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Essential Card Care
$35 reference price per card
- Cleaning
- Polishing
- Surface scratch reduction
Big love for little cards.
Your favorite cards. Their next chapter.
Thoughtful restoration for the cards you care about, and a community that helps you care for them.
Sending a request is free. You see and approve the work and price before anything is charged.
AGOURA CARE
Tap the buttons, or click the console and use ↑↓←→, A/Enter and B/Esc. Choose Play for Ember Run, a just-for-fun game. Everything else here is also in the page below.
Services and inspection
Small details. Serious care.
Every card has a story. We start by understanding yours and carefully assessing its condition. You approve the recommended work and price before we begin.
Complete Card Restoration
From $50 per card, set by your quote
- Assessment for crease or dent reduction
- Flattening and bend correction
- Appropriate edge and corner care
Not sure?
Free assessment
- Send photos and tell us what bothers you
- We suggest what's worth doing, and what isn't
- No obligation to go ahead
Prices are reference prices. Your accepted quote sets the actual service and price. Choosing a service doesn't authorize a charge or any treatment. We don't recolor, reink, trim or correct whitening.
Photo didn't loadGengar holo card before restoration. The list beside this explains each spot.
Look closer, with Glint
Often improves with care
Holo surface scratches
Fine scratches across the foil scatter light and dull the holo. Careful polishing can make them less visible. Deep scratches may stay visible.
This is a guided example on one of our own cards. It doesn't diagnose cards you upload. Every request gets a personal review.
Restoration results
Real cards. Real work.
Real cards we've worked on, photographed before and after. Every card is different, and past results don't promise the same outcome for yours.
Photo didn't loadGengar holo card before restoration, with dense fine scratches and haze across the holo foil
Photo didn't loadThe same Gengar holo card after cleaning and polishing, with a clearer holo surface
Gengar holo
Fine scratches and haze were dulling the holo foil.
- Concern
- Holo micro-scratches, surface grime
- Work
- Cleaning and polishing
Photo didn't loadBase Set Charizard holo card before restoration, with cloudiness over the foil
Photo didn't loadThe same Base Set Charizard card after surface cleaning and polishing
Base Set Charizard
Surface cloudiness and light foil distortion were hiding the artwork's shine.
- Concern
- Foil haze, cloudiness
- Work
- Surface cleaning and polishing
Photos are shown side by side, as taken. Lighting and camera angle can differ between before and after shots, so we don't use a slider that would suggest an exact overlay.
How it works
From first photo to safe return
You can save a draft any time. Your request is sent once your email is verified and your master agreement is signed. Sending it is free and doesn't commit you to buy anything.
- You
Create your account
Join the Agoura Care Club and verify your email.
- You
Sign the agreement once
Review and sign our master agreement online. Returning customers usually don't sign again.
- You
Add your cards
Add each card's name, the service you're interested in, any damage, an estimated value, and front, back and close-up photos.
- Us
We review
We look at every photo and may ask for more detail.
- Us
Your quote
A personal quote listing each card's work, shipping, any protection and the total.
- You
Approve and pay
Approve the quote, then pay the amount due through Square.
- You
Ship your cards
Shipping instructions arrive after approval and payment. Use our kit or your own packaging.
- Us
Care and updates
We log arrival, do the approved work and post updates. Any extra work needs your new approval first.
- Us
Safe return
Your cards ship back with tracking in your account.
Nothing is charged until you approve a quote
Each new order gets its own quote
Ages 18 and up
Shipping, with Penny
Two ways to get your cards to us
Pick one when you send your request. We confirm the details during review, including whether one kit fits your cards.
Agoura shipping kit
We send you everything to pack safely.
- Ding Defender, penny sleeve and top loader
- Protective packaging materials
- Prepaid USPS label to ship to us
Your quote lists each part separately:
- Packaging kit
- Delivery of the kit to you
- Inbound shipment to Agoura
- Return shipment to you
- Any protection you choose, if available
Ship it yourself
You pack it and choose the carrier.
- You supply packaging and pay for shipping to us
- You can add your carrier and tracking number in your account
- No kit or prepaid inbound label is included
Your quote covers:
- Approved services
- Return shipment to you
- Any protection we arrange, if you choose it
Our shipping address appears in your account after your quote is approved and the amount due is paid. Declared values help us review protection options, but they don't guarantee coverage, a replacement value or reimbursement. Coverage follows the carrier's or insurer's terms.
Skool member? Ask about 10% off.
Active Agoura Card Care Skool members can get 10% off restoration services. We check membership before the quote is approved. Shipping, packaging and protection aren't discounted.
Education
Big collector energy. Wherever you are.
Learn to look closer, care smarter, and enjoy your collection. Explore card-care courses, resources, and conversations with fellow collectors on Skool.
- Inspecting surfaces
- Safe cleaning
- Sleeves and storage
- Before you grade
- Before and after
Courses and the community are hosted on Skool, a separate paid membership. A Care Club account on this site doesn't include Skool.
Concept artwork: the characters are hand-drawn SVG with simple code animation, not finished character animation.
Agoura Care Club
Your cards. Your updates. One place.
A free account on this website for restoration customers.
- Saved contact and return address
- Drafts and card submissions
- Quotes and approval history
- Your signed agreement
- Payment status and receipts
- Order updates and tracking
Join the Care Club
Sign in to my orders
Free to join. Verify your email and sign the master agreement once. You can join without placing an order, for example if you're dropping cards off in person.
Order #A-0000 · 2 cards
SAMPLE DATAAgreementSigned, v1.7
PaymentNot due yet
ShippingNot started
- SubmittedDone
- Under reviewCurrent step
- Quote ready for youNext
- Payment
- Cards received
- In care
- Shipped back
Photo didn't loadCash, founder of Agoura Card Care
About
Started by a collector who got obsessed with condition
Agoura Card Care was started by Cash after years of studying vintage Pokémon, TCG and sports card surfaces. Frustrated by incomplete online advice and unsafe DIY methods, he developed tested, repeatable card care steps that protect original materials while improving how a card presents.
Today Cash restores cards for collectors and teaches them to assess condition, clean carefully, and make informed choices before sending cards for grading.
FAQ
Good questions to ask first
Will restoration raise my card's grade or value?
It might improve how a card looks, but we can't promise a higher grade or value. Grading companies may identify cleaning or restoration and label a card as altered. We'll tell you what we think is realistic before you approve anything.
What can't you fix?
Some damage doesn't respond to treatment, and some can become more noticeable. We don't recolor, reink, trim, fill missing material or correct whitening.
How is the price set?
Reference prices give you a starting point. After we review your photos, you get a personal quote, and that accepted quote sets the price. If we find something new while working, we pause and ask before doing or charging for any extra work.
Do you post photos of my cards?
Only if you say yes. Permission to publish photos is a separate choice in the agreement. It's never pre-selected, and saying no doesn't affect your service. We don't publish your name, address or other personal details.
How does shipping work?
Choose our shipping kit or ship with your own packaging. Our address and instructions appear after your quote is approved and the amount due is paid. Protection options depend on the carrier's or insurer's terms.
Is Care Club the same as the Skool community?
No. Care Club is a free account on this site for restoration orders. Skool is a separate paid membership for courses and the community. Opening a Care Club account doesn't include Skool or a discount.
Can I send cards from outside the US?
We're still confirming which countries we can accept. Please email us before you send anything from outside the US.
Who can sign the agreement?
You need to be 18 or older to create an account and sign the agreement.
Contact
Questions about a card?
Email us with photos and what you'd like to know. For a quote, the free assessment is the quickest route.
agouracardcare@gmail.com