SummaryHow to grade and center your cards.

How to Grade Your Cards

The act of card grading is extremely subjective. Show two collectors the same card, and chances are they'll each give it different grades. This is one of the many reasons for the growth and popularity of "professional" grading services.

However, if you want to grade your own cards -- or if you don't trust the grading services -- here is a guide on how to determine what condition your cards are in.

The following is a brief summary of card grades:

Mint ( MT ) : A card that is in perfect condition, with no flaws and no wear. A card in MT condition has four sharp corners, 60/40 or better centering (see below) on both axes, smooth edges, and the original gloss. This is usually reserved for cards from a just-opened pack, and/or have been handled very lightly. MT condition cards from 1981-present usually command a 25%-50% premium over Book Value, with pre-1980 and pre-War cards getting two-to-three times book.

Near Mint-to-Mint ( NrMT-MT ) : A MT card with one "minor flaw" (see below). Most cards from 1981-present are priced in NrMT-MT condition. Some collectors consider "MT" cards to actually be in NrMT-MT condition, because they have been handled to some extent.

Near Mint ( Nr-MT ) : A card that may have one "micro defect" (see below). Most "[Vintage]" cards (1948-80) are priced in Nr-MT condition.

Excellent-to-Mint ( EX-MT ) : A card that may have two or more micro defects. Most [Pre-War] cards are priced in EX-MT condition, with post-War EX-MT cards booking for around 40%-75% of Nr-MT.

Excellent ( EX ) : A card with one minor defect. Value is around 20%-50% of Nr-MT.

Very Good ( VG ) : A card with one major defect or multiple minor defects. Value is around 10%-30% of Nr-MT. Generally, most vintage cards graded VG and lower are sold as "set-fillers." A set-filler is a card that is on a collector's Want List, but will be dispensed of once he/she finds a copy in better condition.

Good ( G ) : A card with multiple major defects. Value is around 5%-15% of Nr-MT.

Fair ( F ) : A card with one catastrophic defect. If you get anything close to 5% of Nr-MT for an F card, consider yourself lucky.

Poor ( P ) : A card with multiple catastrophic defects. Unless it's a '52 Mantle, or a [T-206] Wagner, you might as well well throw a P card away.

A "Minor Flaw" is a slight touch of wear on one corner, barely visible print spots, or flaws in color or register (picture focus).

A "Micro Defect" is a fuzzy corner, a slightly off-center border (60/40), barely noticeable printer's lines and printer's spots, a slightly out of focus register, or a slight loss of the original gloss.

A "Minor Defect" is heavy corner wear or slight rounding, an off-center border (70/30), a light crease on the back, wax or gum stains on reverse, the loss of original gloss, writing or tape marks on back, and rubber band notch.

A "Major Defect" are multiple rounded corners, badly off-center borders (80/20), severe crease(s), deceptive trimming, deceptively retouched borders, pin and staple holes, incidental writing or tape marks on front, warping, water stains, or sun fading.

A "Catastrophic Defect" is the worst kind and would include badly rounded corner(s), mis-cutting, heavy crease(s), obvious trimming, punch hole, tack hole, tear(s) etc...

It is also worthy to mention that any sort of tape marks, pen marks, etc. make the card DEFACED. An autograph on a card technically defaces the card. In most cases, selling the card would depend on what the buyer would be willing to pay. People who like autographed cards will likely pay a premium if the card is autographed.

Centering

Whereas most card grading is subjective, card centering is one of the most objective criteria. What one collector calls "60/40" another may say "55/45." The ultimate judge, however, is the ruler. Here's an idea of what the different centering benchmarks mean.

Each card has two centering measurments: the horizontal axis (also known as the "left-to-right," or the "L>R" measurement) and the vertical axis ("top-to-bottom" or "T>B"). Both axes are measured the same way. Let's say the distance from the left border to the left edge of the card is 3mm and from the right edge to the right border is 2mm. This gives a total border space of 5mm. To figure out the horizontal axis measurement (which is expressed as a percentage ratio), divide 3 by 5 to get the percentage of the left border and 2 by 5 to get the percentage of the right border. In this case, the horizontal centering is "60/40 L>R." Repeat the process for the vertical axis.

Full Bleed, or borderless cards are a lot different but by familiarizing yourself with the set they belong to you can compare the cards. If you look at several cards from the set, you can get an idea of where the player name is located or the team name is. When you are familiar with this it becomes easy to see a mis-cut. You can also look at the backs of several cards and discern where the name bar or logo is supposed to be.

Of course, your not going to carry a ruler around with you to shows or stores, are you? However, use these techniques at home with your collection. You'd be surprised how fast you can "get experienced."

Beckett states that a "Mint" card can have up to 60/40 centering or better on both the horizontal and vertical axes. Most collectors would dispute this. Generally, if a card measures 60/40 or greater on one axis, drop the card 1 grade per level. For example, if you have a modern era card (1981-present) that would otherwise grade in NrMT-MT condition:

If centering is between 60/40 and 70/30 on one axis, then drop one grade to Nr-MT.

If centering is between 70/30 and 80/20 on one axis, then drop two grades to EX-MT.

If centering is 80/20 or worse on one axis, then drop three grades to EX.

Obviously, if it measures worse then 60/40 on both axes, then you'll drop acordingly. It's up to you how you place the centering issue.