40%
Surface
Surface, scratches and gloss. Under special lighting we inspect every card for the finest marks and loss of shine.
Official Grading Guide
The PGS Grade Scale – from 1 to 10.
Every grade is based on a defined analysis of the physical characteristics – objective, traceable and based on clearly defined criteria.
50 / 50
10GEM MINT
Corners inspected
Edges inspected
Centering measured
Surface scanned
Done — Gem Mint 10
Every grade clearly defined.
All grades with meaning and average. Open a grade to see centering, corners, edges and surface in detail.
With subgrades on the label · from 7.0
10Gold · PerfectAbsolute perfection. 50/50 centering. Gold Label with 4× grade 10.4 × 10
Absolute perfection. The card passes every inspection under controlled light and magnification without a single finding.
- Centering
- Subgrade 10: the image sits practically exactly in the middle (50 / 50).
- Corners
- All four tips sharp and untouched – no whitening, even under magnification.
- Edges
- A clean cut all the way round: no abrasion, no chipping, no nicks.
- Surface
- Flawless: no scratches, print lines, dents or prints, full gloss.
10Gem MintNear perfect. Highest eye appeal.from 9.80
Near perfect, highest eye appeal. The card looks factory-fresh; deviations show up – if at all – only under magnification.
- Centering
- Counts 20 %. If all other values are 10, a 9 is enough (up to 57.5 / 42.5).
- Corners
- Sharp; at most one tiny irregularity at a single tip, visible only under magnification.
- Edges
- Cleanly cut; at most a microscopic light spot.
- Surface
- Full gloss; at most a tiny mark that only shows in raking light.
9.5Mint PlusPremium. Only minimal deviation.9.40 – 9.80
Premium. Only minimal deviation – in total, more than one and at most three points are missing to the 10.
- Centering
- Counts 20 % towards the final grade.
- Corners
- Sharp; one corner may show a minimal light spot, barely visible to the naked eye.
- Edges
- Clean; at most a tiny light spot on one edge.
- Surface
- Full gloss; at most a fine print dot or a hairline that only shows in raking light.
9MintFirst-class. Minimal print lines / whitening.8.80 – 9.40
First-class. Small traces from production or handling – such as minimal print lines or a touch of whitening – are possible.
- Centering
- Counts 20 % from here on – provided the average already reaches 8.80 without centering.
- Corners
- Minimal whitening on one or two corners possible; the tips stay sharp.
- Edges
- Light, isolated abrasion possible – no tears, no nicks.
- Surface
- Isolated minimal print lines or a fine scratch in raking light; the gloss is intact.
8.5NM-MintVery good. Light traces on close inspection.8.30 – 8.80
Very good condition. Light traces are visible on close inspection, the overall impression stays high-quality.
- Centering
- Does not count for this grade – but appears as a subgrade on the label.
- Corners
- Light whitening on several corners; the tips are still largely sharp.
- Edges
- Light abrasion in a few places, small light spots.
- Surface
- Light print lines or fine scratches in raking light; no crease, no dent.
8NM-MintVery good. Light signs of wear.7.75 – 8.30
Very good, with light signs of wear. This is also where the common case 8 / 8 / 8 / 8.5 with an average of 8.25 lands.
- Centering
- Does not count, appears as a subgrade on the label.
- Corners
- Light whitening on several corners; one tip may be minimally blunted.
- Edges
- Light abrasion along one or more sides, occasional small chips.
- Surface
- Some fine scratches or light print lines; gloss slightly reduced, no creases.
7.5Near MintWell preserved. Wear visible, not dominant.7.25 – 7.75
Well preserved. Signs of wear are visible but not dominant.
- Centering
- Does not count, appears as a subgrade on the label.
- Corners
- Visible whitening on several corners.
- Edges
- Visible abrasion in several places, small chips.
- Surface
- Several fine scratches or clear print lines, reduced gloss.
7Near MintVisible whitening or scratches.6.50 – 7.25
Visible whitening or scratches. The lowest grade that still appears with subgrades on the label. An average of exactly 6.50 already counts as a 7.
