From the workshop
Before-and-after stories, what we're seeing on the bench, honest advice on restoration and grading, and what's new at YIAN.
18 articles · 27 topics · Written in the UK workshop
CGC restored card
Learn from YIAN how third-party grading services assess card treatments, which non-invasive repairs carry lower risk, and why clear restorer guidance matters before submitting.
Mail in card repair
Discover how YIAN restores treasured Pokémon cards with fixed thirty-pound pricing, filmed unboxings, and stage-by-stage photo approvals for collectors across the UK and overseas.
Card dent removal UK
See how YIAN handles surface grime, holo wear, minor dents, and bent corners with documented progress and filmed unboxings designed for collectors worldwide.
Card cleaning solutions risk
Understand why DIY cleaning solutions can risk permanent damage to paper fibres and why YIAN relies on non-invasive manual care to protect delicate foil and vintage cards.
Pokémon card care
Find out when cleaning your Pokémon cards is safe, which DIY mistakes cause permanent harm, and how YIAN balances non-invasive conservation with realistic grading expectations.
Card restoration and grading standards
Explore the ethics of card conservation as YIAN explains how grading standards work, why transparency matters, and how to separate personal collection goals from third-party grading rules.
Pokémon card repair service
Learn how YIAN provides mail-in Pokémon card restoration across the UK for a fixed thirty-pound fee per card, complete with free photo quotes, filmed unboxings, and insured return postage.
Trading card restoration UK
Discover how YIAN restores cherished Pokémon cards with step-by-step photographic updates, transparent pre-work approvals, and expert non-invasive care for UK and international collectors.
How to clean Pokémon cards
Simple, low-risk ways to handle, store and gently clean your Pokémon cards at home, the common mistakes that cause permanent damage, and when it's time to stop and ask a restorer.
Vintage Pokémon card restoration
Surface dirt, scratches, holo wear, dents and bent corners often improve; deep creases, ink loss and water damage may not. A restorer's honest guide to vintage card damage, the optional colour touch-up for tiny white spots, and how to choose the right work for a personal collection or a grading plan.
Pokémon card restoration before and after
Bent corners flattened, dents eased out, grime and holo clouding improved, one card at a time. A look at the kinds of restorations we share on TikTok, what each type of damage involves, and how we plan the work around what you want the card for.
Mail in card restoration
Collecting in the US or elsewhere? Here's how restoring a Pokémon card with a UK workshop works from abroad: the free photo quote, £30 per card plus postage, posting tracked, insured tracked return, photos at every stage, and what to check with your carrier before you send.
Free Pokémon card repair for kids
Kids Free restores eligible young collectors' favourite Pokémon cards with no service fee, just return postage. Send two photos, no account needed, and we confirm eligibility before anything is paid. Here's how it works, the care every card gets, and how supporters can sponsor a kid's card or gift a restoration.
Restoring a card for grading
Planning to grade a restored card? Community opinion doesn't decide whether restoration work is acceptable; each grader's own standards do. A restorer explains which kinds of work are generally lower risk, which are more likely to be flagged, why results can vary between companies and graders, and how to plan restoration around your grading goals.
Card burnishing
How home burnishing tools, household cleaners, heat and pressing damage Pokémon cards, what you can safely do at home, and when to stop and ask for help.
Altered Pokémon card
How graders such as PSA and CGC look at cleaned and restored Pokémon cards, why the choice for your own collection is yours, and how YIAN tells you before any work which steps suit grading and which carry a risk.
Stories and advice from YIAN, a UK workshop restoring Pokémon trading cards by mail: before-and-after restorations, honest answers on whether to restore a damaged card, what graders such as PSA and CGC mean by “altered”, the DIY cleaning mistakes we see most, and how to send cards to us from the UK or abroad.
Every article follows the workshop's own approach. For your collection, whether a restored card still feels original is your call; for grading, each company applies its own standards, so we assess every card before any work and never promise a grade.
About the articles, restoration and grading, and getting a quote.
Articles are prepared for the YIAN workshop with the help of AI writing tools and follow the workshop's own approach to restoration and grading. If you spot a mistake, email [email protected] and we'll correct it.
No. Articles explain general principles; every card is different. For advice about your own card, send two photos for a free quote and we'll tell you what's likely to improve before any work.
The blog has workshop stories, before-and-afters and news. The guides are evergreen how-tos on grading, centering, card care and sending your cards.
Use the search box and the Topic menu at the top of the list, or open a topic from any article's “Filed under” links. Each topic has its own page.
Subscribe to the RSS feed at yian.uk/blog/rss.xml, or follow the workshop on TikTok at @yian.uk.
It depends on what the card is for. For a binder you love, careful restoration can bring back a card that's been through a lot. If you plan to grade or sell, think about the grader's standards and disclosure first. Send two photos and we'll tell you honestly what is likely to improve and what isn't.
It depends who is asking. For your own collection, whether a cleaned or restored card still feels original is your choice. For grading, each company applies its own standards: cleaning, restoration and touch-ups can be treated as alteration, and some work is more likely to be flagged than other work.
We tell you before any work which steps suit grading and which carry a risk, and we never hide work from a grader. Check the grading company's current policy before you submit.
Restoration can be part of a grading plan, as long as the work is chosen to meet that grader's standards and nothing is hidden from them. Tell us you plan to grade when you send your quote, and we'll say which steps are generally lower risk and which are more likely to be flagged. Check the grader's current policy too.
Gentle handling, sleeving and dry dusting are low risk. Household cleaners, water, heat, pressing and home burnishing tools can cause permanent damage such as clouding, warping or lifted print. If you're unsure, send photos for a free quote before trying anything.
Choose a package and send two photos, the front and the back of the card, with a short note on what it's for. No account is needed. We reply within two working days and tell you whether we can help and the price before you pay anything.