How Shards works, and how to reach us.
Everything you need to back a Vault, trade shards, redeem the real slab, and get help if something isn't right.
Backing a Vault
Reserve a USDC allocation in a community card Vault. When it fully funds we acquire the slab into insured custody, authenticate it, and split it into shards distributed to backers, no chasing a seller.
Buying & trading shards
Buy fractional shards of a graded card and trade them on a live market. Hold for upside, or sell any time. Your positions and cost basis live in your portfolio.
Redeeming the physical card
Hold a whole card's worth of shards and you can burn them to claim the physical slab, shipped to you. Fractional holders trade rather than redeem.
Trust & protection
Cards are authenticated before anything is minted, custody is held before any payout, and backing is provable 1:1 on proof-of-reserves.
Frequently asked
- How does backing a Vault work?
- A Vault is a graded card the community pools capital to co-own. You reserve an allocation, and when the Vault fully funds we acquire the slab into insured custody, authenticate it, and split it into shards distributed to backers. You then trade your shards or collect enough to redeem the card.
- What happens if my card doesn't pass authentication?
- We return it to you at no cost and email you the reason plus return tracking. Nothing is minted and no money moves. If you think we got it wrong, reply to that email and we'll take another look.
- What is a shard?
- A shard is a fractional, tradeable piece of one specific graded card. If a card is split into 10,000 shards, each shard is 1/10,000 of that exact slab. You can buy, sell, and hold shards without owning the whole card.
- If lots of people own shards of one card, who gets the physical card?
- The physical card only goes to someone who redeems a WHOLE card's worth of shards. If you hold a fraction, you can trade it freely, but you can only claim the physical slab once you hold enough shards to cover a full card. Until then the slab stays in the vault, backing everyone's shards 1:1.
- How do I know the card behind my shards is real and actually in the vault?
- Every tokenized card is authenticated before any shards exist, and the backing is verifiable on our proof-of-reserves page: the number of shards outstanding always equals the number of cards held, times the shards per card.
- Can I cancel a Vault reservation?
- Yes. While a Vault is still raising, you can update or cancel your reservation any time. Reservations are non-binding until funding opens.
- How do I redeem the physical card, and is it insured in transit?
- Once you hold a whole card's worth of shards you can burn them to claim the slab, shipped to you fully insured with tracking. Fractional holders trade rather than redeem.
Contact & disputes
Have a question about a card, a payout, or a disagreement about a decision? We read every message and aim to respond within one business day. Include your cash-out reference (the link in your confirmation email) so we can find it fast.
Live support opens with our public launch. In the meantime, use the in-app notifications on each cash-out for status updates.
Shipping a card? Use tracking, and add carrier insurance for high-value slabs.