Grading explained: PSA, BGS, SGC & CGC

What grading is

In grading, an independent company checks a card's authenticity and condition, assigns a grade and seals the card in a plastic holder (slab) with a label and certificate number. The buyer no longer has to trust the seller – they trust the grade.

The four big companies are PSA (market leader, especially for modern cards), BGS/Beckett (known for subgrades and the coveted Black Label 10), SGC (fast, popular for vintage) and CGC (grown strongly, good prices).

The grading scale

All companies grade from 1 to 10. Four criteria decide: centering, corners, edges and surface.

• 10 (Gem Mint): practically flawless. BGS additionally has the Pristine 10 with a black label when all subgrades are 10.
• 9 (Mint): one tiny flaw, such as slightly off centering or a minimal print mark.
• 8 (NM-MT): very good condition with small visible flaws – often a strong result for vintage.
• 7 and below: clear wear, scratches, soft corners. Still valuable for rare old cards.

Costs and turnaround

Prices depend on the declared card value and the desired turnaround. At PSA the cheapest tier has cost around 25 US dollars per card since February 2026 (Value Bulk, Collectors Club members only and with a minimum quantity), Value around 33 and Regular around 80 US dollars; express tiers for valuable cards cost many times that. In the cheap tiers you wait several months. On top come shipping, insurance and possibly import charges when cards return from the USA. From Germany and Europe you either submit directly or through one of the grading service providers that bundle group submissions – which saves shipping and customs hassle. Prices change regularly, so check the current price list before submitting.

When grading pays off

Do the maths first: what is the card worth raw, what in a 9, what in a 10? If only the 10 pays off, you need a card without any flaw – check in daylight with a loupe. Cards worth less than about 30 euros raw rarely pay off. Rookie cards of stars, rare parallels and vintage key cards are the classic grading candidates.

On CARDLEAGUE the catalog shows the market value separately for raw and for each grade – so you see the expected premium before you submit.

• Example: a card is worth 40 euros ungraded, about 60 euros in PSA 9 and about 150 euros in PSA 10.
• Costs: with fee, shipping and insurance you can expect roughly 35 to 50 euros per card in the cheap tier.
• Result: a 9 means a loss, only a 10 pays off. So grading only pays off if the card is truly flawless.
• Rule of thumb: the expected premium over ungraded should clearly exceed the total cost – even if the grade turns out one step lower than hoped.