Yes, cracking a Beckett 8.5 Metagross is risky and rarely worth it. The primary danger lies in the physical process itself—opening a Beckett slab exposes the card to dust, fingerprints, and potential damage from the cracking tools, any of which could lower the grade if you resubmit. For a Metagross currently sitting in a Beckett 8.5, you already have a certified, authenticated card with an established market value.
The moment you crack that slab open, you lose that authentication guarantee and the card becomes vulnerable to condition changes that only a fresh grading assessment can reveal. The realistic scenario: you crack open your Beckett 8.5 Metagross hoping to achieve a 9 or 10 with another grader or a resubmission, but during the cracking process, a microscopic dust particle settles on the card’s surface, or you accidentally apply uneven pressure that causes a light crease. When the card comes back from resubmission, it grades as an 8 or even 7.5—you’ve just destroyed your card’s documented condition history and potentially reduced its value by hundreds of dollars.
Table of Contents
- What Does a Beckett 8.5 Grade Actually Represent?
- The Physical Risks of Opening a Beckett Slab
- The Metagross Card Specifically—Why This Matters
- When Resubmission Might Be Considered—And Why It Usually Isn’t
- Grading Service Competition and the BGS Question
- The Hidden Cost of Lost Authentication History
- Future-Proofing Your Graded Collection
- Conclusion
What Does a Beckett 8.5 Grade Actually Represent?
A beckett 8.5 is considered “near mint” territory, sitting just below the “mint” threshold of 9. This grade indicates the card has minimal wear, clean corners, good centering, and no major surface or back issues. For most Pokémon cards, an 8.5 is already in the top 5-10% of condition for the print run, especially for older or more heavily played sets.
A Metagross card at this grade level is already quite valuable if it’s a chase card or rare version. The gap between an 8.5 and a 9 might seem small numerically, but it represents a distinct jump in the grading standard. Beckett’s scale is exacting—the difference between these grades can hinge on the presence of even minor surface wear visible only under specific lighting conditions. Many collectors and dealers consider an 8.5 a practical ceiling for cards that have seen any actual play or exposure, making it a legitimate “best version” for many cards in collections.
The Physical Risks of Opening a Beckett Slab
The primary danger of cracking a Beckett slab is not subtle. Beckett slabs are designed to stay sealed for decades, and opening one introduces risk at every step. Whether you use a hair dryer to soften the adhesive, a thin blade to pry the sides, or a specialized tool, you’re working millimeters away from the card surface. A single slip can result in a cut corner, a surface crease, or a scratched finish on the glossy portions of the card. For graded cards, even micro-damage is detectable under the grader’s loupe.
Heat exposure during the cracking process presents another hazard. If you use a heat gun or hair dryer to soften the adhesive, uneven heat distribution can warp the card slightly or damage the card’s finish. Vintage or temperature-sensitive cards are especially vulnerable. Once removed from the slab, the card is also exposed to humidity fluctuations and dust particles in your workspace that were previously locked behind the slab’s sealed environment. This contamination is cumulative and persistent—you cannot “clean it off” without risking further damage to the card’s surface.
The Metagross Card Specifically—Why This Matters
Metagross has several highly desirable versions worth considering: the Metagross-EX from Flashfire, the Metagross from Shining Legends, and various secret rare and full-art versions from recent sets. If your Beckett 8.5 Metagross is one of these competitive versions, the current market value at that grade is already locked in. For a Shining Legends Metagross-EX at 8.5, you’re looking at a card worth $150-400 depending on the exact version and market conditions. If you crack that slab and resubmit, and the card comes back as an 8, you’ve potentially lost $50-150 in value—a direct financial hit.
The risk is compounded if the Metagross in question is from an older or more limited release. Vintage Metagross cards carry authentication weight that is critical to their value, and the Beckett slab serves as that proof. Once cracked, you have no independent verification that the card is authentic, even though you know it is. Future buyers will require documentation or may demand a discount to account for the lack of graded authenticity.
