Grading explained: PSA, BGS and when it is worth submitting

The short answer

With grading you send a card to an independent service. They assess its condition against fixed criteria, award a grade on a scale up to 10 and then seal the card in a transparent holder, the slab. That gives you two things: a condition statement nobody can argue with when you sell, and lasting protection. The best-known providers are PSA and BGS. PSA awards one overall grade, BGS adds four sub-grades on top. Grading costs fees and takes weeks to months depending on the service level. So it only pays off if the card already has real value without the slab and is in good condition. On an average card the costs outweigh the benefit.

What the grader actually checks

Four criteria, essentially the same at every provider.

Centering. Does the image sit centrally within the border? It happens during cutting in production, you cannot influence it. It is the most common reason a visually flawless card still doesn't get a top grade.

Corners. Sharp or blunted. Even minimal fraying that you only see in raking light costs you.

Edges. Clean, or showing white wear. On darkly framed cards every bit of wear shows immediately.

Surface. Scratches, dents, fingerprints, print defects from production.

What the grades mean

The scale goes up to 10. In practice it is mainly the upper tiers that matter:

• 10 counts as practically perfect. At PSA it is called Gem Mint.
• 9 is a very good card with one small flaw.
• 8 is still attractive, but the gap to a 9 is often significant in price.
• Anything below that is, for most collectors, a used card.

The decisive point: the jump from 9 to 10 is usually bigger in price than the one from 8 to 9. Which is exactly why grading is a bet. You pay the fee before you know the grade.

PSA or BGS

PSA awards a single overall grade. That makes the assessment easy to read, and PSA slabs are the most widely traded on the market. For most cards it is the pragmatic standard.

BGS additionally shows the four sub-grades for centering, corners, edges and surface. So you can see what cost you. BGS also has its own top tier, the Black Label, where all four sub-grades are the maximum. That one is correspondingly rare.

Both are recognised. Which provider gets you the better price on a particular card depends on the collector circle around it.

When grading pays off

Do the maths coldly: fee plus shipping both ways plus insurance. And the waiting time on top.

It pays off when the card is already in demand ungraded, is in very good condition, and a high grade would plausibly bring a clear premium. Autograph cards and cards with a match-worn jersey piece often qualify, as do rookie cards of well-known players.

It doesn't pay off when the card has visible flaws, comes from a very large print run, or is worth less than the total cost anyway. Submitting a base card costs more than it brings back.

What you can do beforehand

Look at the card yourself before you send it. Hold it at an angle to the light, check the four corners one at a time, run your eye along the edges and compare the centering against the borders.

And this matters most: do not try to clean or straighten the card. A grader spots every kind of reworking, and it leads to a downgrade or to the card getting no regular grade at all. An honest 8 is better than a flagged card.

How to store cards so they stay in good condition in the first place is in our guide Storing trading cards properly.

Do I have to get a card graded to sell it?

No. An ungraded card sells just as well, the condition is simply a matter of negotiation then.

We buy autograph cards and cards with match-worn jersey pieces, graded or not. The quickest way is our sell-your-cards form, or message us on Instagram at @thecardclub.de. With a graded card the condition question is simply already settled.

What decides the price in the first place is covered in our guide Selling trading cards.

New cards rather than fees

Every Mystery Pack contains a guaranteed hit: a hand-signed autograph card or a card with an original match-worn jersey piece, each with a certificate of authenticity. If you specifically want a signature, take the Signature Series; if you want to go bigger, the One of One Pack with a card that exists once worldwide.

See all Mystery Packs

Frequently asked questions

How long does grading take?

Depending on the provider and the service level you choose, anything from a few weeks to several months. Faster tiers cost more.

Can I open a slab again?

Technically yes, sensibly almost never. The card loses its documented assessment and has to be submitted again.

What is a crossover?

When you send an already graded card to a different provider to have it reassessed there. It only makes sense if you have good reasons to expect a better classification.

Are graded cards forgery-proof?

The slab makes tampering considerably harder and carries a certificate number you can look up with the provider. Always check that number yourself when buying.