Grading Standards

General Grading Information: 

We consider the centering of a card to be the most important factor. It is the first thing you notice when looking at a card. All our graded cards must meet the following centering requirements:  20% maximum variation L/R  and T/B on the front, 30% maximum variation L/R and T/B on the rear. Slight factory rough cut is allowed on all cards where it is common for the year/manufacturer. We deal with a lot of O-Pee-Chee cards, so this is very common. Any factory imperfection that occurs on many if not all examples of a card is allowed. Remember, we are dealing with 1970-1992 cards. If post 1992 cards were involved, our requirements would be MUCH stricter.  We always wear latex gloves when grading. 

Imperfection Definitions:

Corners: slight discoloration at up to 2 corners. Edges…Slight chipping allowed.  Surface….up to two print lines or scratches allowed. Focus and color must be sharp, no corner damage, and no stains are allowed on the front of a card that receives a grade. 

TS 10:  

 Perfection… Appears perfect with the naked eye. Under 4x magnification …..one imperfection allowed.

TS 9:   

Near Perfection… One visible imperfection allowed. Under 4X magnification…..two imperfections allowed. 

 TS 8:   

 Excellent… Two visible imperfections allowed. Under 4X magnification…three imperfections allowed.

No Grade:

Any cards that grade below an 8 or are suspected of being counterfeit or altered will be returned Ungraded. You have a choice of having the card encapsulated for protection or returned in its original card saver. No refunds will be issued for cards that do not receive a grade. We strongly recommend that you pre-grade your cards before sending them in.  

Opinion on technology in grading: 

We believe 100% in having humans grade/authenticate cards. We look forward to employing and helping people. We have no intentions of ever using any sort of artificial intelligence, computers, machines, robots, etc. We understand humans are not perfect, but machines are created by humans so they are not perfect either.  When a machine breaks down (and they always will), there can easily be a tremendous amount of expense and time involved to get it back into operation, this is not a risk we are willing to take.