PAYTCH Ep 10 - Fugazi (Patreon)

In this episode we dive deeper into fake Pokemon Cards but then we pivot into some other HUGE news. We wanted to be transparent with the fellow Alchemists and talk about the topic of "Altering". This ep we share some horror stories that Gio and Cbas hit recently with PSA & BGS that you need to watch out for on your restoration journey. We also talk about robo-grading via AGS and TAG and how these companies differ compared to PSA/BGS when it comes to sending in restored cards.

We also talk about CT scanning and Gio's experience with sending in a pack to get scanned. On ebay Giovanni found an mis-titled listing for a 1st edition base set error back that didn't say in the title that it was "1st edition" or an error. Picked up the pack for a lot less than it would've been if titled correctly.

Finally, we talk about vintage pack weights and what you need to look for when weighing packs.

Check your PSA slabs if they are fake: https://www.reddit.com/r/PokeGrading/comments/1jigsau/visual_guide_how_to_spot_fake_psa_slabs_2025/

CT Scan your packs with Industrial Inspection:
https://industrialinspection.com/card-ct-scanning-service/

Heavy Pack - Pokemon booster pack weight guide:

VINTAGE WOTC

The heavy packs weigh around 20.8g – 21.8g and you can bet that most people will assume a pack weighing 20.8g is a light pack.

Anything above 21.4g is a safe bet while 21.3g has great odds, 21.2g good odds, once you get below 21.1g than the odds start getting mixed.

Everything from Base to Legendary collection will range from 20.0g – 21.8g.

MID-ERA

A heavy pack from Expedition to Skyridge is about 17.6g – 18.2g though packs weighing at 17.6g may not contain a holo even though it’s around the weight of a heavy pack;

Packs from Expedition to Skyridge will range from 17.2g – 18.2g

MODERN you are kinda screwed, the packs aren't expensive enough to warrant CT scanning at $75 but maybe a box of evolving skies might justify the booster box scanning one day.