Should you grade a card?

Grading gives a card an independent condition assessment and a protective holder. It can suit a favorite display card, an older card that needs authentication, or a collection built around matching slabs. Plenty of cards are better left raw in a binder or top loader.

The useful question is not “Is this card valuable?” It is “What do I want grading to do for this card?”

Reasons to grade

Collectors submit cards for several reasons:

• Authentication: the service examines whether the card is genuine.
• Condition: a grader assesses the card using the company’s published scale.
• Protection: the finished card is sealed in a hard plastic holder, often called a slab.
• Identification: the label records the card details, grade, and certification number.
• Display: some collectors prefer the consistent look of graded cards.

If those benefits do not matter for a particular card, keeping it raw may be the easier choice.

Check the card first

Use bright, indirect light and examine both sides. Hold the card by its edges and look for:

• uneven centering;
• soft, bent, or damaged corners;
• whitening, chips, or nicks along the edges;
• scratches, print lines, dimples, or stains on the surface; and
• creases, dents, trimming, or other alterations.

Take the card out of a scratched sleeve before judging the surface. Change the viewing angle because glare can hide marks. A photograph can help with centering, but it rarely shows every flaw.

Compare grading services

PSA, CGC Cards, Beckett Grading Services (BGS), and SGC all grade trading cards. Each company uses its own standards, labels, service levels, and submission rules. A numeric grade from one company should not be treated as identical to the same number from another.

Read the current information directly from the service:

• PSA grading standards
• CGC Cards grading process
• Beckett grading
• SGC card grading

Check accepted card types, fees, estimated turnaround, declared-value rules, insurance, and return shipping before submitting.

A simple grading decision

1. Confirm the set, card number, variation, and language.
2. Decide why you want the card graded.
3. Inspect the front and back in good light.
4. Compare the full submission cost with the benefit to your collection.
5. Read the chosen service’s packing instructions.
6. Keep photographs, tracking details, and submission records.

Do not clean, trim, press, or alter a card before submission. Place it in the holder requested by the grading company and package it according to their current instructions.

Raw cards belong in collections too

Raw cards are easier to arrange in binders, remove for deck play where appropriate, and group into complete sets. They also take up less space. A visible flaw does not make a favorite card less enjoyable.

A grade records a professional opinion of condition at the time of assessment. Your connection to the card still comes from the player, character, artwork, set, opening, or person attached to it.

Return to the collector guides or read what is a card opening? for more hobby basics.