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Checklist · Buying graded cards

How to spot a fake graded slab

A 10 minute checklist: the checks experienced buyers run before they hand over money. Free and printable, no sign up needed.

By the Mintdex team · Last checked: 29 October 2026

Download the PDFOr print this page. It prints as a two page checklist.

Read this first. No checklist can prove a slab is genuine. Good fakes exist, and some are made to pass a quick look. These checks reduce your risk. For an expensive card, buy from a source you can go back to, and if in doubt, walk away.

1Look up the certificate number yourself

  • Type the grader's web address yourself. Don't trust a QR code on the slab or a link from the seller. Fake slabs can carry codes that open a copy of a real lookup page (PreGrade).
  • Use the official lookup:PSA: psacard.com/certCGC Cards: cgccards.com/certlookupBeckett (BGS): beckett.com/grading/card-lookupACE Grading: acegrading.com/cert
  • Match every detail. The card name, set, number, year, language, variant and grade on the record must match the label and the card in your hand.
  • Compare the images, where the grader has them. CGC's lookup shows a card and its images (CGC Cards), and PSA shows front and back scans for some certificates (PSA). Check centring, edges and the holo pattern against the card in the slab.
  • Remember a real number can sit on a fake slab. Counterfeiters copy certificate numbers from genuine sold listings. A match on the lookup is necessary, not enough on its own.

2Check the label

  • Printing should be sharp. Look for fuzzy text, uneven spacing, wrong fonts, misspellings or colours that look off against a slab you know is real.
  • Check the security features the grader has made public:PSA's 2017 label redesign added a "Lighthouse" hologram that turns on and off as you angle the label, a QR code on the back and fugitive ink on both sides, alongside covert features it doesn't describe (Sports Collectors Digest, 2017).CGC Cards says its label features "microprinting, UV ink, holographic foil and a unique certification number and barcode" (CGC Cards).Beckett's newest card label, launched in 2026, adds holographics, microprinting, UV reactive details and a QR code (Sports Collectors Digest, May 2026).ACE Grading offers a certificate lookup and an authenticate check on its site (ACE Grading). We couldn't find published label security features, so rely on the lookup.
  • A UV torch helps where the grader uses UV ink. Compare against a slab you trust from the same grader and label era.
  • Label designs change over time. An older label isn't a red flag by itself, but it should match the grader's design for that period.

3Check the holder

  • Look along every seam for signs it has been opened: cracks, cloudy or frosted marks, glue or uneven edges. PSA describes its sonically welded holder as tamper evident, not tamper proof (PSA, Security: A Buyer's Guide).
  • CGC holders are ultrasonically welded and built to resist tampering (CGC Cards), so treat any sign of a reopened seam the same way.
  • The card should sit straight and still in its inner sleeve or well, without movement that a genuine holder of that type wouldn't allow.
  • Compare size, weight and the embossed logo with a slab you know is genuine from the same grader. A small digital scale and a ruler help.

4Check the card

  • Look at the card itself, not just the label. Print pattern, colour, font, holo or texture, and card thickness should match a genuine copy. A loupe helps.
  • Check it's the right card for the label. A common trick is a genuine label with a cheaper variant or a reprint inside.

5Check the deal

  • Too good to be true usually is. Compare the price with recent sold prices for the same card, grade and grader.
  • Watch for pressure. "Someone else wants it", "cash only, today" and refusals to let you look closely are warning signs.
  • Ask for more photos in good light: front, back, label close up and each edge. A genuine seller rarely minds.
  • Pay in a way that protects you. PayPal says personal (friends and family) payments aren't covered by Buyer Protection (PayPal UK), and that a seller asking for one could be a scammer (PayPal UK). Use goods and services or a card.

6Buy from sources you can go back to

  • Established shops and dealers with a real address and a returns policy.
  • Platforms with buyer protection, where you pay through the platform and not off it.
  • Sellers with history: reviews, feedback and a record you can check.
  • Keep everything: the listing, the messages, photos of the slab on arrival and your payment record.

A note from Mintdex

We're building Mintdex so that buying a graded card doesn't depend on judging a slab in two minutes. Before a card gets a verified digital version on Mintdex, the shop or vault holding it takes four fresh photographs (front, back, label and seal), an automated pre-check reads them, a duplicate certificate check runs, and a named reviewer who isn't the owner signs it off. The reviewer is accountable, not the software.

That reduces the risk. It doesn't remove it, and we won't pretend otherwise.

Mintdex is in a private pilot. Join the waitlist to hear when it opens at mintdex.io.

Keeping cards at home? Read how to keep a graded card collection safe.

Sources

All accessed 29 October 2026.

  1. PSA, Cert Verification.psacard.com/cert
  2. PSA, PSA adds free SecureScan service. Front and back images on the cert page, not available for every certificate.psacard.com/articles/articleview/9887/psa-adds-free-securescan-service-super-express-level-orders-higher
  3. PSA, PSA Security: A Buyer's Guide.psacard.com/services/psasecurityabuyersguide
  4. Sports Collectors Digest, PSA labels get new look, new technology, 26 June 2017.sportscollectorsdigest.com/collecting-101/psa-labels-get-new-look-new-technology
  5. CGC Cards, Holder and label.cgccards.com/card-grading/holder-label
  6. CGC Cards, Cert lookup.cgccards.com/certlookup/
  7. Beckett, Graded card lookup.beckett.com/grading/card-lookup
  8. Sports Collectors Digest, Beckett brings back heritage logo, launches new card-grading label, 12 May 2026.sportscollectorsdigest.com/beckett-brings-back-heritage-logo-launches-new-card-grading-label
  9. ACE Grading, Certification lookup and authenticate.acegrading.com/
  10. PreGrade, How to verify a graded card: cert lookup for all companies, 2026.pregradecards.com/blog/verify-graded-card-cert-lookup-all-companies-2026
  11. PayPal UK, What's the difference between friends and family or goods and services payments?.paypal.com/uk/cshelp/article/whats-the-difference-between-friends-and-family-or-goods-and-services-payments-help277
  12. PayPal UK, What are 'Friends and Family' payment scams?.paypal.com/uk/cshelp/article/help1165

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