Grading disclaimer

Every grade shown by Prelim is an estimate, not an official grade. It is made automatically from your photos. No grading company has seen or handled your card, and the result is not a grade, label or certification from PSA, Beckett (BGS), CGC, TAG or anyone else.

Estimates are always company-specific, because each company grades to its own standards. They are made by comparing your photos with photos of slabs graded by that company, and are capped by visible defects. Photos can miss things that are obvious in hand, so a grading company may grade the same card differently, or decline to grade it.

When the evidence is thin, the result says “Needs review” or “Not enough slab data yet” instead of guessing. If two models disagree by two or more grades, or confidence is under 50%, the result is flagged and the lower estimate is shown. Prelim does not authenticate cards.

No accuracy figures are claimed. Accuracy is being measured on a fresh held-out set registered in advance, and numbers will be published only from that set. See the FAQ.

Prelim is independent. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by PSA, Beckett (BGS), CGC, TAG, Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK or The Pokémon Company. Pokémon is a trademark of its owners. Company names are used only to describe which company’s scale an estimate refers to.

Prices are raw (ungraded) values from third-party market sources, such as TCGplayer market prices and PriceCharting, shown with their source and date. Recent sales are shown where available. Prices change and may be incomplete.

The “worth grading?” read is a conservative first look that weighs value against grading and shipping costs. Nothing on this site is investment, financial or tax advice, or an offer to buy or sell. Decisions to grade, buy or sell a card are yours.

[Any further disclaimer wording — counsel to confirm]