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Our Design and Grading Technology
At TCG Grading, presentation is never an afterthought.
Every design decision, from label layout to slab construction to packaging is made with durability, security, and visual impact in mind.
Our goal is simple: protect your collectible, present it beautifully, and ensure it can be verified with confidence.
TCG Grading Design
Label Design:
Our grading labels are designed to balance clarity, security, and premium presentation. Each label is printed on high-quality material and finished with a foil holographic front face, creating depth and visual contrast, particularly when paired with foil or premium card finishes.
The label construction uses a multi-layered material design, combining visual sophistication with practical security, making it significantly more difficult to replicate or alter while preserving the holographic look and feel.
A QR code on the reverse links directly to our online verification system, allowing collectors and buyers to confirm grading details quickly and securely.
For added protection, labels also incorporate a foil holographic security sticker, providing an additional layer of authenticity and tamper awareness.
Every label is carefully laid out to display essential information clearly, without visual clutter, ensuring the focus remains on the collectible itself.
TCG & Booster Slab Design:
TCG Grading slabs are engineered for clarity, durability, and security.
Our card slabs are manufactured from premium, crystal-clear PMMA-based resin, selected for its optical clarity and long-term stability. Each slab is sonic welded, permanently sealing the holder and making any attempt at tampering immediately visible. Cards are held securely within the slab with minimal internal movement, reducing the risk of shifting during handling or transport.
We also offer slabs of equal quality for sealed booster packs, designed specifically to support their size and structure while maintaining the same clarity and security standards.
Every slab is designed to protect the item inside while showcasing it without distortion.
Funko POP & Video Game Cases:
For larger collectibles such as Funko Pops and sealed video games, we’ve designed dedicated display cases that prioritise both protection and presentation.
Each case is constructed from hard, durable, crystal-clear acrylic, with precision-fit panels secured using high-strength, cement-grade resin bonding. This creates a rigid, stable enclosure that protects the item while maintaining exceptional optical clarity.
The internal design centres the collectible within the case, creating a subtle floating effect that allows the item to be viewed cleanly from all angles. Pops and games appear balanced, framed, and intentionally displayed not pressed against edges or visually crowded.
These cases are designed not just to secure sealed collectibles, but to elevate them - turning boxed items into display-ready centrepieces while preserving their integrity and authenticity.
Packaging & Unboxing:
Protection doesn’t stop at encapsulation.
Every completed order is packed using secure, premium packaging, designed to keep graded items snug, protected, and stable during transit.
Materials are selected to minimise movement and absorb impact, ensuring your collectibles arrive in the same condition they left us.
We also believe presentation matters. From first inspection to final unboxing, the experience should reflect the care taken at every stage of the grading process.
Custom Label Options:
In addition to our standard label design, we offer two premium customisation options for collectors seeking a more distinctive presentation
Colour-Matched Labels:
Colour-matched labels are designed using palettes and visual cues drawn directly from the card or set such as team colours, branding elements, or dominant tones in the artwork. This option is particularly popular for sports cards and modern releases, where cohesion and visual balance are key.
Custom-Art Labels:
Custom art labels are individually hand-illustrated by our in-house artist on a card-by-card basis. Each piece is inspired by the original card artwork and creatively extended or re-imagined to form a one-of-one label.
This is not decoration. It’s authorship.
Custom art labels transform a graded card into a truly unique slab, making them especially suited to display pieces, personal collections, and signature cards.
TCG Grading Technology Integration
We combine professional human expertise with a layered suite of modern inspection tools to assess condition, authenticity, and integrity with clarity and consistency. Different items and different risk profiles call for different levels of inspection, and our process is designed to apply the right tool at the right time.
Forensic Level Capability:
We utilise a range of forensic-level inspection technologies to examine cards and collectibles at magnifications far beyond the naked eye.
Not every item requires the same depth of analysis. Consistency in grading is achieved through consistent standards, not identical inspection paths. Our process applies the appropriate level of analysis required to confidently reach the correct grade for each item.
Where deeper analysis is needed, forensic inspection tools are used. Where appropriate, items are examined using advanced microscopic inspection systems capable of revealing surface characteristics and alterations that are otherwise invisible, including:
- Micro scratches and abrasions
- Print defects and surface inconsistencies
- Evidence of surface alteration or tampering
- Pressing, resurfacing, or artificial enhancement
This forensic capability allows us to investigate condition and originality with a higher degree of confidence when risk factors or visual indicators are present.
Across the grading process, items are examined at multiple points and angles, ensuring a thorough understanding of surface condition rather than reliance on a single inspection pass.
Magnification, Lighting & Supporting Tools
In addition to advanced microscopic inspection, we utilise a layered examination approach, combining:
- Professional magnification lenses
- Jeweller’s loupes
- Controlled lighting environments
- UV Light inspection
- High-Resolution digital imaging and scanning
This combination allows graders to assess texture, ink behaviour, gloss, edges, corners, and surface consistency under varied conditions replicating how experienced collectors and professionals naturally inspect cards, but with greater precision and repeatability.
Lighting is carefully controlled to reveal surface wear, edge whitening, and print characteristics without introducing glare or distortion.
Modernized Grading Scale
We combine established industry grading standards like our 1-10 grading system based on sub-grade examination with a modern, data-driven approach to deliver grades that are precise and consistent.
The TCG Grading 1-10 Scale
We grade all items using a 1-10 scale, where:
- 1 represents Poor condition
- 10 represents Gem Mint or Flawless condition (depending on the sub-grades)
This scale aligns with widely recognised industry conventions, making TCG Grading results easy to understand, compare, and contextualise within the broader collecting market.
Our Structured 100 Point Analysis
This structured analysis approach helps reduce subjectivity and improves consistency across all submissions.
Consistency Through Process
Every item we grade is based on multiple core sub-grade areas specific to condition indicators of each item. Each sub-grade contributes to the overall assessment, allowing graders to balance visual condition with measurable factors rather than weighting a single attribute too heavily.
Expertise, Supported by Structure
Technology and structure matter but final grades are assigned by experienced professional graders.
Human judgement remains essential. Pattern recognition, contextual knowledge, and experience across franchises and print eras are what allow graders to interpret what tools reveal. Every grade represents the outcome of professional expertise supported by modern inspection systems.
Precision Engineered Encapsulation
TCG Grading uses precision-engineered, high-quality encapsulation slabs designed to meet modern collector and preservation standards.
Modern Materials & Optical Clarity
TCG Grading uses precision-engineered encapsulation slabs designed to meet modern collector and preservation expectations.
Our slabs are manufactured from high-quality, crystal-clear acrylic-based materials, selected for optical clarity, durability, and long-term stability.
These materials allow collectors to examine colour, contrast, and surface detail without removing the item from its protective case.
Sonic Welded for Security
Each slab is sonic welded, permanently sealed using ultrasonic energy rather than adhesives. This process:
- Creates a strong, uniform bond around the perimeter
- Enhances tamper resistance
- Eliminates weak points that could be pried or separated
- Once sealed, the slab forms a secure, enclosed environment designed to protect the item inside.
Precision Fit & Stability:
Internal slab tolerances are carefully engineered to:
- Minimize internal movement
- Maintain proper alignment
- Reduce the risk of edge or corner stress
This precision fit helps preserve condition over time while maintaining a clean, professional presentation.
Designed for collectors:
Our slab design balances protection, visibility, and usability:
- Comfortable to handle and stack
- Suitable for storage, display, and long-term collection
- Built to maintain structural integrity under normal use
The result is peace of mind and a presentation worthy of the collectible inside.
