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Grading guide

What the numbers on the slab actually mean — and when grading is worth the fee.

Grading is how the hobby turns "it looks pretty clean to me" into something two strangers can agree on and price. Here is what the numbers mean.

The grading companies

PSA — the most widely recognised, and generally the one that commands the strongest prices for vintage cards. Single overall grade from 1 to 10.

BGS (Beckett) — gives four subgrades (centering, corners, edges, surface) alongside the overall. A BGS 10 "Black Label" requires all four subgrades at 10 and is genuinely rare.

CGC — strong on modern cards, with a PRISTINE 10 designation above its standard GEM MINT 10, awarded only when all four subgrades reach 10.

SGC — known for the black "tuxedo" holder and a reputation for consistency on vintage.

ACE and TAG — newer, technology-led graders using automated assessment.

What the numbers mean

  • 10 — Gem Mint. Virtually perfect. Sharp corners, clean edges, flawless surface, near-perfect centering.
  • 9 — Mint. One minor flaw visible on close inspection. Still an outstanding card.
  • 8 — Near Mint-Mint. Slight surface wear or a marginally off-centre print.
  • 7 — Near Mint. Minor whitening on the reverse edges, light surface imperfection.
  • 6 and below. Progressively more visible wear: corner rounding, edge whitening, scratching, and eventually creasing.

Why centering matters so much

Centering is the ratio of border width on opposing sides. It is a printing characteristic, not damage — nothing the card's owner ever did affects it, which is exactly why it stops so many otherwise perfect cards at a 9.

Vintage Pokémon is notorious for it. A 1999 Base Set holo with genuinely 50/50 centering is far scarcer than the print run suggests.

Is it worth grading a card?

Roughly: grading costs money and takes time, so it makes sense when the graded value comfortably exceeds the raw value plus the fee plus insured postage both ways.

As a rule of thumb, a card worth under about £30 raw rarely justifies it unless you are confident of a 10. Vintage holos, modern chase cards and anything with real centering luck are where it pays.

We are happy to give an honest opinion on whether something is worth submitting — just ask. We would rather tell you not to bother than sell you a slab you did not need.