG.
Additionally, TAG does not accept embossed, rounded corner cards manufactured in the 1990s by Action Packed for grading - these can only be submitted for the TAG V service.
Licensed manufacturers of modern trading cards currently accepted by TAG include Topps, Panini, Upper Deck, Parkhurst, Leaf, Wild Card, Rittenhouse, GAS Trading Cards, Cardsmiths, and Onyx among many others and include brands such as Bowman, Donruss, Score, Playoff, Hoops, Marvel, DC, Garbage Pail Kids, Star Wars, Disney, Pop Century, and more. Please reach out to TAG Customer Service at [email protected] regarding manufacturers not mentioned above if you have any questions regarding eligibility.
Regarding eligible trading card sets not currently found in TAG's database, these issues may require proof of widespread mainstream distribution (packs / boxes / sell sheets / press releases) and publicly-available comprehensive checklists before these releases can be added to TAG's database.
INPUTTING CARDS MANUALLY:
TAG's database of cards is not comprehensive and is constantly growing - many eligible new releases are not in TAG's database, as are many releases which have not been previously selected for grading. Collectors may still input card ID information manually for releases which do not populate in the Card Entry menu.
For any manual card entries, all Card ID data is reviewed by our Data Team and will be validated with checklist matches shortly following receipt to our facility, as our database is consistently evolving and updating based on new submissions. Our team will reach out in the event an order contains ineligible cards.
To input a card manually, simply identify the card to the best of your ability at the Card Entry menu - preferably with the card manufacturer, subject, card number, and any relevant parallel or subset information - and select "Add Card Manually to Order."
CUSTOM CARDS:
TAG does not under any circumstance grade custom/homemade trading cards, or other trading cards which were not printed by a major manufacturer with comprehensive and publicly-available checklists. This includes homemade cards and issues such as cards made locally for youth sports leagues.
TAG does offer a service for our collectors who wish to have images of their family, friends and loved ones in TAG slabs, through cards created directly at our facility. This service, TAG Portrait Prism, is available here: https://taggrading.com/products/customcard - this service is also available for pets and animal portraits at https://taggrading.com/products/tag-custom-card-pet-portrait-prism
AUTOGRAPHED CARDS:
TAG accepts autographed cards for grading as long as meet the above eligibility guidelines and are manufacturer-certified, e.g. pack-pulled autographs. This also includes Buyback Autograph brands such as Topps Archives Signature Series. Upper Deck Buyback Autograph cards issued with corresponding Certificates of Authenticity must have their corresponding COA cards to be accepted for grading. TAG does not authenticate in-person autographs, e.g. signatures obtained in person by collectors on cards, and cannot grade and encapsulate in-person autographs featuring certification from third-party authenticators such as PSA / DNA, JSA, or Beckett Authentication.
THICKER STOCK CARDS / OVERSIZED/ UNDERSIZED RELEASES:
TAG does not recommend sending cards thicker than standard Chrome / Optic / Prizm cardstock at this time, to prevent rejection upon receipt, e.g. sets as thick or thicker than examples including Bowman Inception, Panini Origins and Obsidian, and Topps Tier One. Additionally, TAG cannot accept cards/stickers which measure under 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 such as many Panini sticker issues and "tobacco" sized cards including Topps Allen & Ginter mini cards and Topps 206 mini cards. TAG additionally cannot accept oversized/"jumbo" cards at this time as well.
Some cards printed on dramatically thinner stock may be rejected by TAG as well - notably, TAG cannot accept Leaf Pre-Production Proofs (printed on a thin foil) for grading and encapsulation at this time.
SKETCH CARDS / PRINTING PLATES:
Licensed sketch cards, e.g. sketch cards from manufacturers such as Topps and Upper Deck can be submitted for TAG V (Authentication) services only, and must meet TAG's criteria for sizing and thickness. TAG V Authentication in regards to sketch cards only extends to the authentication of the card itself and does not reflect analysis of any aspect of the artwork.