When Resubmission Might Be Considered—And Why It Usually Isn’t
There are theoretical scenarios where cracking a slab makes sense, but they are narrow. If you have a Beckett 8 or below and a new advanced grading service with a different assessment criteria enters the market, or if you have evidence that Beckett’s grading standards for a specific card have shifted, you might consider resubmitting. In practice, this almost never applies to a card already graded 8.5.
The time between submission and return (usually 2-4 weeks for standard service) represents additional exposure risk, not to mention the resubmission fee ($10-30 depending on service level). Some collectors crack slabs to sell cards ungraded at a lower price point to move inventory quickly, but this is a value destruction strategy, not a value creation one. You’re giving up the graded certification premium to access a different buyer pool. If your Metagross isn’t selling at its current grade and price, cracking it doesn’t change the underlying card condition—it just removes the documented proof of that condition.
Grading Service Competition and the BGS Question
If you’re considering cracking your Beckett 8.5 Metagross specifically to submit to BGS, it’s important to know that BGS (formerly Beckett Grading Services) and Beckett are the same company now. Resubmitting to the same grading entity under a different brand name will not produce a different grade—you’ll be paying a fee to potentially receive the same 8.5 or worse. There is no second-opinion advantage here.
If you’re considering submitting to a competing grader like PSA or CGC, be aware that their grading standards can differ slightly from Beckett, and there’s no guarantee they’ll grade higher. PSA has been known to grade slightly more strictly in some categories, while CGC has its own criteria. You might crack your Beckett 8.5 Metagross expecting a PSA 9, only to receive a PSA 8.5 or lower—and you’ve now locked yourself into a different grading ecosystem without gaining value. The lack of standardization across graders is a feature, not a bug—it means there’s no universally “better” grader to chase.
The Hidden Cost of Lost Authentication History
A graded card carries two values: the card itself and its documented condition history. The Beckett slab includes a serial number, grade, and certification details that are publicly searchable on Beckett’s database. When you crack the slab, you sever this chain of custody. Even if you resubmit and receive the same or higher grade, the new grading is associated with a new serial number, creating a gap in the card’s provenance.
For serious collectors and investors, this matters. A Beckett 8.5 Metagross with a clear authentication trail has a slight premium over an ungraded version with the same physical condition, because the grade is independently verified. Once you crack it and go ungraded, even temporarily, you lose that premium permanently. Future buyers will see a resubmitted card with no clear explanation for why the original slab was opened, which raises questions about potential condition issues or handling damage.
Future-Proofing Your Graded Collection
The safest approach to maximizing card value is to keep graded cards in their slabs unless you have a specific, high-confidence reason to open them. The market for graded Pokémon cards continues to mature, and authentication and condition documentation will only become more valuable over time. If your Beckett 8.5 Metagross isn’t selling, the problem is likely market timing or pricing, not the slab itself.
Looking forward, grading standards may evolve, but the Beckett 8.5 grade you hold today will remain a valid historical data point. If you’re concerned about the grade’s long-term value perception, the better move is to lower the asking price and find the right buyer, rather than risk downgrading the card through resubmission. The preservation of the original graded condition is an asset that compounds in value as the card ages.
Conclusion
Cracking a Beckett 8.5 Metagross for BGS submission is not a sound strategy. The physical risks of damage during the cracking process, the lack of any grading advantage from resubmitting to the same company, and the loss of authenticated condition documentation all point toward keeping the card sealed. You already have what most collectors want: a card with documented near-mint condition and independent verification of authenticity.
If you’re considering this move because the card isn’t selling at its current price, the answer is not to crack the slab but to adjust your expectations or marketing approach. Keep your Beckett 8.5 Metagross in its slab, maintain the grading chain of custody, and hold confidence in the card’s documented condition. That slab is the card’s best asset, not its limitation.
