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TAG charges $29.95 to $299.95 per card and bundles protection into each tier

By the PopJunk Serials desk. Updated Nov 1, 2026

TAG Grading lists six tiers, from $29.95 to $299.95 per card. Each tier includes protection on the card, from $250 on Value to $5,000 on Premier. TAG states that the price you select does not change with the value of your card. The figures below were read from TAG's pricing page on 1 November 2026.

Six tiers set the fee, the speed and the protection

Source, read 1 November 2026: https://taggrading.com/pages/pricing

Turnaround is TAG's estimate in business days and is not guaranteed. TAG's page also notes that availability may be limited while it monitors volume to keep turnaround times reliable. Premier is quoted at three to five business days; the table shows the upper end.

TAG prices every tier to the cent, and the table copies each figure as printed.

Value and Base take a minimum order, the other four take one card

Value needs 10 cards in the submission and Base needs five. Standard, Priority, Express and Premier have no minimum on the page. A collector with a single card therefore starts at Standard, at $59.95, unless they can pool cards into a batch of five or ten.

Value and Base are listed as grade only. The four higher tiers are listed as grade and score. TAG's page describes the score as a 1000-point figure placed against every card TAG has graded.

Higher tiers add reports and imaging, and every tier gets the basic report

TAG's page lists what each level includes:

• Every tier: a DIG report, which TAG describes as photometric stereoscopic imaging that maps the card's defects, reachable by QR code or in the pop report. Every slab also carries an inscribed label with a proof code for checking authenticity.
• Standard and above: the 1000-point score and its global placement, plus premium photos of the card in its finished slab.
• Priority and above: a 360 degree video of the encapsulated card.

The page says knowing the strength of a grade can enhance a card's value. It puts no number on that, and this guide does not invent one.

Protection is bundled into the tier and TAG does not charge by card value

PSA, by comparison, prints a maximum insured value on each of its tiers, so a card worth more than a tier's maximum has to move to a higher tier. TAG states the opposite: the price never changes with a card's value, and coverage is up to your personal preference. Each tier shows the amount it protects per card, and Premier notes that up to $10,000 is available.

Two cards valued at $200 and $1,200 can go into Standard at the same fee of $59.95. Standard protects up to $1,000 per card, so it covers the first card in full and the second only in part. If you want protection to cover the full value of the $1,200 card, the tier moves up even though TAG would not have charged more for the card itself.

A worked example compares the cheapest single-card tier at three values

For each declared value, the table picks the cheapest tier that takes one card and, for TAG, whose included protection covers the value. For PSA it picks the cheapest open tier whose maximum insured value covers the value. PSA's Value tier was paused on 1 November 2026 and is skipped.

Add your own shipping and insurance to either fee. The grading cost calculator holds the same TAG and PSA data and adds your costs to a total. The calculator treats TAG tiers as having no value cap, so read the protection column here before choosing a tier for a high-value card.

Picking a tier for one card takes three checks

1. Count the cards. Under five, Standard is the lowest tier on the page. Five to nine opens Base at $39.95. Ten or more opens Value at $29.95.
2. Compare the protection column with what the card is worth to you. The fee does not rise with the card's value, but the protection ceiling of the tier does.
3. Decide whether you want the score. Value and Base return a grade only. Standard and above return a grade and a score, with the imaging listed above.

The turnaround column is the number to weigh against the fee. Moving from Standard to Priority adds $20 to the fee and takes the estimate from 45 business days to 30, according to the table. Totals for your own order, with shipping and insurance added, come out of the grading cost calculator.

Some cards are not accepted, and the page does not give outcomes

TAG's page says some card types are not accepted at the moment, including Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, pre-1989 cards, memorabilia and cards thicker than 50pt stock. Submissions that mix categories may be split into separate orders, which can mean delays and extra shipping charges. Check the eligibility notes on the page before you pack.

TAG's page lists the fee, the minimum, the turnaround estimate and the protection. It does not state grading outcomes, resale premiums or population counts in that table, and this guide does not either. Return shipping is calculated at checkout and shown before payment. TAG also offers a kit that includes shipping, packing supplies and the first $1,000 of inbound coverage.

Sources

• TAG Grading, Pricing, opened and read 1 November 2026. Source of every TAG fee, minimum, turnaround and protection figure.
• PSA, Trading card grading services, read 1 November 2026. Source of the PSA comparison.