Printing Plates are accepted for encapsulation under TAG V as well, but cannot be graded. "Altered" art cards made by independent artists without consent of the licensed manufacturer cannot currently be encapsulated by TAG.
TCG CARD GUIDELINES:
TAG's TCG program allows for the grading and encapsulation of "Poker" sized trading card games - these cards measure 2.5 x 3.5 and include Wizards of the Coast's Magic: the Gathering, Pokémon, One Piece, Disney Lorcana, Star Wars Unlimited, and other similarly-sized releases.
JAPANESE TCG AND OTHER LANGUAGES:
Only English-language TCG are currently eligible for grading with the exception of Japanese-language Pokémon TCG, One Piece, and select Dragon Ball TCG cards which meet our eligibility standard for sizing.
TAG accepts Weiss Schwarz branded TCG in English only - Japanese-language Weiss Schwarz cards are not currently eligible for grading.
TAG does not currently accept Chinese, Korean, Spanish, or German language TCG for any release.
TAG does not currently accept trading cards manufactured by Kayou.
TCG ERRORS/MISPRINT CARDS:
TAG does not accept miscuts/misprinted versions of TCG cards at this time, including undersized miscut cards and square corner miscuts.
"BRIDGE" SIZING - YU-GI-OH!, DRAGON BALL HEROES, BANDAI CARDDASS:
"Bridge"-sized trading card games such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball Heroes, and several Bandai Carddass releases measure 2.25 x 3.5 and are not yet eligible for grading with TAG due to slab restrictions. These cards are a priority for TAG in the future.
BANNED MAGIC: THE GATHERING TCG
TAG does not accept the seven cards from Magic: the Gathering sets which have been removed from Wizards of the Coast's database and banned from sanctioned play due to depictions of racism in art, name, or rules text.
These cards - Invoke Prejudice, Cleanse, Stone-Throwing Devils, Pradesh Gypsies, Jihad, Imprison, and Crusade, cannot be accepted by TAG for grading or encapsulation.
CURRENTLY INELIGIBLE POKEMON RELEASES:
Among popular Pokémon releases, the following cannot be graded by TAG at this time, due to sizing, material or authentication issues or licensing restrictions:
- Topsun Pokémon
- Carddass Vending Pokémon Prism Stickers
- 1999 Merlin Pokemon stickers
- Pokémon TCG in languages outside of English and Japanese
- Pokémon TCG which have been autographed by artists or voice actors
- Wizards of the Coast Pokémon Metal material cards, e.g. 2021 Pokémon Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection
- "Jumbo" Oversized Pokémon TCG cards
- 1999 Burger King Pokémon Gold Cards
- Pokemon Coins
- Pokedex Stickers (Peru)
- 1999 Artbox Pokémon Stickers
- 2000 Topps Pokémon TV Animation Clear Cards
- 2004 Pokemon Advanced Action
- Pokemon Action Flipz cards
- Mezastar Pokemon tags
- Funskool brand Pokémon cards
- Lamincard Pokémon releases
- 2023 Pokémon Popping Candy 24K Gold Plating stickers
TAG's eligibility guidelines are otherwise kept up-to-date at https://taggrading.com/pages/currently-grading
BOXES/PACKS/UNCUT SHEETS AND OTHER COLLECTIBLES:
While TAG's patents do offer the possibility in the future of using our technology to analyze, grade and authenticate other collectibles, TAG does not accept sealed packs of cards, sealed boxes of trading cards, uncut sheets of trading cards, comic books, paper money/coins, photographs, video games, toys, or other collectibles for grading at this time.
All expansions of TAG's services will be announced through our social media channels @TAGgrading, our community Discord and Facebook groups, and through the TAG Grading newsletter.
You can begin your TAG Grading Order by purchasing a Submission at http://www.taggrading.com/collections/grading