A written trade sheet for Pokémon slabs should record each sealed, graded card's company, exact grade, certification number, agreed value, and visible concerns. It is a practical deal record, not an industry-required form or a substitute for certification checks. The reviewed PSA and CGC materials do not establish a mandatory trade-sheet standard. Buyers and sellers can create their own, but every entry should separate verified slab data from negotiated value and personal observations.
Table of Contents
- What belongs on the trade sheet?
- How should cert numbers be verified?
- How should trade values be recorded?
- What does the slab grade say about condition?
- Complete the exchange without overstating the sheet
What belongs on the trade sheet?
Use one line or block for each slab. Copy identifying details from the label and certification record instead of relying on a shortened listing title. Record these fields: Write "PSA GEM MT 10" or "CGC Pristine 10," not simply "10." The company and label matter because grading terminology is not interchangeable across grading companies.
- Grading company
- Certification number
- Year and Pokémon set
- Card name and card number
- Variety, if listed
How should cert numbers be verified?
Enter each certification number into the grader's official verification tool. Compare the returned card description, number, variety, and grade with the physical label or clear photographs. PSA says its lookup confirms the database record, but warns that counterfeit holders can display genuine public cert numbers. A successful search therefore does not guarantee that the offered slab is authentic according to PSA's certification guidance.
When images appear in the certification record, compare them with the offered slab. Check the card's orientation, visible print features, label details, and holder appearance. cgc also allows verification by cert number or QR code and can display holdered-card images. A useful trade-sheet entry might read: "PSA cert 119006924 — 2022 Brilliant Stars Charizard V #154 — PSA GEM MT 10." That information matches PSA's certification record for the example card. If any label detail conflicts with the database entry, pause the trade rather than explaining away the mismatch.
How should trade values be recorded?
Treat value as an agreement between the parties, not a permanent fact. Write the amount, currency, source, and date together: "Agreed value: $___ USD; source checked: ___; date: ___." Keep these figures separate: Do not present a guide figure as a guaranteed selling price.
PSA describes its Price Guide figures as average dealer selling prices for PSA-certified collectibles and warns that markets can move in either direction in its pricing notice. When the parties disagree, the sheet should preserve the final decision rather than hide it. For example: "Reference figure: $___; seller requested: $___; agreed trade value: $___." This makes the deal understandable later without claiming that one figure was the card's objective worth.
- Reference value from a named guide
- Each party's proposed value
- Final agreed trade value
- Any cash added to balance the exchange
What does the slab grade say about condition?
The grade records the grading company's assessment; it is not a fresh inspection performed during the trade. Authentication concerns originality or genuineness, while grading addresses condition. PSA says its graders consider surfaces, edges, centering, folds or creases, stains, and damage. Its GEM MT 10 standard calls for a virtually perfect card with sharp corners, sharp focus, original gloss, no staining, and front centering generally no worse than 55/45.
CGC applies different labels and thresholds. Its Pristine 10 requires flawless appearance under 10× magnification and 50/50 centering, while Gem Mint 10 permits one criterion below Pristine. Those published PSA grading standards and CGC grading standards show why "10" alone is incomplete. Do not silently replace the assigned grade with your own. Put separate observations in a notes field, such as "scratch visible on holder," "label edge appears lifted," or "possible card mark visible through case." Describe what can be seen without declaring that the grader's assigned grade has changed.
Complete the exchange without overstating the sheet
Before either party hands over cards or money, review every entry together. Confirm that both people are discussing the same slabs, values, and balancing payment.
Use this final check: For eligible US eBay trading-card transactions of $250 or more, eBay says PSA authenticators inspect a graded card's sealed holder for tampering and verify its case and label. They do not regrade the card, so even that process leaves the existing slab grade—not a new condition opinion—as the grade recorded on the trade sheet.
- Match each cert number to its official record.
- Compare the database description with the slab label.
- Confirm the full company-and-grade wording.
- Review agreed values and any added cash.
- Note visible holder or card concerns.
