One of the most important considerations in calculating the value of a sports card is its condition. Depending on what kind of shape your sports card is in you may find the appraised value fluctuate drastically. Grading is the term used for defining a cards condition based on a standardized set of criteria. This criteria is based purely off the physical characteristics of the card and does not take age of the card into account.
Grading services can be provided by 3rd party companies. Although you can come up with your own grade, having a professionally assigned card grade ensures 토토 an unbiased view of the card’s condition. This in turn gives buyers and sellers more confidence in the card’s valuation. Some of the more popular 3rd party sports card grading companies are: Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Global Authentication Inc. (GAI), Sportscard Gaurentee (SCG), and Beckett Grading Sevice (BGS). Professional graders usually seal the card in a tamper-proof package and provide a serial number to the card. The serial number is kept in the company records and can later be used to verify the authenticity of the sports card and its grade.
Most grading guidelines use a scale of 1 to 10 to indicate a cards condition. Sometimes the value is assigned in half point increments to give more granular, well-defined grades (ie. 3.5, 8.5). Most card values quoted in price guides apply to a card in “Near Mint” condition. Perfect cards in GEM Mint condition can often receive a 200% premium on most quoted price guides. Sports cards with a lower than “Near Mint” grading can suffer a reduced price compared to what is provided in most sports card price guides. The below list shows the standard grading values assigned by the various card grading systems along with a rough price multiplier based on the grade:
Gem Mint
Abbreviation: GEM-MT
Numeric Rating: 9.5 – 10
Price guide offset: 200%
The card must be in virtually perfect condition. Card must be completely free of any blemishes such as stains or scratches. All four corners must be perfectly sharp. Any manufacturer printing imperfections must be slight without impairing the card appearance. The centered ratio on front must be 60/40 or better and 75/25 or better on back. (see Footnote 1 at bottom of page)
Mint
Abbreviation: MINT
Numerical rating: 9
Price guide offset: 150%
The card must be in excellent condition with a maximum of one of the following flaws:
- minor manufacturer printing imperfection
- off-white card borders
- slight wax stain on back
Centering must be 60/40 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.
Near Mint-Mint
Abbreviation: NM-MT, Nrmt-Mt
Numeric Rating: 8
Price guide offset: 125%
The card must be in superb overall condition. The condition can be downgraded from Mint to Near mint if the card has more than one of the following imperfections: