Grading Services

Card Grading is when you submit your trading cards to a Card Grading Service. They will inspect the cards for authenticity and rank it on a scale that usually runs on some sort of 10pt scale. Once the card is inspected and verified, they will seal the card in some sort of tamper proof holder or case, catalog it, and may assign it an authentication number of some sort to track the validity of the grading service.  Before submitting anything to a card grading company, there are a few things to be aware of to get the most out of your grading submission: knowing what cards to grade, what service to use, and the logistics involved in shipping and insurance.

Choosing what you should grade is always a personal decision. But some grading services do have some guidelines to follow that will not only save you money, but also increase the value of your collection. For example, grading one-of-one card makes little to no sense from a financial standpoint, although people continue to do it. The cost of having the card shipped, graded, insured and returned is unlikely to increase the worth of an already highly valued card enough to offset those costs. However, collectors may like the added protection of a graded slab for those cards.

Submitting vintage cards for grading makes for a solid investment. Player collectors, team collectors and set builders often target cards in a specific grade. Removing the subjectivity of self-assessment provides a foolproof way of making sure a card is actually in the condition the owner claims.

Even vintage commons can bring a strong return if submitted to a reputable grading company. A common mistake many people make with older cards is overlooking commons. Many high-end set builders will often pay top-dollar for a graded NM or Mint backup utility infielder's card simply to complete a collection of graded cards.

Prospect and rookie autographs are also highly desirable in high-grade condition. The obvious reason is that if a player attains star status, their most popular rookie cards will always be those that are signed and in Top condition.

 Before you send your cards in to be graded, you need to know that each company may do things a little different, and have different requirements so make a submission. So, make sure you research the company you are submitting to and know what their requirements are.

Cards are graded based on these factors: Centering, Corners, Edges, and Surface. They give each attribute a grade of 1-10, then combine those to give the card a final grade of 1-10. Anything above a 9 is worth book value or greater, as BGS 9 (known as a "Mint 9") is the condition expected of the card out of the pack. A grade of 9.5 is Gem-Mint, which is a card that is nearly flawless. This is the condition most collectors want. Then there is a "PRISTINE 10" which is the holy grail of cardboard. Pristine 10s are rarely handed out. A Pristine 10 can turn a $10 card into a $1,000 investment. 

The year is fairly simple as older cards grade lower than newer ones. This doesn't mean the older cards are worth any less, it just simply means that less is expected in terms of their condition. The older a card gets, the worse the condition it will get. The goal is to find those cards that have been well taken care of, are in better condition than the norm, and look as nice as can be. 

Although the process of grading may technically be a little scientific, learning how to look at a card has more to do with just your gut reaction to how it looks. If a card looks great, it looks great. There's a thin line between having high expectations for condition and being paranoid about perfection.