PSA Sports Card Grading Scale

Vermillion Enterprises: We Buy PSA Graded Sports Cards

We buy PSA, BGS, and SGC graded sports cards.

Having your sports cards graded can be a challenge. Vermillion Enterprises is here to help you understand the Grading Process.

PSA Grading Scale

PSA Grades on a Scale of 1-10. They do offer half point grades on cards only. A half grade is added when: “a card must exhibit centering that is 5-10% better, at minimum, than the lowest % allowed within a particular grade.” Additional information and complete understanding of PSA Half-Point Grades

However, for the most part, PSA focuses on a whole point grading scale:

GEM-MT 10	GEM-MT 10 Gem Mint. Virtually a perfect card. Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 55/45 to 60/40 percent on the front and 75/25 percent on the back. Corners: 4 Sharp Corners Edges: 4 Sharp Edges. Crisp White Borders. Surface: Sharp Focus. Free of Staining. Slight printing imperfections are allowed but it cannot impair the overall appearance of the card.
MINT 9	MINT 9 Remarkable card condition. Minor Flaws. Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 60/40 – 65/35 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back. Corners: 4 Sharp Corners Edges/Surface: Can only exhibit ONE of the following imperfections: wax stain on reverse, minor printing imperfection, or slightly off-white borders.
NM-MT 8	NM-MT 8 Near Mint – Mint: High-end card that appears seemingly like a Mint 9 upon first glance. Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 65/35 -70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back. Corners/Edges/Surface: Closer inspection reveals ONE of the following imperfections: slight was stain on back, minor frays at one – two corners, slight printing imperfection, and/or slightly off white borders.
NM 7	NM 7 Near Mint. Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 70/30to 75/25 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back. Corners: Slight frays at one – two corners. Edges: Slight off-white borders. Surface: Slight surface imperfections visible upon close inspection. Picture focus may be off, or slightly out of focus. Original gloss is mostly retained on front of card. Minor printing imperfections and wax stains on the back of the card are acceptable.
EX-MT 6	EX-MT 6 Excellent-Mint. Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the front Corners: Corners possible have slight and graduated fraying. Edges: Slight notching or denting on edges, and/or off-white border. Surface: Visible surface wear and/or printing imperfection in which does not distract from the overall appearance of the card. Slight scratch acceptable but only if it is noticeable upon close inspection. Slight loss of original gloss and/or minor wax stain on back.
EX 5	EX 5 Excellent. Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 85/15 on the front and 90/10 on the back. Corners: Minor rounding of corners is evident. Edges: Off whiteness of borders. Surface: Surface wear or printing defeats are visible. Original gloss loss. Picture focus may be off, or slightly out of focus. Several slight scratches evident upon close inspection. No creasing.
VG-EX 4	VG-EX 4 Very Good – Excellent Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 85/15 on the front and 90/10 on the back. Corners: Minor rounding of corners is evident. Edges: Off whiteness of borders. Surface: Noticeable surface wear. I.e. scuffing and/or light scratches. Original gloss loss Light creases visible.
VG 3	VG 3 Very Good condition. Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 90/10 on the front and the back. Corners: Rounding of corners is evident but not extreme. Edges: Noticeable wear and discoloration. i.e. slight yellowing of border. Surface: Noticeable surface wear. I.e. scuffing and/or light scratches. Original gloss loss Light creases visible. Slight staining on back and/or wax staining on back more prominent.
GOOD 2	Good 2 Condition is good. Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 90/10 on the front and the back. Corners: Rounding of corners is obvious. Edges: Considerable discoloration of the borders. Surface: Noticeable surface wear. I.e. scuffing and/or scratches. Original gloss loss More creases visible. Light staining on back and/or wax staining on back more prominent. Chipping of enamel on back.
FR 1.5	FR 1.5 Fair condition. Centering: Centering within a tolerance of: 90/10 on the front and the back. Corners: Rounding of corners is obvious. Edges: Considerable discoloration of the borders. i.e. brown and/or dirty. Surface: Picture is out of focus. Heavily worn card with advanced stages of wear: scuffing, scratching, pitting, chipping, and staining. However, the card must be fully intact. If a major tear results in a piece of the card being distorted or missing, it will not receive this grade. i.e. missing an entire corner or the removal of the back layer of the card.
PR 1	PR 1 Poor. Mirrors the same qualities of a PSA 1.5 Fair. However, the appearance of the card is in such serious discombobulation that the eye appeal of the card has completely vanished. A zero grade cannot be given, but a poor grade can! Centering: Not a gradable aspect on this level. Corners: Rounding of corners is extreme. May possibly be missing one or two or more corners. Edges: Considerable discoloration of the borders. i.e. brown and/or dirty. Including chipping and fraying. Surface: Severe warping of the card. Prominent creases, stains, tears, fading, loss of gloss, and severe discoloration or dirtiness that makes it difficult to identify the card on either the front or back of the card.