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TAG Grading Explained: Scores, Cost and TAG vs PSA

9 min read MintGrade Team

Imagine a grader that looks at your card the way a doctor looks at an X-ray: same lights, same angles, same measurements, every single time. That is the pitch behind TAG Grading, and it is why so many collectors have been looking it up lately.

Here is what TAG actually does, what its scores mean, what it costs right now, and how it stacks up against PSA, with the good parts and the less good parts.

Quick answer

TAG Grading scans each card with computer imaging, gives it a 1 to 10 grade plus a precise TAG Score from 100 to 1,000, and adds a report that pictures the defects it found. As of September 2026, TAG's regular tiers are paused, with Priority listed at $149 per card and Walkthrough at $299.

Key takeaways

  • Cameras do the heavy lifting. TAG grades with what it calls Photometric Stereoscopic Imaging and turns a 100 to 1,000 score into a familiar 1 to 10 grade.
  • Two 10s, no 9.5. Pristine 10 is 990 to 1,000 and Gem Mint 10 is 950 to 989. TAG uses half points everywhere except between 9 and 10.
  • You see the "why". A DIG report shows each notable defect with high-resolution images and centering numbers, reachable by a QR code on the slab.
  • Supply is tight. As of September 2026, TAG's regular tiers are paused; Priority ($149) and Walkthrough ($299) are listed as open, plus limited drops.
  • PSA still rules resale for most Pokemon, so TAG suits collectors who value detail and precision over the biggest buyer pool.

What is TAG Grading?

TAG is a card grading company that authenticates, grades and seals cards in its own slabs, the same basic job PSA, CGC and SGC do. It grades Pokemon, sports cards, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece and many other trading card games.

What makes TAG different is how the grade gets made. Instead of relying on a grader's eye under a lamp, TAG builds each grade from high-resolution images and measurements. Its technology is covered by patents held by Tag P LLC, and TAG describes the whole system as multi-patented.

How does TAG's computer grading work?

TAG photographs each card with what it calls Photometric Stereoscopic Imaging. In plain words, that means capturing the card under light from different directions, so tiny dents, scratches and texture changes show up the way a raking flashlight reveals bumps on a wall.

From those images, TAG measures centering, corners, edges and surface, then produces a score out of 1,000. That score translates into the 1 to 10 grade printed on the slab.

What about people? TAG's patent describes a computer system designed to take the subjectivity out of grading, with machine learning that trained professional human graders help refine. TAG's public grading pages do not spell out how much a person reviews each individual card, so we will not guess.

Minty, a small round mint-green gem character with big friendly eyes, holding a magnifying loupe beside a friendly box-shaped scanner with a ring of soft lights shining down on a card with a doodle of a smiling blob creature
Same lights, same angles, every card

How does the TAG Score work?

Behind every TAG grade sits a precise TAG Score from 100 to 1,000. The grade tells you the band, and the score tells you where your card sits inside it.

TAG grade TAG Score
Pristine 10 990 to 1,000
Gem Mint 10 950 to 989
Mint 9 900 to 949
8.5 850 to 899
8 800 to 849
7.5 750 to 799
7 700 to 749
Poor 1 100 to 149

Between 7 and 1, the pattern continues in 50-point steps. TAG's own example: two Gem Mint 10s can score 950 and 975, and the 975 is the stronger 10. That precision powers TAG's leaderboards, where cards are ranked by score.

Fun fact

There is no TAG 9.5. TAG adds half points at every level except between 9 and 10, so a card is either a Mint 9 or it has cleared 950 and become a 10.

On some of TAG's lower-cost tiers the score has been an optional add-on, while Priority and Walkthrough include it. Check what your tier includes before you order.

What is in a TAG DIG report?

DIG stands for Digital Imaging and Grading report, and it is the feature that most sets TAG apart. Scan the QR code on the slab and you get high-resolution images of your card with its notable defects identified.

TAG calls those defects DINGS, short for Defects Identified of Notable Grade Significance. The report covers corner, edge and surface analysis plus centering measurements. The DIG Plus report, included with Walkthrough, breaks the card down further with precise three-digit scoring for individual attributes.

Tip

Treat the DIG report as a free lesson. If your card lost points to edge wear or a surface scratch, you now know exactly what to look for before your next submission.

How strict is TAG on centering?

TAG publishes centering targets by grade, and it treats the backs of trading card game cards (like Pokemon) differently from sports cards.

Compare that with PSA, which allows 75/25 on the back for a PSA 10. A Pokemon card with a lopsided back can be a PSA 10 candidate and still miss a TAG 10. Our card centering guide explains how to read these ratios.

Try it

Check both sides with the free card centering calculator before you send anything to TAG. It runs in your browser and never uploads the photo.

How much does TAG grading cost in September 2026?

