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. Cheap tiers start at around 15 to 25 euros per card (bulk submissions), express tiers for valuable cards cost considerably more. Turnaround ranges from a few days to several months. 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.

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.