Grading Scores Explained

You can find details on Arena Club’s grading process and grading scale here: https://arenaclub.com/grading. The grading scale for 8 and above breaks down as follows:

Perfect 10: This is almost the perfect card! Four clean sharp corners/four clean sharp edges combined with visually clean surface and symmetrical centering on front and back of the card.

Gem Mint 10: This is nearly pristine. This card’s standards are no subgrades below 9.5 with at least one or more 10’s to qualify for this level. Four clean corners/four clean edges with slight minimal/minor defects. Slight allowance for surface issues and symmetrical centering on front and back of the card.

Mint+ 9: Brilliant conditioned card showcasing minimal/minor visible flaws, minimal/minor printing defects or slight issues with corners and edges under magnification. Fractional off set centering on front and back of the card.

Mint 9: Slightly brilliant conditioned card showcasing a couple minimal/minor visible flaws, minimal/minor printing defects or slight issues with corners and edges under magnification. Partial offset centering on front and back of the card either top/bottom or left/right.

NM Mint+ 8: Super high-end card that appears brilliant at first glance but has a handful of minimal/minor visible flaws. minimal/minor issues with corners and edges under magnification, with minimal/minor printing defects under magnification. Noticeable offset centering on front and back of the card either top/bottom or left/right.

NM Mint 8: High-End card that appears brilliant at first but has multiple flaws. Minimal/minor issues with corners and edges, with the possibility of multiple printing defects under magnification. Offset centering on front and back of the card either top/bottom or left/right detected by the human eye.

You can find details on BGS’s grading process and grading scale here: https://www.beckett.com/grading/scale. The grading scale for 8 and above breaks down as follows:

Pristine 10: Centering: 50/50 all around on front. 60/40 or better on back. Corners: Perfect to the naked eye and Mint under magnification. Edges: Perfect to the naked eye and virtually free of flaws under magnification. Surface: No print spots. Flawless color, devoid of registration or focus imperfections. Perfect gloss, devoid of scratches and metallic print lines.

Gem Mint 9.5: Centering: 50/50 one way, 55/45 the other on front. 60/40 or better on back. Corners: Mint to the naked eye, but slight imperfections allowed under magnification. Edges: Virtually Mint to the naked eye. A speck of wear is allowed under intense scrutiny. Surface: A few extremely minor print spots, detectable only under intense scrutiny. Deep color, devoid of registration or focus imperfections. Perfect gloss, devoid of scratches and metallic print lines.

Mint 9: Centering: 55/45 both ways on front. 70/30 or better on back. Corners: Mint upon close inspection. A speck of wear is allowed under intense scrutiny. Edges: Virtually Mint to the naked eye. Unobtrusive specks of chipping on the borders are allowed. Surface: A handful of printing specks or one minor spot. Very minor focus or color imperfections. Clean gloss with one or two tiny scratches barely noticeable to the naked eye. One faint, unobtrusive metallic print line is allowed.

Near Mint/Mint 8: Centering: 60/40 both ways or better on front. 80/20 or better on back. Corners: Sharp to the naked eye, but slight imperfections allowed under close examination. Edges: Relatively smooth borders. Specks of chipping visible to the naked eye are allowed. Surface: A few minor print spots. Very minor color or focus imperfections. Solid gloss with very minor scratches detectable only upon close inspection. Or a subtle metallic print line.

You can find details on CSG’s grading process and grading scale here: https://www.csgcards.com/card-grading/grading-scale/. The grading scale for 8 and above breaks down as follows:

Perfect 10: A Perfect 10 is a card that has received the grade of Gem Mint 10 with all four grading criteria — centering, corners, edges and surface — being 10. This “quad 10” is the best a card can be, and flawless under 10x magnification. All cards that merit a CSG Perfect 10 receive sub-grades by default for free with no special request required.

Gem Mint 10: A Gem Mint 10 is a card that has received a 10 grade overall; however, one of the grading criteria does not meet the requirements of a Perfect 10. Corners will appear perfect to the naked eye and Mint+ under 10x magnification. The surface is free of print spots and should also display perfect gloss, devoid of any surface flaws. Centering is not to exceed approximately 55/45, and reverse centering is not to exceed 75/25.

Mint+ 9.5: A Mint+ 9.5 is a card that displays premium eye appeal for a Mint card. Card qualities such as exceptional centering, surface qualities/color or other key elements can elevate a card to a Mint+ grade.

Mint 9: A Mint card will have four sharp corners with only minor wear visible. Centering must be 60/40 or better for the front of the card, and 90/10 for the back. Slight minor flaws on the edges may be visible. The surface must have all original gloss; however, a small number of specks or one minor spot or surface defect is allowed.

NM/Mint+ 8.5: A card graded 8.5 has relatively smooth edges with only minor touches of wear. It must have original color borders and gloss. One of the following very minor flaws is allowed: corners are sharp to the naked eye but reveal slight imperfections under magnification; a small amount of minor print spots; or subtle focus imperfections of the image. A very slight diamond cut is allowed.

NM/Mint 8: A card graded 8 must have 65/35 or better centering and relatively smooth edges with only minor touches of wear. It must have original color borders and gloss. One of the following very minor flaws is allowed: corners are sharp to the naked eye but reveal slight imperfections under magnification; a small amount of minor print spots; or subtle focus imperfections of the image. A very slight diamond cut is allowed.

You can find details on PSA’s grading process and grading scale here: https://www.psacard.com/resources/gradingstandards. The grading scale for 8 and above breaks down as follows:

GEM-MT 10 (Gem Mint): A PSA GEM-MT 10 is a virtually perfect card, from its four sharp corners and no creasing to its sharp focus and full original gloss intact. A card that earns this distinction must be free of any staining, though allowances are made for slight printing imperfections if they don’t impair the card’s overall appeal. The image must be centered on the card within a tolerance not to exceed 55/45 to 60/40 percent on the front and 75/25 percent on the reverse.

MINT 9 (Mint): A PSA MINT 9 is a superb condition card that exhibits only one of the following minor flaws: a very slight wax stain on the reverse, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off-white borders. Centering must be approximately 60/40 to 65/35 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

NM-MT 8 (Near Mint-Mint): A PSA NM-MT 8 is a super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection can exhibit one or more of the following: a very slight wax stain on the reverse, slightest fraying at one or two corners, a minor printing imperfection and/or slightly off-white borders. Centering must be approximately 65/35 or 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

You can find details on SGC’s grading process and grading scale here: https://www.gosgc.com/card-grading/scale. The grading scale for 8 and above breaks down as follows:

10 Pri (Pristine): A “virtually flawless” card. 50/50 centering, crisp focus, four sharp corners*, free of stains, no breaks in surface gloss, no print or refractor lines, and no visible wear under magnification.

10 GM (Gem): 55/45 or better centering, sharp focus, four sharp corners*, free of stains, no breaks in surface gloss, no print or refractor lines, and no visible wear. A slight print spot visible under close scrutiny is allowable if it does not detract from the aesthetics of the card.

9.5 (Mint+): Is a card that at first glance appears to be Gem Mint 10 upon close inspection it may have a tiny flaw(s) that keeps it from grading GEM MT 10.

9 (Mint): 60/40 or better centering, sharp focus and four sharp corners*. A minor flaw may exist upon close examination. A minor flaw may be, but is not limited to: a slight nick to one corner, a small gloss break or surface scratch, a minor print line or minor refractor line, a minor focus or color imperfection, or a small print spot.

8.5 (NM/MT+): 65/35 or better centering, four sharp corners*. A few minor flaws may exist upon close examination. A minor flaw may be, but is not limited to: a slight nick to one corner, a small gloss break or surface scratch, a minor print line or minor refractor line, a minor focus or color imperfection, or a small print spot.

8 (NM/MT): 65/35 or better centering, corners sharp to the naked eye but may exhibit slight wear under closer examination. A few small flaws may exist upon close examination. A small flaw may be, but is not limited to: very minor wear on one corner, a gloss break or surface scratch, a print line or refractor line, a focus or color imperfection, or a print spot.