If you are new to collecting cards or just getting back into the hobby after years away, you might be wondering why so many people are getting cards graded and what the grades themselves mean. What is the card grading company telling you about your card, or someone else’s card, wrapped up in one single number?

With Mantel community members set to be among the thousands of people attending the National Sports Card Convention in Cleveland July 24-28, now is a good time to explain the significance of these grades for people preparing to buy, trade, and get cards graded at the show. 

We’re going to talk in general terms about all grading companies, but we will specify differences for how one company might do something a little different. Many of these terms are taken off the websites of Beckett, CGC, PSA, and SGC, the four largest grading companies. The verbiage might vary a little bit between these services, but the general guidelines below provide a solid understanding of what each grade means.

So what are these companies grading? All card grades are based on four different elements: Centering, Corners, Edges, and Surface.

(Note: The descriptions of each grade are just examples and may not be the only reasons for that particular grade.)

Pristine 10

A card that is flawless and perfect in every way. These are the highest grades for any card. Beckett (Black Label), SGC (Gold Label), and CGC (Pristine) allow for this upper-level label, but PSA and JSA do not. A 10 is a 10 for PSA and JSA.

10 – Gem/Mint

The most common “10” cards, these grades are given to cards with near-perfect centering, perfect corners and edges. The surface should be free from any print lines, scratches or wear.

9.5 – Mint-Plus

A nearly perfect card with one minor issue. (Note that PSA does not have a 9.5 half-grade, as they go right from 9 to 10. JSA only offers half-grades for baseballs.)

9 – Mint

A card with good centering, but possibly a print line or another minor defect that keeps it from “gemming”.

8.5 – Near Mint/Mint Plus

8 – Near Mint/Mint

Exhibiting slight flaws on the card in more than one area. The ‘frame’ of the card could be off-center by a 60/40 ratio or more.

7.5 – Near Mint Plus

7 – Near Mint

Several small flaws, which might include 70/30 centering.

6.5 – Excellent to Near Mint

6 – Excellent to Near Mint Plus

Corners might show some fuzz, and centering could be closer to 75/25.

5.5 – Excellent Plus

5 – Excellent

This could be because of some surface scratches, or some chipped edges.

4.5 – Very Good to Excellent

4 – Very Good to Excellent Plus

Slightly rounded corners or maybe the card has close to 85/15 centering.

3.5 – Very Good Plus

3 – Very Good

Usually the starting point for cards with creases or 90/10 centering.

2.5 – Good Plus

2 – Good

Heavier creases, pen or pencil marks, discoloration, and surface scratches bring a grade this low.

1.5 – Fair

1 – Poor

A card with a pinhole in it, frayed corners, writing on it, heavy creases and/or other large flaws could be why this card received the lowest number grade.

A – Authentic / Altered

This grade often comes when a card is deemed not to be counterfeit, but the card might have been trimmed, colored, or altered in some way that prevents the grading company from giving it a grade above zero. Some battered cards in really poor condition might also get an Authentic grade.

Autograph Grades

For the most part, grades on cards that come from the manufacturer already autographed are either perfect 10s, or they are 9s. There might be exceptions, but for the most part, this is what you can expect.

Qualifiers

PSA sometimes adds qualifiers to their grades, which means the card meets all the criteria for that number grade, but it fails to grade that high in one area. The five qualifiers you might see from PSA include: MK (Marks on the card), OC (Off-Center), OF (Out of Focus), PD (Print Defect) or ST (Stain, which includes gum stains). Many collectors consider disqualifiers to be a drop of two points on the grade. In other words, if a card is graded PSA 8 (OC), some collectors would consider that the same value as a PSA 6. (However, from a value perspective, some would argue the PSA 8 with the qualifier will sell for higher than a PSA 6 because many people don’t understand that two-point difference.)

Card grades are still subjective, so a single card might receive different grades from different services.