TAG grading explained: how the 1000-point Score works, what it costs and how it compares to PSA

TAG is the grader people either love for its data or dismiss because its slabs don’t sell like PSA’s. Both views have a point. Below is how the system actually works, using TAG’s own published scale, rubric and help pages, what each service costs today, and how a TAG grade lines up against a PSA grade for the same Pokémon card.

What is TAG grading?

TAG is a card grading company, Technical Authentication & Grading, LLC, that measures cards with imaging software instead of relying on a grader’s eye alone. Its founder, Steve Kass, says he spent about ten years building the technology, and TAG says it holds four patents on it.

For Pokémon, TAG takes English, Japanese and Chinese cards printed from 1989 on, in the standard 2½ × 3½ inch size. It doesn’t take other languages, jumbo or metal cards, autographed Pokémon cards, misprints or miscuts, and it won’t accept a card that’s still in a PSA, CGC or Beckett slab. Bridge-sized games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! aren’t accepted yet because they don’t fit the slab.

How does TAG grade a card?

A camera rig photographs the card with photometric stereo imaging (light from several angles, so dents and scratches show as shape, not just color), software maps every defect it finds, and a team reviews those findings before the grade is locked.

1. Imaging. TAG photographs the front and back and its software marks defects on the centering, corners, edges and surface of each side. That gives eight areas in all.
2. Scoring. Each defect costs points depending on how big it is, how deep it goes and where it sits. The rubric says flaws in and around a character’s face count most.
3. Verification. TAG’s quality control and grading staff go over the system’s data to catch errors and false positives. TAG says this is the longest stage, and an order can sit in it for most of its time at TAG.
4. Slabbing and imaging. The card goes into a clear acrylic slab with the grade inscribed in the plastic and a QR code that opens its digital report.

Does TAG use AI to grade cards?

Partly. TAG prefers the term machine learning: the software finds the defects, and its help center says human experts review every finding before the grade is final. So it’s fairer to call TAG machine-measured and human-checked than fully automated, even though TAG’s about page still calls it a 100% automated system.

What is the TAG Score, and how does it map to a grade?

The TAG Score is a number from 100 to 1000 that sits behind the 1 to 10 grade and shows how strong the grade is. A 951 and a 985 are both Gem Mint 10s, but the 985 is the better card, and TAG ranks every scored copy of a card on a public leaderboard.

One catch: the Score only comes with Standard and higher. On Base you get the grade alone, the card isn’t on the leaderboard, and adding a Score later means sending it back under a scored tier. The exception is a Pristine 10, which TAG scores whatever tier you paid for.

What centering does TAG need for each grade?

TAG’s Gem Mint 10 needs the front within about 55/45 and, for Pokémon and other TCG cards, the back within about 65/35. That back limit is tighter than PSA’s 75/25, which matters for Pokémon, where backs are often the weaker side.

TAG measures to the hundredth, and the help center says a single side outside 55/45 generally rules out a Gem Mint 10 on a bordered card. A front at 55.05/44.95 can show as 55/45 in the report’s summary and still miss the 10, so check the DINGS map for the exact figure. If you’re measuring your own card for PSA instead, our PSA grading scale guide has PSA’s full table.

Pristine 10 vs Gem Mint 10: what’s the difference?

A Pristine 10 scores 990 or more and is close to flawless; a Gem Mint 10 scores 950 to 989 and can carry small flaws only the imaging picks up. TAG says Pristine goes to under 1% of the cards it grades.

• Pristine 10: centering within 51/49 on the front and 52/48 on a TCG back, virtually flawless corners and edges, and a surface with only defects a person can’t see.
• Gem Mint 10: four sharp corners with minor fill or fray under high-resolution imaging, a light corner touch or two allowed on the back, and room for one very minor surface flaw such as a tiny pit or a light scratch that doesn’t break the gloss.

There’s no 9.5. TAG uses half grades everywhere except between 9 and 10: a card that beats its Mint standard is Gem Mint, and one that beats Gem Mint is Pristine.

