After 18 months in business, CGC grades its one-millionth trading card

A Japanese Pokemon Scyther from 1998 became the millionth card graded by CGC Trading Cards since the service debuted in July 2020. Shown here are the front and back of the Pokemon card, which received a grade of 10, indicating it is pristine. Images courtesy of CGC

A Japanese Pokemon Scyther from 1998 became the millionth card graded by CGC Trading Cards since the service debuted in July 2020. Shown here are the front and back of the Pokemon card, which received a grade of 10, indicating it is pristine. Images courtesy of CGC

SARASOTA, Fla. – CGC Trading Cards™ announces it has now graded more than one million trading cards. It achieved this milestone within less than 18 months. The one-millionth card is a 1998 Japanese Pokemon Scyther card graded CGC Pristine 10.

“What an excellent way to start the new year,” says CGC Trading Cards Senior Grading Finalizer Matt Quinn. “Achieving this milestone in such a short time shows how much trust collectors and dealers have in CGC Trading Cards.”

Since launching in July 2020, CGC Trading Cards has certified many notable cards, including a Test Print Blastoise that was created in 1998 as Wizards of the Coast (WotC) prepared to create English Pokemon cards. Following certification by CGC Trading Cards, the card realized $360,000 at a Heritage Auctions sale in January 2021 — a record for an English Pokemon card.

CGC Trading Cards has also certified a Japanese Pokemon Illustrator card. Only 39 of these cards were released in 1998 as prizes for three illustration contests announced in a Japanese publication. Due to the card’s rarity and value, CGC Trading Cards conducted extensive tests to ensure its authenticity.

Another example certified by CGC Trading Cards is a Lucky Stadium Japanese Unnumbered Promo from the year 2000. This Pokemon card was printed for the Tropical Mega Battle tournaments that took place in Hawaii from 1999 to 2001. It realized $32,000 at a Heritage Auctions sale in November 2021.

CGC also recently certified five Heroes of the Realm Cards from Magic: The Gathering. These commemorative cards are printed in extremely limited numbers to honor the outstanding performance of WotC teams. The owner of the ones that CGC Trading Cards certified is expected to offer them for sale soon.

CGC Trading Cards also recently announced the expansion of its certification services to 11 additional games, including Digimon (2020 – present), Dragon Ball Super, Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem Cipher, Flesh and Blood, Force of Will, Harry Potter, MetaZoo, My Hero Academia, Weiss Schwarz and World of Warcraft. Certification services for the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game are coming soon.

CGC Trading Cards is a division of CGC (the acronym for Comics Guaranty Corporation). Founded in the year 2000, CGC revolutionized comic book collecting by providing clear, objective and impartial assessments of a comic book’s authenticity and grade. Today, CGC has certified more than nine million comics, trading cards, magazines, concert posters and other pop culture collectibles. These include an Amazing Fantasy #15 that set a record for any comic book by achieving $3.6 million at a Heritage Auctions sale in September 2021.