PSA has officially announced that it has resumed grading TCG cards exhibiting holo bleed printing. Holo bleed refers to a card whose holofoil treatment shows through on areas of the card not intended or designated by the manufacturer. For example, on Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Magic: The Gathering cards, holofoil is often confined to the rectangular artwork region of the card, and any foil appearing on the card’s description, border, or elsewhere may be classified as holo bleed.
In the past, PSA has rejected these cards due to an abundance of caution regarding misprints, as they have historically been linked to counterfeits. While this approach to misprints is common in sports card grading, it’s not necessarily the case in the world of TCG.
Holo bleed is widely accepted in the TCG community, as it isn’t so much an indicator of authenticity, but rather, of print quality. In many respects, it is comparable to toned coins, and is recognized as legitimate (sometimes even sought-after) by a vast majority of collectors. Insight and feedback from TCG fans have been heard by PSA and has also helped establish a number of other new variations, such as the 1999-2000 legal line variation for certain Pokémon sets. As TCGs continue to grow, new variations will continue to emerge, and PSA has made it a top priority to add more TCG aficionados as researchers, graders, and other key positions to lend their knowledge to our services. If you are passionate about TCG, follow this link to apply today.
With a rapidly growing fanbase and card values continuing to rise, it is already an exciting time to be a TCG collector, but now that holo bleeds can once again be accepted by PSA and added to your collection, it will now be more fulfilling than ever.
