What You Receive
A Serialized Appraisal Report in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format — a complete, page-numbered, professionally bound document covering every card in your collection:
- Itemized card inventory — every card listed with its set, card name, card number, and card type (normal, reverse holo, full art, etc.)
- Condition grading — each card graded against the same standards used by the major marketplaces (Near Mint through Damaged)
- Photo documentation — front and back scans of cards above the agreed price threshold, embedded directly in the report
- Current market prices — valuation for each card from live market data, plus the collection total
- Digitally locked and signed — the Report PDF is sealed with a digital signature so it cannot be altered
- Retained company copy — we keep and record a notarized copy of every report we issue, so your valuation stays verifiable
Two Ways to Have Your Collection Appraised
Every appraisal starts with a free consultation and a signed appraisal agreement. From there, choose whichever method fits your situation:
Offsite Appraisal — Ship the Cards to Us
You ship your collection to us, we catalog and appraise it at our office, and your sealed report ships back with your cards.
How it works:
• Photograph your collection and send us the photos first — we confirm scope and quote from them
• Do not ship anything until the appraisal agreement is signed
• Shipping and shipping insurance are at the owner's expense, both directions
• We catalog, grade, price, and return your collection with the sealed report
Onsite Appraisal — We Come to the Cards
For large collections, estates, or collections that shouldn't travel, we bring our scanning and pricing operation to you.
How it works:
• We travel to your location and catalog the collection on site
• The collector pays for our travel to the cards
• Best for estates, bank vaults, and collections too large or valuable to ship
• Your cards never leave your possession until you decide they should
Not sure which fits? We'll recommend one during the free consultation — larger collections are usually better served onsite.
How an Appraisal Works
From your first message to a sealed report, the process is straightforward:
1. Contact Us — reach out with the basics: collection size, games (Pokémon, Magic, or both), and what the appraisal is for. We'll give you a quote and turnaround time up front.
2. Negotiate & Sign — we agree on the price and scope, then sign the appraisal agreement. Nothing ships, nothing travels, and nothing is charged until both sides have signed.
3. We Catalog — every card is scanned and logged into our inventory system — set, number, type, and condition.
4. We Price Your Collection — each card is valued against current market data using the same pricing tools we trust at our own vendor table. Cards above the agreed price threshold get front and back scans in the report.
5. You Get the Report — your serialized PDF is sealed, digitally signed, and delivered. The company retains a notarized copy. Reprints and verification letters available on request.
Why It's Sealed
Anyone can type numbers into a spreadsheet. An appraisal is only worth what its integrity is worth. That's why every Magna's Market report is digitally locked and signed in Adobe Acrobat format: any change to the document — even a single character — breaks the seal and is immediately visible. And because we retain and record a notarized copy of every report we issue, the valuation can be independently verified against our records at any time.
Insurance adjusters, estate attorneys, and courts all ask the same question: how do we know this document is what it says it is? The seal and the retained copy are our answer.
Who It's For
- Insurance coverage — document what your collection is worth before you need a claim
- Estate planning — give your family a clear, defensible valuation
- Legal matters — divorce, probate, and disputes where valuation must stand up to scrutiny
- Selling a collection — an itemized, card-by-card record of what you're selling protects both sides of the sale
- Buying a collection — a neutral third-party number buyers and sellers can both trust
- Peace of mind — know what you actually have
Additional Services
Having your collection appraised is the perfect time to have it properly housed. Ask us to add any of these to your appraisal — materials and labor are quoted with your estimate.
- Sleeving and toploading — every card placed in a fresh sleeve and rigid toploader, ready for storage, display, or resale
- Collector trays — cards organized into collector trays for compact, protected storage
- Custom 4x3 binders — cards placed in binders using our own page layout, designed to match the Pokémon ETB card format: 4 cards across and 3 rows (12 pockets per page). Your collection stays organized the way the cards were designed to be displayed.
Get a Quote
Appraisals are priced by collection size and start with a free consultation. Find us at a card show around the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region, or reach out to get started:
Request an Appraisal Find Us at a Show
Reports are serialized and individually signed. Turnaround is typically 5–10 business days depending on collection size.