Skip to content
ripfan
Top rip sitesTop sites
ripfan
Top rip sitesTop sites

Card grading

Card grading is a paid service in which a company inspects a card, gives it a number on a 10-point scale and seals it in a labeled plastic holder.

Also called grading service.

Grading
What happens when a card is graded Four steps, each with a small drawing, from sending a card to its sealed holder. First, The card is sent in: With a service level and a fee; Second, Four things inspected: Centering, corners, edges and surface; Third, A grade from 1 to 10: The weakest of the four usually sets it; Fourth, Sealed in a labeled holder: The label names the card and the grade. 1 The card is sent in With a service level and a fee 2 Four things inspected Centering, corners, edges and surface 3 A grade from 1 to 10 The weakest of the four usually sets it 4 Sealed in a labeled holder The label names the card and the grade

In more detail

A grader looks at four things on every card: centering, corners, edges and surface. The weakest of the four usually sets the final number, so a card with sharp corners can still come back lower because its picture sits off center. Most companies grade in whole and half points from 1 to 10.

Buyers care because a number from a known company is easier to trust than a seller's own description. Two copies of one card can sell for very different prices when one carries a higher grade, which is why collectors weigh the fee and the wait against the card's price before they send it in.

Each company sells several service levels. A faster level costs more, and every level caps the declared value of the card. Rip.fan's grading cost calculator compares the levels of the grading companies it covers, with the day each was read.

Related terms

Where Rip.fan covers it

Updated