- Centering
- Does not count, appears as a subgrade on the label.
- Corners
- Clear whitening, individual corners slightly blunted.
- Edges
- Clear abrasion, several small chips.
- Surface
- Visible scratches or a light dent; no creases yet.
Standard Label · below 7.0
6EX-MintNoticeable wear or dirt.5.50 – 6.50
- Corners & edges
- Rounded or blunted corners, clear abrasion and loss of color on the edges.
- Surface
- Several visible scratches, loss of gloss, light soiling; no creases yet.
5ExcellentHeavy scratches or clear abrasion.4.50 – 5.50
- Corners & edges
- Clearly rounded corners, heavy abrasion all round, small nicks.
- Surface
- Heavy scratches and dull spots, but no crease.
4VG-ExcellentVisible defects or discoloration.3.50 – 4.50
- Corners & edges
- Heavily worn corners, frayed edges.
- Surface
- Discoloration, stains or dents, clear loss of gloss.
3Very GoodLight creases. Clear scratches.2.50 – 3.50
- Corners & edges
- Round, heavily blunted corners, clearly damaged edges.
- Surface
- Light creases, clear scratches, visible soiling.
2GoodHeavy creases and soiling.1.50 – 2.50
- Corners & edges
- Severely damaged, small tears possible.
- Surface
- Heavy creases, stains and soiling.
1PoorMassive damage. Deep creases.0.75 – 1.50
- Corners & edges
- Most severe damage, tears possible.
- Surface
- Deep creases, heavy soiling, water or pressure damage.
Special case
AAuthenticGenuine, but condition cannot be assessed objectively.below 0.74
The card is genuine, but its condition cannot be assessed objectively.
- Typical reasons
- Too heavily damaged, overpainted, concealed flaws or other subsequent modifications.
- Autographs
- Subsequent signatures count as well – unless you include proof of authenticity or it is an official autograph card.
How to read the average: The lower boundary belongs to the band, the upper one does not – an average of exactly 8.30 is already an 8.5, while 8.25 is still an 8.0. Up to 8.5 we calculate without centering, from 9.0 with it.
Half grades possible: In the upper range we also award half grades – 9.5, 8.5, 7.5 and 6.5. That is where small details decide the value, so we measure more finely. From 6.0 downwards we award whole grades.
Autographs & signatures: We can grade signed cards if you include proof of authenticity – e.g. photo or video evidence of the signing or other authentication. Official autograph cards (certified autos) are of course also possible.
Typical picture, fixed calculation: the descriptions show what a card with this grade usually looks like. What counts in the end are the four subgrades and the formula – a card with a single weakness can therefore land higher than the description of that one criterion suggests.
How the grade is calculated.
Four criteria with fixed weights, one fixed formula, fixed grade bands.
20%
Corners
Shape and integrity of the corners. Even the finest corner wear influences the assessment.
20%
Edges
Cut quality and color abrasion of the edges. We check for nicks, abrasion and discoloration.
20%
Centering
Image alignment and symmetry. Centering enters the final grade from a potential 9.0 upwards.
01 · Standard calculation · Grade < 9.0
Without centering
G = (2S + C + E) ÷ 4
For grades below 9.0, surface, corners and edges count – with surface weighted twice.
02 · Premium calculation · Grade ≥ 9.0
Including centering
G = 0.4·S + 0.2·C + 0.2·E + 0.2·Z
From 9.0 upwards, centering (Z) enters the final grade with 20 %.
03 · Final result
Fixed grade bands
8.25 → 8.0
The result falls into a fixed grade band. The lower boundary belongs to the band, the upper one does not – 8.25 is still inside the 8.0 band (up to below 8.30) and therefore yields an 8.0, not an 8.5. All boundaries are in the grade list.
S = Surface
C = Corners
E = Edges
Z = Centering
G = overall grade · Gf = final grade
Info on centering: Centering only enters the final grade from a potential 9.0 upwards – specifically, as soon as the average without centering reaches 8.80. If a result sits exactly on a boundary, the higher grade applies: the lower boundary belongs to the band, the upper one does not.
