Grading basics · Grading company guides

ACE Grading Review: Is the UK’s Own Grading Company Worth It?

ACE Grading turned card grading from a transatlantic project into a domestic one for UK collectors. Here is what it does well, where it still trails the American giants, and how to decide whether an ACE slab is right for your next card.

By Search Cards Editorial · 27 October 2026 · 9 min read

What ACE Grading does

ACE Grading is a third-party card grading company registered in England and Wales. It authenticates trading cards, checks them for alterations, measures and inspects their condition and then seals each card in an ACE slab with a unique certificate number you can look up later. ACE also offers reholdering, crossover from other companies’ slabs and authentication-only services.

What makes ACE different from the big US graders is that the whole process happens in the UK. You pay in pounds, post your cards with domestic tracked delivery and get them back without a customs declaration or an import VAT bill. ACE also invoices you only once your cards have been graded and are ready to come home.

ACE’s history and reputation

ACE launched in the summer of 2021, during the pandemic-era card boom, when PSA’s queues stretched for many months and UK collectors faced long, expensive round trips to the US. One of its co-founders is the UK Pokémon YouTuber Randolph, which helped the brand reach collectors quickly. Its pitch, “the future of Pokémon card grading”, was simple: grade in the UK, show subgrades for free and make the slab look good.

In a few years ACE became one of the most recognised names in UK Pokémon collecting. You will see its slabs at UK card shows, where it has offered on-site grading, and in plenty of UK eBay listings. Its reputation rests on three things: fast turnaround compared with US companies, transparent subgrades and labels that many collectors simply prefer to look at.

The criticism is mostly about resale and price changes. ACE raised its prices in 2026, and outside the UK its slabs are less familiar to buyers. That gap is closing, but it is still the main reason serious investors send their most valuable cards elsewhere.

Which cards does ACE grade?

ACE started as a Pokémon-first grader and still grades a lot of Pokémon, including English and Japanese cards and Pokémon stickers. Its supported list has grown well beyond that, and now includes:

• TCGs: Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Disney Lorcana, Dragon Ball Super, Digimon, Weiss Schwarz, Union Arena, Gundam, Riftbound and many smaller games, including Japanese-sized cards.
• Sports and licensed cards: Topps (including Topps Pokémon), Panini, Upper Deck, Futera, Leaf and similar brands, plus official metal cards and patch cards up to 9mm thick.
• Autographs: only when the manufacturer has authenticated the signature.

ACE does not currently grade Bandai or Carddass-sized Pokémon cards, jumbo or oversized cards, sealed products, booster packs or coins. Always check the supported list on ACE’s website before you send something unusual.

ACE grading prices and service tiers

ACE groups its services into membership, flagship and premium tiers. The fee you pick controls speed and the compensation cover for each card; ACE says grading standards are the same on every tier. Prices below were shown on ACE’s own submission portal when we checked on 27 October 2026.

Labels cost extra: Colour Match adds £1 per card and ACE’s illustrated label adds £3. Postage to ACE and return shipping are on top. Compensation for lost or damaged cards is capped by tier, so choose a tier that covers what the card is really worth. For a full breakdown and a calculation for your own cards, see our ACE submission guide and cost calculator.

How long does ACE grading take?

ACE publishes estimated business days for each tier, from 2 days on Luxury to 75 days on Core. The clock starts when your cards arrive, not when you post them, and return delivery is extra. In practice UK collectors usually add a few days at each end for Royal Mail or courier transit.

Even ACE’s slower tiers usually beat the end-to-end time of a self-submission to the US once you count transatlantic shipping and customs. Busy periods, such as after a big set release, can stretch the estimates, and special labels can add a little time.

How to submit cards to ACE from the UK

1. Create an account on ACE’s website and open the submission portal.
2. Add each card, choose a service tier and pick a label style.
3. Put each card in a clean penny sleeve and a semi-rigid holder, pack them tightly in a small box and include your packing slip.
4. Post the parcel by tracked, insured UK delivery. There is no customs form to fill in.
5. Pay the invoice when your grades are ready, then ACE posts the slabs back.
6. Check each certificate number on ACE’s website when they arrive.

Our ACE guide walks through every step, with the cheapest sleeves and holders currently on eBay. For packing in detail, read how to package Pokémon cards for grading.

