How we grade your cards.
Every card we touch gets sorted by condition before it ever moves to grading or sale. Here's the scale we use — the same one PSA, BGS, and serious collectors rely on — with visual examples so you can ballpark your own collection before submitting.
Illustrations below are exaggerated to make each tier's typical issues obvious. Real cards rarely fit a single tier perfectly — a card might have Mint corners and Excellent edges. We grade on the worst feature, not the best.
Gem Mint ✨
Effectively flawless. Cards in this tier look like they came straight off the printing press. This is the holy grail — and it's rare.
- Corners: Razor sharp on all 4 corners, no rounding visible to the eye
- Edges: Solid color, zero whitening, no nicks
- Surface: Glossy, no scratches, no print defects, perfect centering
- Centering: Within 55/45 on both axes (left/right and top/bottom)
Mint 💎
Near-perfect with only the tiniest imperfections — typically invisible to anyone but a grader holding the card under bright light.
- Corners: Sharp on 3-4 corners, maybe one with the slightest softness
- Edges: Clean with maybe one micro-spot of whitening
- Surface: No visible scratches, one or two faint print imperfections allowed
- Centering: Within 60/40 on both axes
Near Mint 👍
Visible but minor wear. The card has clearly been handled — opened, played with briefly, or stored without protection — but no major damage.
- Corners: Slight rounding on 1-2 corners, visible under bright light
- Edges: Light whitening at 2-3 spots, no chipping
- Surface: 1-2 minor scratches detectable on close inspection, gloss mostly intact
- Centering: Within 65/35 — slight off-center allowed
Excellent 🟢
Played with regularly and stored loose. Still very presentable, but the wear is obvious without needing a loupe.
- Corners: Noticeable rounding on all corners, but no chunks missing
- Edges: Visible whitening on most edges, possible small chip
- Surface: Multiple minor scratches, some loss of gloss in spots
- Centering: Up to 70/30 — clearly off-center is OK
Very Good ⚠️
Heavy play wear, but the card is intact and the artwork is fully visible. Often the binder-pages-but-no-sleeves story.
- Corners: Heavily rounded, possibly some fraying
- Edges: Significant whitening all around, multiple small chips OK
- Surface: Multiple visible scratches, gloss largely gone, possible small dents
- Centering: Up to 80/20 — significantly off-center allowed
- Other: Tiny surface marks or pressure dings acceptable
Poor / Good 🩹
Major structural damage but the card is still complete and identifiable. Often the basement-box, water-leaked-on-it, kid-folded-in-pocket story.
- Corners: Heavily worn, possibly chunks missing, frayed
- Edges: Massive whitening, chips, possible small tears
- Surface: Significant scratches, creases, possible water stains or pen marks
- Structure: One or more creases visible across the card body
- Still gradeable IF: No tape, no glue, no major missing chunks, card fully identifiable
How to ballpark your own cards in 30 seconds.
Grab a bright light (phone flashlight works) and check these four things in order. Whichever is the worst sets your tier.
Corners
Hold the card under bright light at an angle. Are all 4 corners crisp 90-degree points? Or do they have a slight curve? Heavy rounding? That's your floor.
Edges
Look at the colored borders. Any whitening — where the ink has worn off showing the white card stock underneath — drops the grade. A little is fine; a lot is Excellent at best.
Surface
Tilt the card under light. Any scratches, swirls, or matte spots where the gloss is gone? Print defects also count — those tiny black dots in the artwork.
Centering
Compare the border thickness on opposite sides. If the left border is twice as thick as the right, that's significantly off-center — caps the grade at Near Mint or below.
Think you've got something gem mint?
Send it in. We'll review it for free and recommend whether grading is worth the cost.