Slab Seals and Display Stickers for Graded Cards

A graded slab does not open. No flap, no seam, no lid — the card is welded inside a one-piece case at the grading company, and nothing you stick to the outside changes that. So say the useful thing first: slab seals put your own number on a case and leave you a dated record of that number. That is a shipment record and a collection index, not a statement about the card inside.

Two jobs, and only two. When a slab ships, a numbered seal for graded cards helps document what was shipped — you photograph the number, and the number is logged with a date. In a showcase, the same die-cut foil label is a slab display sticker: your prefix, your sequence, your foil, so case 041 on the shelf is case 041 in the spreadsheet.

Where slab seals go on a graded case

Bottom edge, front face, centered. PSA, BGS, CGC and SGC all run their grading label across the top of the holder with the cert number inside that band, so the bottom lip is the one strip of plastic you can use without covering anything a buyer wants to read.

• Leave the top band alone — grading label, cert number, barcode, BGS subgrades. None of it gets covered.
• Center on the bottom lip, about 1/4 in (6 mm) up from the bottom edge, so the seal reads square under the card.
• Landscape flat is the default. The standard seal is 1.77 x 0.75 in (44.96 x 19.05 mm) and sits inside the width of every standard holder.
• Folded runs front lip, over the bottom edge, onto the back — good when the number should read from behind a display row.
• Never on the card, never on factory-sealed wax, and never on a holder headed to a grader. Crossovers and regrades go in bare.

Step-by-step placement is in how to seal a graded slab, and every other holder is covered in the placement hub.

Case sizes and the fold: PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC

Names below are fitment only — measure your own, since jumbo and older holders differ. Edge thickness decides the fold: it is the strip the seal crosses before landing on the back face.

Holder	Outside size (approx.)	Edge	Fold on a standard seal
PSA	3.3 x 5.3 in (84 x 135 mm)	~0.28 in (7 mm)	~0.23 in left on each face — comfortable
SGC	3.3 x 5.3 in (84 x 134 mm)	~0.28 in (7 mm)	Same as PSA; the black border hides fold drift
CGC	3.4 x 5.4 in (86 x 137 mm)	~0.31 in (8 mm)	~0.22 in each face — set the fold line before peeling
BGS	3.5 x 5.5 in (89 x 140 mm)	~0.40 in (10 mm)	Tight — run flat on the front lip, or size up

The large seal is 2.5 x 1 in (63.5 x 25.4 mm) in Shattered Prism or Aurora foil. It folds on a BGS case with roughly 0.30 in per face, leaving half an inch of clear plastic either side. Standard seals come in Shattered Prism or Aurora; both are printed holographic foil labels.

Numbering a collection vs numbering a shipment

Numbering a collection

Your prefix plus a sequential number from a start value you set — AJS-0001, AJS-0002 — across every PSA, BGS, CGC and SGC case you own. Numbers never restart, so a slab bought in 2023 keeps its number and your graded slab stickers double as shelf inventory. Sorting by set instead? Use a batch code plus a number — BASE1-07, NEO4-12. Longer runs are walked through in numbering a slab collection.

Numbering a shipment

Here the sequence is disposable — random codes, or a batch code per shipping day. The point is the pairing: a number on the case, a photo of that number, a dated log entry. Done consistently it helps deter swaps and return fraud: a case that comes back with a different number is a plain thing to point at. See how sellers use the log on a return before you write anything into a listing.

Wording you can paste into a listing or shop policy describes only the number, the photo and the log:

Every slab ships with a numbered Serial Seal on the bottom edge of the case. The number is photographed and logged with a date before the package goes out. Number and photo available on request.

Within one order, no two seals share a number. You can also pick random codes, a batch code, or no number at all.

Not a second grade, not a grading label

A seal is your own numbering and branding on the outside of a case — not a grade, not a population figure, not a grading company field, and never laid out to look like one. Keep it on the bottom lip, clear of the label band, and in your own colors rather than a grader's house style.

Not affiliated with or certified by any third-party grading company.

If you want your own displayed grade on a case or a top loader — a house set registry, a shop wall, a repack tier — that is a different product. Custom grading stickers come in five layouts with ten holographic backgrounds, and each prints with the display line above.

What a seal will not do

• It peels. A die-cut foil label on plastic can be lifted and replaced by someone patient enough.
• It says nothing about the card. The QR seal record is a page showing the design, the number and the date it was logged — nothing about the card or the grade.
• It has no standing with anyone. PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC, eBay, Whatnot and TikTok do not recognize it and do not treat a sealed case differently.
• It does not decide a return. If a case comes back, your dated number and photo are one more item you can hand over. The platform still decides.

Pricing for slab seals and display stickers

Standard seals, 1.77 x 0.75 in, are $6.00 per pack of 12. The minimum run is 60 seals at $30.00 — 50¢ each. From there: 45¢ at 120, 40¢ at 600, 36¢ at 1,200, 33¢ at 2,400 and 30¢ at 4,200. Self-serve tops out at 10,008; larger runs are quoted.

Large seals, 2.5 x 1 in, are Shattered Prism or Aurora foil at $9.00 per pack of 12 — 60 for $45.00, or 75¢ each, then 10% off at 120, 20% at 600, 30% at 1,200 and 40% at 4,200, which lands at 45¢ each. Grading stickers run $6.00 per pack of 12 (50¢ each) down to 40¢ at 600 and up.

Layouts: portrait and landscape flat, folded portrait and folded landscape, slab banner, toploader banner, and Duo — two numbered halves on one label you cut apart, so a slab and its box carry matching numbers.

Slab seal FAQ

Where exactly does the seal sit on a PSA or BGS slab?

Bottom edge of the front face, centered, about 1/4 in up. Every major holder prints its grading label and cert number across the top, so the bottom lip is the strip you can use without covering anything. On a BGS case run the standard seal flat rather than folded — the 0.40 in edge eats most of a fold.

Will it mark or damage the case?

It is a die-cut foil label sized for the plastic of a holder. It goes on the case, never on the card and never on factory-sealed wax. If a slab is headed to a grading company for a crossover or regrade, send it bare.

Can the seal be removed?

Yes. A foil label on plastic can be peeled and replaced by someone patient. What you hold is the number, the photograph and the dated log entry, which is why sellers photograph the seal before the package goes out.

Is this a grade or a grading company product?

No. Not affiliated with or certified by any third-party grading company. The number is your own sequence — not a grade, not a population figure, and it carries no meaning to any grading company or marketplace.

Ready to number your cases? Build your seals for graded cards in the standard seal builder, size up to the large seal for thicker BGS holders, or start a display line with the grading sticker builder. Set your prefix and start number; your log waits in My Seals, and the collector numbering page covers longer sequences.