ACE grading vs PSA vs CGC: which to use in Ireland

ACE grading, PSA and CGC compared for Ireland: what each costs, where the cards go, how strict they are, and what a 10 from each is worth when you sell.

We send cards to PSA and to ACE every month from the shop, so we get asked this a lot. Which grader? The honest answer depends on the card and what you want the slab for. Here is how we explain it at the counter.

The short answer

• Card worth real money, and you might sell it: PSA. A PSA 10 sells for the most, full stop.
• Card you love and want protected and displayed, or a modern card worth under €50: ACE. Cheaper, quick, strict, and it looks well on a shelf.
• You want a CGC slab specifically: you can, but from Ireland it means posting to their UK office and dealing with customs both ways.

What each one costs from Ireland

Prices as of October 2026. Each grader changes them, so check their site or ask us before you send anything.

Grader	Through us	Direct from Ireland	Where the cards go
PSA	Regular €95 a card (value up to about $1,500), Express €160 (about $2,500)	PSA Europe is taking dealer submissions first, so for now the route from Ireland is through a dealer	PSA Europe in Frankfurt, inside the EU
ACE	From €20 a card, no minimum (under 5 cards add €5 a card)	Basic £18, Standard £25, Premier £32, with a 20 card minimum for international orders and €57.50 return shipping to Ireland	ACE's EU intake, so no customs forms either way
CGC	We don't send to CGC	Bulk £16.80 (25 cards or more), Economy £19, Standard £54, Express £96, plus postage	CGC's UK office in London, outside the EU

Turnaround is the one to watch. ACE quotes 30 working days on Basic, 15 on Standard and 10 on Premier. CGC UK is quoting 50 working days on every tier right now. PSA's times move with their workload, and our PSA batches go off once a month, so add the wait for the next batch.

A note on customs. Since the shop sends to PSA Europe and to ACE's EU address, nothing crosses a customs border. A parcel to CGC in London does, there and back, and that is where surprise charges come from.

What a 10 is worth

This is the part people skip, and it is the part that matters if you ever sell.

PSA 10 is the one buyers pay for. On a popular card a PSA 10 can be several times the price of the same card raw, and on vintage cards the gap is bigger again. PSA has the longest track record and the biggest population report, so a buyer knows exactly what they are getting.

ACE 10 sells for more than the raw card, but nowhere near a PSA 10 of the same card. The ACE slab is well made and the grading is respected, but the market has not caught up, and may never. Treat ACE as a way to protect a card you are keeping, not a way to add value to a card you are selling.

CGC 10 sits between the two. CGC is big in comics and has a growing name in cards, and a CGC Pristine 10 does carry a premium, but in Ireland and the UK you will find fewer buyers who care about it than about PSA.

How strict each one is

These are the four questions Google says people ask, so here they are straight.

Is an ACE 10 a PSA 10? No. They are different companies with different scales, and a card that gets a 10 from one can get a 9 from the other. ACE 10s are hard to get, and the card is usually very clean, but you cannot cross it into a PSA 10 and expect the same number.

Is ACE grading worth anything? Yes, for the right card. You get a strict, consistent grade, a sealed holder with a proper label, and a record on their site. What you do not get is a PSA price when you sell. If the card is worth under €50 raw, ACE through us at €20 is the sensible way to slab it. If it is worth €300, pay the €95 and send it to PSA.

Is a PSA 9 better than an ACE 10? For the card, no. An ACE 10 has fewer flaws than a PSA 9. For resale, yes, in most cases. A PSA 9 of a popular card usually sells for more than an ACE 10 of the same card. That tells you everything about which slab the market trusts.

Is ACE grading harsh? It has that reputation, and we would say it is earned. ACE will find the edge whitening and the surface scratch you did not see. That is a good thing if you want an honest grade, and a frustrating thing if you were hoping for a 10 on a card you pulled and sleeved a week later.

Before you send anything

Look at the card under a light, front and back, and tilt it. Whitening on the back edges, a scratch across the holo, a dent from a sleeve, or a soft corner will cost you a grade with every one of these companies. A 9 is still a lovely card, but you are paying the same fee for a 9 as for a 10, so it is worth being honest with yourself first. If you are not sure, bring it in and we will look at it with you before you commit. We do that at the counter for free.

Check the value too. There is no sense paying €95 to grade a card worth €15, unless you are keeping it forever and want it in a PSA case for its own sake, which is a fair reason. Our post on how to check what your Pokémon cards are worth goes through it.

Sending cards through us

We are Ireland's only official PSA dealer, and we send ACE submissions too. You fill in the submission online, drop the cards in to 75 York Road or post them to us, and we log them, pack them, ship them and track them, then you collect your slabs from the shop or we post them back. PSA goes off once a month. ACE has no minimum, so a single card is fine.

• Grade with PSA: Regular €95, Express €160.
• Grade with ACE: from €20 a card.
• Submit in person: how the drop off works.

If you are selling rather than keeping, read where to sell Pokémon cards in Ireland first. For most cards the grading fee is better spent elsewhere. For the right card, it is the best money you will spend on it.