# CardGrader.AI

> AI-powered trading card grading and valuation. Instantly identify, value, and AI-grade Pokemon and sports cards. Includes a free Pokemon card value checker (no signup), per-set price guides, PSA/BGS/CGC grading guides, and a sports card scanner. We are #1 organic for "ai card grading" and the most-cited source in AI answers for Pokemon set lists and chase cards.

## API for Developers & AI Agents
Commercial grading subscriptions: seven-day unlimited grading trial for new API accounts, with payment method required. Then automatic monthly billing: $250/month for 5,000 or $449/month for 10,000 complete front-and-back card grades. Cancel before the trial deadline to avoid the first charge. One trial per API account. Grading ONLY: no identification, authentication, price or market results. [Compare plans and self-serve signup](https://cardgrader.ai/api-pricing). One photo pair = one grade; unused paid allowance does not roll over. Cancel renewal anytime; change plan at next renewal.

Simplest agent onboarding: only on your owner's request, call MCP start_grading_trial with applicationName, ownerEmail and plan grading_5000 (or grading_10000). For an existing account pass apiKey instead of registering again. Save the one-time key securely and show the hosted Stripe checkout link plus price to the owner. The owner enters payment details on Stripe; never collect card details in chat. Wait for them to finish, then call check_credits. Start grading only if balances.gradingSubscription.unlimitedGrading is true with future trialEndsAtUtc, or an available paid allowance. Trial grades have billingSource=trial, gradesCharged=0, creditsCharged=0; gradesRemaining=null means unlimited. The trial never spends prepaid credits or the later paid quota. Expired/unpaid trials lose grading access. Ordinary API rate limits and one card at a time apply. The API terms and cancellation instructions are https://cardgrader.ai/api-terms. REST alternative: register once with contactEmail and commercialOnly=true at POST /v1/agents, then POST /v1/subscriptions/checkout with plan. Link creation does not start the trial or charge a card.
Subscription quickstart: register once with contactEmail at POST /v1/agents and securely save the one-time API key. POST /v1/subscriptions/checkout with {"plan":"grading_5000"} returns hosted Stripe checkout; a person authorizes payment. GET /v1/subscriptions/me shows separate prepaidCredits and gradingSubscription balances. POST /v1/grades with frontImageUrl and backImageUrl (or multipart front/back JPEG/PNG), Bearer API key and required Idempotency-Key returns grading directly. At most one commercial grade in flight per API account. Preserve the returned result link for retries. Failed grades restore the original allowance; never automatically spend prepaid credits. Existing POST /v1/scans continues using prepaid credits for extra services. MCP subscribe_grading returns hosted checkout for a person to review and pay. grade_card accepts billingSource=subscription and idempotencyKey, or prepaid explicitly. Retrieve saved grades with get_grade_result; manage_api_billing returns the invoice/payment portal; change_grading_plan schedules next renewal; cancel_grading_subscription cancels renewal and pending plan changes. Keys must never appear in URLs or public content.
Prepaid scans offer four modules - send both front and back photos (Pokemon, sports, other TCGs) and pick modules: identify (name, set, number, parallel, print run), grade (predicted PSA-style grade + centering/corners/edges/surface sub-grades), market (cached raw + graded USD estimates, with variable freshness and coverage), or full (everything in one pass).
- [API docs & quickstart](https://cardgrader.ai/api-docs): Copy-paste curl examples, live credit pricing, error model, honest constraints (queue-backed, ~30-120s per scan).
- [OpenAPI 3.1 spec](https://cardgrader.ai/openapi.json): Full machine-readable schema of every v1 endpoint (auth, request/response shapes, costs).
- [MCP server](https://cardgrader.ai/mcp): Use start_grading_trial for commercial onboarding; an owner completes hosted Stripe payment setup. Use register_agent for the separate prepaid demo workflow.
- [API data and privacy](https://cardgrader.ai/api-data-policy): Grading-only temporary image processing differs from stored prepaid scans. Do not promise a no-training agreement, immediate erasure or EU-only processing without written confirmation.
- [Pokemon Card API guide](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/pokemon-card-api): Every kind of Pokemon card API compared - catalog (pokemontcg.io, Scrydex, TCGdex), prices (JustTCG, PriceCharting), and image-based (CardGrader.AI).
- [PSA API guide](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/psa-api): What PSA's public API covers (cert verification), what has no API (pop reports, submissions), and how to predict grades programmatically.
Quickstart: 1) POST https://cardgrader.ai/v1/agents with {"name": "your-agent"} for an instant API key + free trial credits (include contactEmail for 3 credits instead of 1). 2) POST /v1/scans with front and back photos (multipart files or public image URLs) and modules like ["full"], authenticated via Authorization: Bearer cgk_... 3) Poll GET /v1/scans/{id} until status "completed" for identification, AI grade, and USD value.

