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Grading scale

A grading scale is the set of numbers a grading company uses to rate a card's condition, most often 1 to 10, with each number defined by limits on centering, corners, edges and surface.

Also called grade scale.

Grading
A 1 to 10 grading scale A bar of ten equal steps, numbered 1 at the left and 10 at the right. Most companies grade from 1 to 10: Each number is defined by limits on centering, corners, edges and surface: The top of the scale, Where companies differ most: CGC's Pristine 10, Beckett's Black Label. Most companies grade from 1 to 10 Each number is defined by limits on centering, corners, edges and surface 1 10 The top of the scale Where companies differ most: CGC's Pristine 10, Beckett's Black Label

In more detail

Most companies grade on a 10-point scale. CGC describes its scale that way and spells out what each number allows in the four areas a grader looks at. Some companies add half points, and TAG goes further: it scores each card out of 1,000 points and then turns that score into the familiar 1 to 10 grade.

The top of the scale is where companies differ most. CGC keeps a Pristine 10 label for cards that are flawless under 10-times magnification, and gives an ordinary 10 to a card that falls short of Pristine on one point. Beckett asks for a 10 in all four subgrades before it awards its Black Label.

Before you compare prices across companies, check which scale a slab uses. The same card can land on different numbers at different companies, so a 9 from one is not a promise of a 9 from another.

Related terms

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