Pokemon and sports cards together make up the bulk of what most Canadian grading companies process, and MNT explicitly grades both categories under the same core process and pricing structure. Understanding what to expect for each helps set realistic outcomes.
MNT doesn't run a separate track for either category — the same tiers, size restrictions, and grading scale apply across both.
Here's what collectors of each should know.
None of this requires prior grading experience.
MNT has built a reputation among collectors for grading harshly relative to some other companies, with standards described as comparable to BGS's strictness. This is genuinely useful context to have before submitting a Pokemon or sports card you expect to grade near-perfect — a card that might earn a 10 elsewhere could reasonably come back lower here.
Setting expectations around this reputation before submitting avoids disappointment with an otherwise legitimate, carefully-assessed grade.
Pokemon's holographic and full-art cards, known for centering inconsistency in printing, may be particularly affected by MNT's stricter standards on the centering and surface subgrades specifically. Chase pulls from recent sets remain the strongest submission candidates, same as with any grader.
Checking recent sold prices for MNT-graded copies specifically, rather than assuming the same premium applies as with other graders, gives a more accurate read on value.
Pokemon cards benefit from careful inner protection before submission. EVORETRO's Graded Card Sleeves are ready once a slab comes back either way.
For sports cards specifically, EVORETRO's 100pt Top Loader provides reliable rigid protection before shipping.
Rookie cards remain the clearest submission priority in sports cards, but MNT's harsher grading standards mean a rookie card with visible edge wear or slightly off centering may grade lower than the same card would with a more lenient company. Inspecting candidates closely before submitting matters even more here.
This doesn't mean MNT-graded cards are worth less — a genuinely earned high grade from a strict grader can carry real credibility precisely because the bar is higher.
Standard-sized Pokemon and sports cards fit comfortably within MNT's 35pt-180pt range, but thicker memorabilia sports cards or oversized jumbo Pokemon promos may fall outside what MNT currently accepts. Checking a specific card's thickness before planning a submission avoids finding out too late.
This restriction affects a genuinely small share of most collections, but it's worth verifying for anything unusual.
A collector submitting both Pokemon cards and sports cards in the same MNT batch can combine them toward the same bulk-pricing threshold, since MNT's tiers are based on total card count rather than being split by category. This makes it easier to reach a favorable pricing tier than submitting each category separately.
Sorting a mixed submission by category before packaging still helps keep everything organized, even though the pricing itself doesn't require separating by game or sport.
Collectors who submit both Pokemon and sports cards together often find that market cycles for each category don't move in perfect sync, which means a diversified graded collection can be more resilient to demand swings in any single category. This is a broader collecting philosophy worth considering beyond the immediate submission decision.
Tracking how your Pokemon holdings and sports card holdings perform separately over time gives useful insight into how this diversification actually plays out for your specific collection.
Sports card releases often follow a predictable seasonal calendar tied to each league's season, while Pokemon set releases follow the game's own separate release schedule, meaning a collector active in both categories can sometimes time submissions to avoid overlapping busy periods for either category. This kind of scheduling awareness can smooth out your overall submission workflow.
Keeping a simple calendar of upcoming releases in both categories helps anticipate these overlaps well before they become a scheduling headache.
It has a reputation for grading harshly, comparable to BGS's standards.
No, both go through the same tiers, size restrictions, and grading process.
Not currently — only standard-sized cards from 35pt to 180pt are accepted.
Not necessarily — a genuinely earned high grade from a strict grader can carry real credibility.
Understanding a grader's reputation before submitting helps you make an informed decision. Browse EVORETRO's toploaders and sleeves collection to protect your cards either way.
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