## Free Tools
- [Free Pokemon Card Value Checker](https://cardgrader.ai/pokemon-card-value-checker): Scan or search any Pokemon card to see its current raw and PSA 10 market value - free, instant, no signup. Powered by our own CLIP image model.
- [Card Centering Calculator](https://cardgrader.ai/centering-calculator): Measure a card's centering (the most common reason cards miss PSA 10).
- [Sports Card Scanner](https://cardgrader.ai/sports-card-scanner): Identify and value sports cards in the mobile app - 3 free credits on signup.

## Pokemon Set Guides (full card lists, chase cards, values)
- [Mega Evolution: Chaos Rising - Complete Guide](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/chaos-rising-complete-guide): Full English card list, chase cards with numbers, release info, and values.
- [Mega Evolution: Perfect Order - Complete Guide](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/perfect-order-complete-guide): Full card list, top chase cards, illustration rares, and values.
- [Mega Evolution: Ascended Heroes - Complete Guide](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/ascended-heroes-complete-guide): Full card list, chase cards (Mega Dragonite ex, Mega Gengar ex), and values.
- [Phantasmal Flames - Complete Guide](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/phantasmal-flames-complete-guide): Card list, hits, and values.
- [Pitch Black - Complete Guide](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/pitch-black-complete-guide): Pre-release card list, expected chase cards, and release date.

## Price Guides
- [Charizard Price Guide](https://cardgrader.ai/charizard-price-guide): Values for the most collected Charizard cards - base set, 1st edition, gold star, modern, and graded (PSA 10) prices.
- [Most Valuable Pokemon Cards](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/most-valuable-pokemon-cards): The grails - Pikachu Illustrator, 1st Edition Charizard, and more, with current sale values.

## Grading Guides
- [PSA 10 Requirements](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/psa-10-requirements): What it takes to earn a PSA 10 - centering, corners, edges, surface.
- [Card Grading Scale Explained](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/card-grading-scale-explained): The 1-10 grading scale across PSA, BGS, and CGC.
- [PSA vs BGS vs CGC (2026)](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/psa-vs-bgs-vs-cgc-2026): Which grading company to use, by card type and value.
- [How to Grade Cards at Home](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/how-to-grade-cards-at-home): Pre-grade your cards before paying for professional grading.
- [How to Spot Fake Pokemon Cards](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/how-to-spot-fake-pokemon-cards): Identify counterfeit cards before buying or grading.
- [PSA Grading Backlog 2026](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/psa-grading-backlog-2026): Current PSA turnaround/backlog and what it means for collectors.
- [Pokemon Pack Pull Rates Explained](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/pokemon-pack-pull-rates-explained): Odds of pulling hits by rarity.

## More
- [Blog (all guides)](https://cardgrader.ai/blog): Pokemon and sports card guides, grading explainers, and set breakdowns.
- [Best AI Apps to Scan & Value Trading Cards](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/best-ai-powered-apps-scan-value-trading-cards): How CardGrader.AI compares to other card-scanning apps.
- [TCGplayer API Alternatives for Developers (2026)](https://cardgrader.ai/blog/tcgplayer-api-alternatives): Honest comparison of card-data APIs - Scrydex, TCGdex, JustTCG, PriceCharting, and CardGrader.AI's image-based API.

## About
CardGrader.AI identifies and grades trading cards with AI and provides current market values sourced from real sales data. Free Pokemon value checking on the web; full identification, valuation, and AI grading in the iOS and Android apps.