BGS Black Label 10: the holy grail of Pokémon grading

By Rowan Hale, collector and reseller. Updated November 9, 2026.

A Beckett Black Label is the hardest grade in Pokémon to get, and the one collectors chase above everything else. It's a perfect 10 in all four things a grader checks, and when one sells, it can make a PSA 10 of the same card look cheap: a Black Label Mew sold for $163,300 this month, while a PSA 10 sells for about $9,150.

What is a BGS Black Label?

A Black Label is Beckett's top grade: a Pristine 10 where centering, corners, edges and surface are each graded a perfect 10. Beckett prints it on a black label, instead of the gold label used for other Pristine 10s and for Gem Mint 9.5s.

Beckett grades every card on those four subgrades and prints all four on the label, so you can see exactly where a card stands. A card can be a Pristine 10 overall with one 9.5, often a corner or the centering, and that one half point is the difference between a gold label and a Black Label. Our Beckett grades guide explains the full scale.

Is a Black Label better than a PSA 10?

As a grade, yes. A PSA 10 is one overall grade with no breakdown, while a Black Label proves a 10 in every category. In price, too: Black Labels regularly sell for many times a PSA 10 of the same card.

The catch is getting one. A card that earns a PSA 10 can still have one subgrade that Beckett scores 9.5, and then it comes back a gold label 10 or a 9.5, which usually sells for less than a PSA 10. That's why a Black Label is a long shot even for cards that look perfect, and why it's worth checking a card carefully before you send it to Beckett.

What do Black Labels sell for?

The biggest recent sale is an RGB Mew from 30th Celebration: a Black Label sold for $163,300 on eBay on November 8, 2026, after 153 bids. A PSA 10 of the same card sells for about $9,150, and an ungraded copy for about $4,492.

Individual recorded sales, not averages. PSA 10 and raw prices are from recent sales data. The most famous card of all, the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard, has no public Black Label sale on record.

How do you spot a real Black Label?

Look for two things on the label: it's black, not gold or silver, and all four subgrades read 10. Then check the certification number on Beckett's website to confirm the slab is genuine.

Listings sometimes call a gold label Pristine 10 a "Black Label 10" by mistake, or describe a card as "black label quality". Neither is the real thing. Only the black label with four 10s counts, and only a certification number that checks out on Beckett's site confirms it.

Should you submit a card hoping for a Black Label?

Only for a card you're confident is flawless. Centering has to be essentially perfect, close to 50/50 on the front, and the corners, edges and surface must survive close inspection. Anything less usually comes back a 9.5.

Start with the centering, since it rules most cards out: measure it free with the centering tool. Then photograph the front, back and a tilted shot in the checker, which estimates each subgrade and the grade the card would likely get, and shows what it's worth raw and graded, so you know what you'd gain or lose before paying to grade it.

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