Secret Rare and Special Rare
The most elaborately produced rarities, where a high grade changes value the most.
Dragon Ball cards
Bandai's Dragon Ball Super Card Game rests on one of the most established manga licences there is. Its higher rarities, heavily worked graphically, are also the hardest to keep in grading condition.
In short
On Dragon Ball cards, surface is the decisive criterion: Secret Rares and higher rarities receive holographic and textured treatments that immediately reveal micro-scratches and handling marks. The cards' often dark borders also make any edge whitening stand out. Centering, while not flawless, is rarely the leading cause of lost points — unlike vintage Pokémon.
Dragon Ball at a glance
- Publisher
- Bandai
- Super Card Game
- Since 2015
- Sought-after rarities
- Secret Rare, Special Rare
- Limiting factor
- Foil surface
- Common companies
- PSA, CGC
What to watch
Higher-rarity foils
Secret Rares combine holography and texture. Any scratch reads immediately, and the texture holds fingerprints.
Dark borders
Edge whitening shows all the more on a dark border. It is the most common defect on cards that have been in a deck.
Corners after play
Many copies were played before being collected. Corners are the first place it shows, even under sleeves.
Centering, secondary but real
Less problematic than on vintage Pokémon, it is still measured. A card perfect elsewhere but 70/30 off-center will not reach a 10.
What gets graded
Major character cards
Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Frieza and the central figures concentrate demand, play or no play.
Promos and tournament cards
Limited runs and event distribution: certification secures authenticity as much as condition.
Dragon Ball FAQ
Which company for Dragon Ball?
PSA for liquidity, CGC for its footprint on manga TCGs and its often shorter turnaround. On this game, both slabs resell reasonably well.
Is a deck-played card worth grading?
Rarely. A card that has been in a deck almost always combines micro corner wear and edge whitening, putting it outside the range where grading pays.
How should I photograph a Secret Rare for analysis?
In diffuse indirect light, never with flash, and without a plastic sleeve. Texture and holography otherwise create reflections that mask real defects — and skew the estimate in both directions.