This is where things get bumpy. TAG's site says its regular tiers are paused while it clears a backlog. As of September 2026, these are the services TAG lists as open:

TAG service Price per card Estimated turnaround Max insured value
Priority $149 About 5 business days $2,500
Walkthrough $299 2 to 3 business days $5,000

Priority includes the 1 to 10 grade, the TAG Score, a DIG report, premium imaging and a 360-degree slab video. Walkthrough adds the DIG Plus report and a card care step (fingerprint removal and deionization).

TAG also reopens in limited "drops." In late September 2026, its home page still advertised a Pokemon 30th anniversary drop at $59 per card for a grade (10-card minimum) or $79 per card with the TAG Score (5-card minimum), with an estimated 30-day turnaround. Drops are limited, so they can close quickly.

For context, Sports Illustrated reported in May 2026 that TAG had paused Basic ($22 per card), Standard ($39) and Express, keeping only Priority and Walkthrough open on a limited basis. TAG's backlog tracker, updated September 16, 2026, puts its backlog at 63 percent of capacity, down about 85 percent from a peak of 420 percent, with full catch-up estimated for October.

To see how these prices compare with PSA and CGC for your own cards, try the free grading cost calculator, and see our PSA grading cost guide for every PSA tier.

TAG vs PSA: how do they compare?

PSA is the biggest grader in the hobby, so it is the natural yardstick. Prices and turnaround are as of September 2026, from each company's own pages.

Feature TAG PSA
How grades are made Computer imaging and a 1,000-point score Trained graders, 1 to 10 scale
Top grades Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10 GEM-MT 10
Half grades Yes, except between 9 and 10 Yes, for strong cards from 2 to 9
10 centering, Pokemon About 55/45 front, 65/35 back About 55/45 front, 75/25 back
Defect details DIG report with every grade Grader Notes on Express ($199) and higher
Cheapest regular open tier Priority, $149, about 5 business days Standard, $59.99, 90 to 100 business days
Slab Grade inscribed into a clear case, phone check Classic red and white label, sealed case
Resale footprint Newer, smaller buyer pool The slab most Pokemon buyers search for

The big trade-off is simple. TAG gives you more information about your card. PSA gives you a bigger crowd of buyers: Sports Illustrated reported PSA graded 71.8 percent of the 26.8 million cards the major companies handled in 2025, and CGC 18.4 percent, leaving under 10 percent for everyone else, TAG included.

If speed is your worry at PSA, see how long PSA takes. For the other big head to heads, read PSA vs CGC and SGC vs PSA.

Two clear graded card cases side by side on a cozy desk, one card showing mountains and one showing a swirl of stars, with a small lamp and a stack of card sleeves nearby
Same card, two ways to tell its story

Is TAG grading good? Honest pros and cons

TAG is a real, working grader, not a gimmick. Whether it is good for you depends on what you want from a slab.

What TAG does well:

What to weigh before you send:

Who should use TAG?

TAG makes the most sense if you:

TAG makes less sense if you want the cheapest possible grade right now, or if you are flipping modern Pokemon to buyers who shop by PSA 10. Before paying any grader, ask whether the card earns the fee: our guide to whether your card is worth grading walks you through it.

What should you check before sending cards to TAG?

Nobody can promise you a grade at TAG or anywhere else, and a machine is no easier to charm than a person. Check centering on both sides (the back matters more at TAG), look for whitening on edges and corners, and tilt the card under a bright light for scratches and print lines.

The MintGrade app, coming soon, will do this check from a single photo.

TAG is one of the hobby's most interesting experiments in grading by camera: detailed, precise and fast when the doors are open. PSA is still the name most buyers know. Pick TAG when the story of your card matters as much as the number, and pick PSA when you want the biggest crowd at sale time.

MintGrade guides explain how grading works and help you decide what to submit. Only a grading company can assign a grade, and prices change daily, so check recent sold listings before you buy, sell or submit.

Questions collectors ask

What is a TAG Score?

It is TAG's precise score from 100 to 1,000 that sits behind its 1 to 10 grade. A Gem Mint 10 runs from 950 to 989 and a Pristine 10 from 990 to 1,000, so two cards with the same grade can still be ranked against each other.

Is TAG grading good?

TAG is a real, working grader with a detailed defect report and a precise score, which many collectors value. Its slabs have a smaller resale footprint than PSA's, and as of September 2026 its regular tiers were paused, so it suits some cards and plans better than others.

How much does TAG grading cost?

As of September 2026, TAG listed Priority at $149 per card (about 5 business days) and Walkthrough at $299 (2 to 3 business days), with its regular tiers paused. It also runs limited drops at lower prices, so check TAG's site for what is open today.

Is a TAG 10 the same as a PSA 10?

Not exactly. Both want about 55/45 centering on the front, but TAG's Gem Mint 10 asks for about 65/35 on the back of a trading card game card, tighter than PSA's 75/25. TAG also has a Pristine 10 above its Gem Mint 10, which PSA does not.

Does TAG use AI to grade cards?

TAG grades with computer imaging it calls Photometric Stereoscopic Imaging, and its patent describes machine learning that trained human graders help refine. TAG's public grading pages do not say exactly how much a person reviews each card.

Where these facts come from

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