What the grade on the label says, how the three big grading companies differ and what a slab does – explained in brief.
This guide describes the graders' scales in broad outline. The rules of the respective grader are binding.
PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator): Scale: 1 to 10 · Half grades: from 1.5 to 8.5 – no 9.5 · The 10: Gem Mint 10 · Distinctive feature: One overall grade, no subgrades
BGS (Beckett Grading Services): Scale: 1 to 10 · Half grades: yes, the 9.5 is called Gem Mint · The 10: Pristine 10; with four 10 subgrades: Black Label · Distinctive feature: Four subgrades: centering, corners, edges, surface
CGC (Certified Guaranty Company): Scale: 1 to 10 · Half grades: yes, for example 9.5 · The 10: Gem Mint 10, Pristine 10 or Perfect 10 · Distinctive feature: The tier of the 10 is spelled out on the label
For grading, a card goes to a grading company, a so-called grader. There it is examined for authenticity and condition, receives a grade and is sealed in a closed plastic case – the slab.
Inside the slab sits a label with the card, the grade and a certificate number. These belong together: the grade applies to exactly this card in exactly this case.
PSA, BGS and CGC grade on a scale from 1 to 10. The 10 is the top grade.
What counts is what you can see on the card: how well the image is centred (centering), how sharp the corners are, how clean the edges are and how intact the surface is.
Each grader has its own standards and its own names. A PSA 9 and a BGS 9 therefore cannot be treated as one and the same.
Between the whole grades there are half steps – but not the same at all three graders:
PSA gives half grades from 1.5 to 8.5. There is no PSA 9.5: after the 9 comes the 10.
BGS gives half grades right up to the top. The 9.5 is called Gem Mint there.
CGC also gives half grades, for example the 9.5.
Typical of Beckett are four subgrades printed on the label next to the overall grade: centering, corners, edges and surface. They show where a card lost points.
A BGS 10 is called Pristine. If all four subgrades are 10, the card gets the black label – the Black Label. So a BGS 10 is not automatically a Black Label.
CGC distinguishes several tiers of its top grade, spelled out on the label: Gem Mint 10, Pristine 10 and Perfect 10.
When comparing two CGC 10s, look at the name, not just the number.
Every label carries a certificate number. The grade is registered with the grader under that number.
The number can be looked up on the grader's website. It shows which card with which grade is listed under the number – which you can compare with the slab in your hand.
For our graded cards, the certificate number is shown on the product page once we have entered it. For PSA, a link leads straight to the verification page for that number.
It protects the card from fingerprints, dust and bending when handled.
It does not protect itself: the case can get scratched and crack if dropped.
The grade only applies inside the closed slab. Once it is opened, the card is a loose card again, without a grade.
The edges and corners of the case are protected by slab guards: frames that enclose the slab.
A card without a slab is called raw. For raw cards we use our condition scale from Near Mint to Damaged.
For a graded card, the product page shows the grader's grade instead. The grade is the grader's verdict, the condition is our assessment of a loose card – showing both side by side would mix two systems.