What are the DIG report and DINGS?

The DIG (Digital Imaging and Grading) report is the online record behind every TAG slab, opened from the QR code. DINGS (Defects Identified of Notable Grade Significance) is the section that lists what drove the grade.

The report shows the grade, the Score where you paid for one, a breakdown of the eight areas, annotated defects on high-resolution images, the card’s population entry and its rank. A transparency slider lets you fade the image to see surface flaws. Premier upgrades it to DIG+, which annotates the whole card and gives each area its own 1000-point subscore.

Not every DING weighs the same. TAG’s own example: one bad corner can make a card an 8, while a 9 can carry two or three lighter issues, so a 9 may show more DINGS than an 8.

How much does TAG grading cost in 2026?

TAG charges $39.95 to $299.95 a card in the US, by turnaround, and the fee doesn’t rise with the card’s value. TAG lists all five tiers as open as of 30 September 2026; its cheaper Value and Bulk services are still paused.

Three costs sit outside the per-card fee:

• Getting cards to TAG. The US Submission Kit is $49.95 and includes packing supplies, a prepaid label and the first $1,000 of inbound coverage. Otherwise you ship and insure them yourself.
• Return shipping, worked out at checkout and signed for on delivery.
• Extra coverage if a card is worth more than its tier covers.

TAG has no minimum-grade option, so every card comes back slabbed whatever it scores. To compare these fees with PSA’s, see what PSA grading costs in 2026.

PSA vs TAG: which is better for Pokémon cards?

PSA is better for resale; TAG is better for knowing exactly why a card got its grade. The scales look alike, but they reward different cards, mostly because of back centering.

In practice, a Pokémon card with a clean front and a 70/30 back can still be a PSA 10 but tops out at a TAG 9. The other way round, TAG’s Gem Mint rubric allows a light corner touch or two on the back, so a card with perfect centering and a whisker of back wear can make TAG’s 10 more easily than PSA’s, which wants four perfectly sharp corners.

Do TAG slabs sell for as much as PSA?

Usually not, though nobody has published a careful study matching the same cards in both slabs. The sales collectors report mostly show TAG 10s going well below PSA 10s of the same card, and TAG sales are thinner, so a slab can take longer to find a buyer. TAG’s pitch is that Pristine 10s and high Scores carry a premium of their own; check real sales before you count on it. Before you choose, search eBay sold listings for your exact card in both slabs and compare sales from the same few weeks. Our guide to the best grading company for Pokémon cards puts TAG next to PSA, CGC, Beckett and SGC, and the SGC grading guide covers the other common choice outside PSA.

Is TAG grading good? Pros and cons

TAG is good at consistency and transparency, and weaker on resale value and flexibility. Here’s how that breaks down.

Pros

• You see why a card got its grade: every DING is marked on the card’s images.
• The 1000-point Score separates a strong 10 from a weak one, which a single PSA grade can’t.
• A Pristine tier above Gem Mint, with published limits.
• Flat fees with no value upcharge, and a clear, inscribed slab.

Cons

• TAG slabs usually sell for less than PSA slabs and turn over more slowly.
• Stricter back centering than PSA at 10 and 9, which hurts many Pokémon cards.
• No Score on Base, no minimum-grade option and, in general, no grade disputes.
• No crossover: a PSA or CGC slab has to be cracked first, at your own risk.
• Turnaround estimates have slipped before.

Who should use TAG?

TAG makes the most sense when the data itself is the point, or when your card is strong enough to land in the Pristine range.

• Collectors keeping a card who want to know exactly what condition it’s in.
• Cards with excellent centering on both sides that could reach Pristine or a top Score.
• Anyone chasing a leaderboard spot or a set of high-scoring copies.

If you’re grading to sell, PSA is still the safer default, and for many cards the honest answer is not to grade at all. Our guide on whether it’s worth grading Pokémon cards works through that sum, and Buddy will do it per grader once it’s on your phone.