CGC Cards On-site Grading Events in Shanghai Attract Impressive Sports Cards and Pokémon Cards

In December 2023, CGC Cards began grading sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards in China, starting with an on-site grading event at the office of its affiliate, NGC Shanghai Business Information Consulting Co., Ltd. (NGC Shanghai). Soon after the December 2023 event, CGC Cards held a second on-site grading event in China in March 2024, and another is planned for June 2024. Learn more about it here.

The events in December and March were a tremendous success, with many interesting cards submitted for CGC Cards’ expert authentication, grading and encapsulation services. Exciting examples include a Kyle Kuzma Artist Proof Black graded CGC 9.5, two Panini basketball cards graded CGC Pristine 10, and a trio of Pokémon cards graded CGC Pristine 10.

Kyle Kuzma Artist Proof

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One submission included this 2017-18 Panini Hoops #277 Kyle Kuzma Artist Proof Black graded CGC 9.5. The 2017-18 Panini NBA Hoops set contains several parallels of its base cards. For example, the Kyle Kuzma seen here is a base card, but can rarely be found with a different background or backside. Parallels include Blue, Red Backs, Teal Explosion, Platinum, Premium Box Set, Silver, Teal, Green, Blue Checkerboard, Orange Explosion, Red, Artist Proof, Orange, Red Checkerboard, Gold and Artist Proof Black.

Even more elusive are the numbered colored parallels — these parallels have a limited quantity printed per set, indicated by #/# printed on the card’s front. In this case, the Kyle Kuzma Artist Proof Black is a 1/1 parallel, meaning this is the only Artist Proof Black print of Kyle Kuzma in the entire set. Talk about a rare find!

Derrick Rose and Alperen Sengun graded CGC Pristine 10

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A 2012-13 Panini Prizm #145 Derrick Rose Silver and a 2021-22 Panini Hoops #204 Alperen Sengun Green both received grades of CGC Pristine 10, the highest grade achievable on the CGC Cards Grading Scale. Both cards are parallels of their base cards, just like the Kyle Kuzma Artist Proof above. While neither Sengun nor Rose’s parallels are 1/1 parallels, they are still hard to find — Sengun’s Green Parallel is numbered 19/99, and, while not numbered, there are only an average of two Silver Parallels per Hobby box, making Rose’s Silver Parallel rare.

Pokémon cards graded CGC Pristine 10

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In addition to sports cards, CGC Cards also received many exceptional Pokémon cards at the Shanghai events. Three of these cards were a Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX, Pokémon (2023) S. Chinese Primordial Arts: Mao; an Iono, Pokémon (2023) Japanese Clay Burst; and a Detective Pikachu, Pokémon (2023) Japanese Scarlet & Violet Promos – 098/SV-P – Detective Pikachu Returns Pre-Order. Each card received a grade of CGC Pristine 10.

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All of these Pokémon cards are notable for being alternate arts of their base cards — rare cards whose art takes up the entirety of the card instead of being regulated to an art box. Calyrex VMAX is particularly valuable to both collectors and players. Its ability, Underworld Door, allows the player to attach energy cards freely to their benched Pokémon, all the while filling their hand with cards, giving them an extreme advantage.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes.