Card grading
What the numbers mean, who does the grading, and when it's worth paying for.
The basics
Four things decide a grade
Before you pay
Grade a card when
- It's clean. The money is in 9s and 10s.
- It's worth $50 or more raw. Below that the fee eats the gain.
- It's a card people look for. Star rookies, short prints, vintage.
- It needs proving. A slab says the card is real and unaltered.
Grading runs from $20 to $600 a card. Work out a card's numbers.
Who grades
The five companies
| Company | Scale | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1 to 10 | The biggest, and usually the highest resale prices. |
| BGS | 1 to 10, in half points | Subgrades, strict grading, and the Black Label. |
| SGC | 1 to 10 | Vintage cards, black slabs, quick turnaround. |
| CGC | 1 to 10, in half points | Clear slabs and lower prices. Was CSG. |
| TAG | 1 to 10, from a score out of 1000 | Graded by imaging, with a report showing every flaw. |
The scale
What each grade means
PSA's scale. Centering is the most the front can be off. Every grade in full.
| Grade | Name | Centering | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | Gem Mint | 55/45 | Virtually perfect card |
| PSA 9 | Mint | 60/40 | Superb condition card |
| PSA 8 | NM-MT | 65/35 | Super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance |
| PSA 7 | Near Mint | 70/30 | Slight surface wear visible upon close inspection |
| PSA 6 | EX-MT | 80/20 | Visible surface wear or printing defect |
| PSA 5 | Excellent | 85/15 | Very minor rounding of corners becoming evident |
| PSA 4 | VG-EX | 85/15 | Corners may be slightly rounded |
| PSA 3 | Very Good | 90/10 | Some rounding of corners, though not extreme |
| PSA 2 | Good | 90/10 | Corners show accelerated rounding |
| PSA 1.5 | Fair | 90/10 | Corners show extreme wear, possibly affecting picture framing |
| PSA 1 | Poor | N/A | Defects advanced to serious stage |
PSA half points and qualifiers
Half points run from 2 to 9, for a card at the top of its grade. A qualifier is a flaw noted beside the grade: what each means.
| Code | Means |
|---|---|
| MK | Marks |
| MC | Miscut |
| OC | Off Center |
| ST | Staining |
| PD | Print Defect |
| OF | Out of Focus |
| AA | Authentic Altered |
BGS subgrades and the Black Label
BGS grades centering, corners, edges and surface separately, and the four make up the grade. A Black Label is a 10 in all four. A BGS 10 can have a subgrade below 10.
TAG scores
| Grade | Name | Score |
|---|---|---|
| TAG 10 | Pristine | 990 - 1000 |
| TAG 10 | Gem Mint | 950 - 989 |
| TAG 9 | Mint | 900 - 949 |
| TAG 8.5 | NM MT+ | 850 - 899 |
| TAG 8 | NM MT | 800 - 849 |
| TAG 7.5 | NM+ | 750 - 799 |
| TAG 7 | NM | 700 - 749 |
| TAG 6.5 | EX MT+ | 650 - 699 |
| TAG 6 | EX MT | 600 - 649 |
| TAG 5.5 | EX+ | 550 - 599 |
| TAG 5 | EX | 500 - 549 |
| TAG 4.5 | VG EX+ | 450 - 499 |
| TAG 4 | VG EX | 400 - 449 |
| TAG 3.5 | VG+ | 350 - 399 |
| TAG 3 | VG | 300 - 349 |
| TAG 2.5 | Good+ | 250 - 299 |
| TAG 2 | Good | 200 - 249 |
| TAG 1.5 | Fair | 150 - 199 |
| TAG 1 | Poor | 100 - 149 |
Autograph grades
Beckett grades the signature on its own, from 5 to 10.
| Grade | The signature |
|---|---|
| 10 | Beautiful, boldly signed autograph that appears nearly perfect |
| 9 | Very pleasing signature with slight imperfections |
| 8 | Solid and pleasing signature with some flaws |
| 7 | Flaws are evident but signature still presentable |
| 6 | Heavy flaws easily visible and highly distracting |
| 5 | Very heavy flaws that highly distract from autograph |
Before you send a card
Check centering and corners under a loupe, wipe the surface, then sleeve it into a Card Saver 1, the holder graders ask for. How to get a card graded, step by step.
Centering tool Legends. Check the borders first View on Amazon (opens in new tab) 
Loupe 30x, LED and UV. For corners and surface View on Amazon (opens in new tab) 
Microfiber cloths Koala, 6. Wipes prints off the surface View on Amazon (opens in new tab) 
Penny sleeves BCW, 1,000 View on Amazon (opens in new tab) 
Card Saver 1 50. What we ship cards under $20 in View on Amazon (opens in new tab) As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Tools
Is this card worth grading?
Grading Cost Calculator
Should I Grade This Card?
What grading costs
A card, in business days. Read from each company's site on September 29, 2026. They change: check before you send.
| Company | Service | A card | Business days | Cards worth up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | Standard | $59.99 | 90 to 100 | $1,000 |
| SGC | Standard | $50 | 40 or more | $1,500 |
| CGC | Economy | $20 | 90 | $1,000 |
| TAG | Priority | $149 | 5 | $2,500 |
The faster services
| Company | Service | A card | Business days | Cards worth up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | Priority | $79.99 | 70 to 80 | $1,500 |
| PSA | Express | $199 | 20 to 30 | $2,500 |
| PSA | Super Express | $349 | 10 to 15 | $5,000 |
| PSA | Premier | $599 | 7 to 10 | $10,000 |
| SGC | Standard | $85 | 40 or more | $3,500 |
| SGC | Expedited | $150 | 2 to 3 | $3,500 |
| SGC | Expedited | $250 | 2 to 3 | $7,500 |
| CGC | Standard | $55 | 10 | $3,000 |
| CGC | Express | $100 | 5 | $10,000 |
| CGC | WalkThrough | $300 | 2 | $100,000 |
| TAG | Walkthrough | $299 | 2 to 3 | $5,000 |
- PSA's Value services are paused.
- TAG's Regular services are paused.
- Beckett has paused Base and Standard grading. Express is open, and the price is on its submission form.
Tools
Check a PSA certificate
PSA Cert Verification
Verify authenticity of PSA graded cards
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Data provided by PSA Public API. Limited to 100 lookups per day.