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Subgrades

Subgrades are separate scores for a card's centering, corners, edges and surface, printed on the label of some slabs beside the overall grade.

Grading
Where subgrades sit on a label A grading label drawn large, with an overall grade box and four subgrade boxes in a row beneath it. Four subgrades: Centering, corners, edges and surface, each from 1 to 10; The overall grade: Worked out from the four. The overall grade Worked out from the four Four subgrades Centering, corners, edges and surface, each from 1 to 10

In more detail

Beckett's grading service is the best-known user of subgrades. Each card gets four scores from 1 to 10, and the overall grade is worked out from them. Beckett sells its service levels with and without subgrades, so a card graded without them carries only the overall number.

A subgrade shows where a card is weak. Two cards with the same overall grade can differ: one may have sharp corners and loose centering, the other the reverse. If you buy for how a card looks, read the four numbers, because the overall grade alone will not tell you.

Not every Beckett card has them. Its vintage division grades cards issued before 1981 with an overall grade only.

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