Pokejem / Articles / Restoring damaged cards
◆ Guide · For your collection, not a slab
Not gradable? Your card can still look its best.
Some cards are too damaged to ever grade well: heavy creases, lifting edges, scratched holos, worn corners. That does not mean they are past saving. When a card is for your hand, your binder or your wall, restoration is simply about making it look as good as it can.
◆ Who this is for
Cards that matter more than a grade
- Childhood cardsPlayed with, carried around, loved. The wear tells a story, but you would like to see the art properly again.
- Binder and display piecesCards you want in a top loader, a frame or the front page of your binder, looking clean and flat.
- Gifts and keepsakesA card you are giving to someone, or one that was given to you, that deserves to look its best.
- Too damaged to grade wellHard creases, bends, multiple lifting points or a card that came back from a grader without a number grade.
◆ Real examples
Two cards from our bench
Both are 1st Edition Team Rocket holos that came in with heavy play wear, the kind of damage that keeps a card’s grade low however carefully it is handled. Both owners were keeping them for their personal collections, so the aim was simple: make them look their best in hand and on display.
Dark Blastoise
Team Rocket · 1st Edition · #01 in our work
- Came in with
- Holo surface scratches, lifting at several points along the edges, and creases across the front and back.
- What we did
- Deep clean, lift removal, a holo polish and careful crease relaxation, over 7 working days.
- The result
- The holo shines again, the lifted edges sit back down and the creases are far less visible. A card that looked tired now presents as a proper display piece.
Dark Charizard
Team Rocket · 1st Edition · #02 in our work
- Came in with
- Holo scratches, creases on the front and back (top, sides, bottom and edges) and edge lifting.
- What we did
- Deep clean, targeted lift removal, crease relaxation and a full holo polish, over 7 working days.
- The result
- A much cleaner, flatter card with its holo back to life, ready for a top loader or a frame instead of the back of a binder.
◆ What we can improve
When looks are the only goal
Deep cleaning
Dust, fingerprints, residue and surface dirt lifted so the colours and holo come through again.
From S$20 · moreLifted edges
Top layer peeling away at an edge or corner, laid back down so the card sits flat.
From S$30 · moreBends and warping
Bent corners and curled or warped cards with no sharp crease, eased back flat by hand.
From S$30 · moreDents and in-dents
Corner, edge and surface dents brought level by hand.
From S$40 · moreCreases and bends
Soft creases usually flatten very well; hard creases can be reduced significantly.
From S$60 · moreEdge whitening
Worn white edges toned back in. A last resort with about a 70% success rate; on a card you are keeping, this is where it makes the most sense.
From S$60 · moreFull restoration
A card that needs several of the above gets one plan and one quote.
Custom quote · prices
◆ Honest limits
What restoration won’t do
- It won’t make a card mint. A damaged card can look much better, but it will not look factory new.
- Hard creases can leave a faint line. Even after careful work, some creases are still visible at an angle.
- It won’t make a card gradable. Restoration is for how a card looks, not for getting past a grader. If grading might matter later, read PSA altered cards explained first.
- Some things we never do. We never trim cards or add card stock, whatever the goal.
- Not every card is worth it. If the improvement would be too small, or the card too fragile, we will tell you to leave it. That is our promise.
◆ Selling a restored card
Always tell the buyer
If you ever sell a card that has been restored, say so and say what was done. It is the honest thing to do, it protects you if the buyer sends it for grading, and it keeps the collector community one people can trust. Not sure restoration is right for your card? Read is card restoration worth it?
◆ FAQ
Common questions
Is it worth restoring a card I will never grade?
Often, yes. If a card means something to you, or you want it to look good in a binder or frame, restoration can make a big visible difference for the price of a few days' work. If the improvement would be too small to notice, we will tell you to save your money.
Can a restored card be graded later?
You can still submit it, but graders like PSA, BGS and CGC may mark it as altered, and no restorer can promise a grade. If grading might be on the cards later, tell us before we start. See PSA altered cards explained.
Will a restored card look new?
No. Restoration makes a damaged card look much better, but it does not turn it into a mint card. Hard creases can leave a faint line, and very worn surfaces will still show some age. We tell you what to expect from your photos before any work begins.
How much does it cost?
Deep cleaning from S$20, lifted edge and bend repair from S$30, dent removal from S$40, crease repair and edge whitening from S$60 per card. A card that needs several of these is quoted as one full restoration. The free assessment from photos tells you the exact price.
Is edge whitening repair a good idea if I am not grading?
It is where whitening repair makes the most sense. The main risk with toning worn edges is a grader flagging it, so on a card you are keeping, light to moderate whitening is a good candidate. It works about 70% of the time, and we tell you from your photos whether yours is suitable.
◆ Free assessment
Have a card that deserves a second life?
Send a photo of the front, the back and the damage, and tell us it is for your collection rather than grading. We reply with an honest opinion of how much better it can look, and a quote. Cards are dropped off and collected in person in Singapore, by appointment.