Centering in numbers
Border ratio and centering subgrade, from 50 / 50 to 70 / 30
These guide values are stored in our grading system for the centering subgrade. We measure left to right and top to bottom – the weaker of the two axes always counts. The bar shows how far the image is off the exact center: far left would be 50 / 50, far right 75 / 25.
10practically 50 / 50No visible difference between opposite borders to the naked eye.
9.5up to 55 / 45Minimally off-center: the wider border is at most about 1.2 times the narrower one.
9up to 57.5 / 42.5Slightly off-center: at most about 1.35 times as wide.
8.5up to 60 / 40Noticeably off-center: at most 1.5 times as wide.
8up to 62.5 / 37.5Visible at first glance: at most about 1.7 times as wide.
7.5up to 65 / 35Clearly off-center: at most about 1.9 times as wide.
7up to 70 / 30Strongly off-center: at most about 2.3 times as wide.
< 7worse than 70 / 30Off-center – the grader then assesses centering individually.
Example: left/right 54 / 46, top/bottom 58 / 42 → the 58 / 42 counts → centering 8.5. We look at the front and the back separately – everything that matters is explained under Subgrades. For the final grade: centering only counts from a potential 9.0 upwards.
Worked examples
Six cards, calculated. Z stands for centering, C for corners, E for edges, S for surface.
Z10C10E10S10
without Z: (2·10 + 10 + 10) ÷ 4 = 10.00with Z: (2·10 + 10 + 10 + 10) ÷ 5 = 10.00
10Perfect · Gold Label
Four times a 10 – only then do you get the Gold Label.
Z9C10E10S10
without Z: (2·10 + 10 + 10) ÷ 4 = 10.00with Z: (2·10 + 10 + 10 + 9) ÷ 5 = 9.80
10Gem Mint
Exactly one point is missing. That is still enough for the 10 – for the Gold Label all four values would have to be 10.
Z8C9.5E9.5S9
without Z: (2·9 + 9.5 + 9.5) ÷ 4 = 9.25with Z: (2·9 + 9.5 + 9.5 + 8) ÷ 5 = 9.00
9Mint
From 8.80 upwards centering is included – and the 8 pulls the average down to 9.00. The 9.5 is still 0.40 away.
Z10C9.5E9.5S8
without Z: (2·8 + 9.5 + 9.5) ÷ 4 = 8.75below 8.80 – centering does not count
8.5NM-Mint
Perfect centering does not help here: without it, the average stays just below 8.80 – so the grade stays at 8.5.
Z8C8E8S8.5
without Z: (2·8.5 + 8 + 8) ÷ 4 = 8.25below 8.30 – not yet an 8.5
8NM-Mint
The common case: the 8.5 in surface counts double – yet the 8.5 is still 0.05 away.
Z6C7.5E7.5S7.5
without Z: (2·7.5 + 7.5 + 7.5) ÷ 4 = 7.50below 8.80 – centering does not count
7.5Near Mint
If centering counted, the average would be 7.20 – a 7. Below 9.0 it stays out; it still appears on the label.
Transparency meets design.
Every label shows year, TCG, language, set, card name, overall grade and grading ID.
Standard Label
Below grade 7.0
Focus on the essentials: the clear overall grade without subgrades.
Standard with Subgrades
From grade 7.0
Full transparency with all subgrades: detailed individual assessments for centering, corners, edges and surface.
Gold Label
The ultimate
Only those who achieve 4× grade 10 across all subgrades receive our golden special label – the crown of any collection.
Card requirements.
These TCGs and formats we accept.
Accepted TCGs
PokémonYu-Gi-Oh!Magic: The GatheringLorcanaOne PieceDragon Ball SuperDigimon+ all common trading cards & stickers
All cards and stickers in standard format are accepted. Cards and stickers smaller than the Japanese format fall under our Sticker Grading category.
Dimensions & Formats
Standard format (max.)63.5 × 88.9 mm
Maximum thicknessup to 150 pt (~3.8 mm)
Japanese format59 × 86 mm
Small formats & stickers: To guarantee a perfect fit and protection inside the case, we secure small formats with an additional, custom-made acrylic holder.
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