ACE’s grading scale explained

ACE grades from 1 (Poor) to 10 (Gem Mint) in whole numbers only, so there is no ACE 9.5. Each card also gets subgrades for centering, corners, edges and surface, included in the price.

ACE measures centering digitally to a fraction of a millimetre. If centering is two or more grades below the rest of the card, ACE can add an OC (off-centre) qualifier instead of lowering the overall grade. Miscut cards that do not fit the slab come back raw, free of charge. Altered and counterfeit cards are returned ungraded and charged, and suspicious cards are returned free. Want to know what subgrades actually mean? Read understanding grading subgrades.

Advantages and disadvantages of ACE

Advantages

• No customs, no import VAT and no transatlantic shipping risk for UK senders.
• Prices in pounds and an invoice only after grading.
• Subgrades on every card at no extra cost.
• Quick published turnaround on mid and premium tiers.
• Distinctive Colour Match and illustrated labels that display well.
• A broad list of supported TCGs, including many Japanese games.

Disadvantages

• ACE slabs usually sell for less than PSA slabs, especially outside the UK.
• Whole grades only: a card that would be a 9.5 elsewhere is a 9 or a 10 at ACE.
• Its cheapest tiers are reserved for paying AceSelect members.
• Prices rose in 2026, narrowing its cost advantage.
• Shorter track record and smaller population data than the US companies.

Does ACE grading increase resale value?

Yes, often, but by less than PSA on most cards. A clean ACE 10 sells well above a raw copy, because buyers no longer have to guess its condition and the slab protects it. The premium over raw is usually strongest in the UK, where ACE is familiar and buyers avoid import costs.

For valuable chase cards, an ACE 10 typically sells for noticeably less than a PSA 10 of the same card. Some sellers buy ACE slabs, crack them and resubmit to PSA hoping for a matching grade, which is a gamble covered in should you crack and regrade a card?

To see the gap for your card, compare eBay sold listings for ACE copies with the PSA values on its Search Cards price page.

ACE vs PSA, CGC, Beckett and TAG

The short version: ACE beats PSA on convenience and cost for UK collectors, while PSA beats ACE on resale value. Read the full UK grading company comparison for more detail.

Who is ACE grading best for?

• UK collectors grading cards for their own collection or display.
• Anyone grading modern Pokémon worth tens of pounds, where US shipping would eat the profit.
• Collectors who want subgrades without paying extra.
• Players of Japanese and smaller TCGs that some US companies don’t accept.
• UK sellers whose buyers are mostly in the UK.

It is a weaker fit if you are grading a high-value card to sell internationally, or you want half grades.

Before ACE: buy the card cheaply on searchcards.co

The cheapest grading fee in the world can’t rescue a card you overpaid for. Before you send anything to ACE, search the card on searchcards.co. You’ll see the lowest live Buy It Now listings beside the card’s real sold prices, and our value checker flags whether a listing is a good deal. Buy the raw copy with the sharpest corners and best centering you can see in the photos. Then pre-grade it: the scanner predicts an ACE grade, with subgrades, before you spend a penny. Finally, run the numbers in the cost calculator and submit.

Frequently asked questions

Is ACE grading legit?

Yes. ACE is a registered UK company that has graded cards since 2021. Every slab has a certificate number you can check on ACE’s website, and it is widely bought and sold in the UK.

How much does ACE grading cost?

When we checked on 27 October 2026, ACE’s open tiers ran from £18 per card (Basic) to £100 (Luxury), with £12 and £14 tiers for AceSelect members. Labels and postage cost extra.

Is an ACE 10 worth as much as a PSA 10?

Usually not. An ACE 10 sells well above a raw card but typically below a PSA 10 of the same card, especially outside the UK.

Does ACE give half grades?

No. ACE grades in whole numbers from 1 to 10, with subgrades for centering, corners, edges and surface.

Does ACE grade Yu-Gi-Oh! and Japanese cards?

ACE’s supported list includes Yu-Gi-Oh!, Japanese Pokémon and many Japanese-sized TCGs. It does not grade Bandai/Carddass-sized Pokémon cards or jumbo cards.

Do I need to fill in a customs form to send cards to ACE?

Not from the UK, because ACE grades in England. Collectors elsewhere follow ACE’s international instructions and pay their own import charges when the cards come back.