About Us
TFG was established to bring a respected, trustworthy, and professional grading service to the community. Our team was founded by former elite UK military personnel, applying decades of precision and focus to a profession we love and enjoy.
The Frog represents our commitment to safeguarding the future of our planet through active contributions to The World Land Trust and sustainable processes. It also serves as testament to our heritage within amphibious military operations and, conveniently, is one of the few animals that can be replicated across multiple colours for our unique grades.
We pride ourselves on precision grading and stringent standards, making TFG™ a respected and trusted service within the collecting community.
Meet The Team
Join our Discord and meet the team! Chat, hang out, and talk to the graders.
AJ Hickman
Founder
After a career as a Royal Marines Commando, AJ transitioned into the world of Executive Close Protection, acting as a security consultant for both Premier League football teams and British and foreign aristocracy.
A lifelong Pokémon collector, he set out on a mission to turn a passion into a business and seized the opportunity to create an authentication company with a unique concept.
AJ built the TFG we know today, from putting together the grading standards to designing the labels, building up the brand to stand out in the market and deliver the best customer experience possible.
While he has stepped back from day-to-day operations, his love for the brand remains, and he constantly keeps in communication with Katie to continue his strong vision for the brand. He will forever be the founder of TFG.
Katie Budgen
Owner & Head Grader
During her childhood, she was an avid collector of Pokémon cards. She recently started collecting again in 2020 and has been collecting ever since, building up her knowledge in not only Pokémon but a wider range of TCGs.
Katie was originally a customer of TFG and made her first submission in May 2022, during which she met up with AJ to drop off the submission, and the rest was history.
As she grew within the community and continued to submit her collection for grading, she joined the community team in January 2023, helping to run and monitor the Discord server while also providing fun events for the community members.
While she was busy working and helping AJ behind the scenes with TFG, she went to trial a grading session where her natural eye for detail shone through, and by June she was on the team as a grader.
Her passion and dedication led to her appointment as CEO in November 2022, and she continues to work tirelessly to develop TFG with incredible drive.
Adrian Plantenga
Consultant & System Engineer
Adrian brings a strong business mind to the company. Having studied Business, IT & Management for 4 years, he has developed a wider knowledge of the ins and outs of running a company.
He has combined his love for gaming and all things computers with self-taught coding skills developed since the age of 12.
While having no prior experience and limited understanding about the crazy world of collecting, he has seen the joy firsthand from Katie and is slowly understanding the market and the demand from the community when it comes to TCG grading and collecting.
He strives daily to work hard on the TFG software and is constantly figuring out ways he can improve the company processes, not only for the customers and users, but for the team as well.
The Community Team
Our community team is the foundation of everything we do. They are genuine collectors who understand the needs of our customers and are integral to the business.
Piasumon.TFG
AKA Pearce
I got into collecting back in 1999 with Pokémon Base Set and carried on up until the end of the Neo era in the early 2000s.
Fast-forward to 2017, and I got back into the Pokémon TCG with PTCGO, and then 5 years after that I rediscovered my childhood collection and have been back into collecting ever since.
Pilot
AKA Kyle
I began collecting in 1999 when my Local Game Store started stocking Japanese cards, which was so unusual at the time!
I fell away from collecting during my teenage years but returned to the hobby in 2023 when I dusted off my collection and found TFG!
My favourite card in my collection has to be my Japanese Dark Raichu. I pulled it way back in 2000 and graded it in 2023, scoring an amazing TFG9!
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