Understanding the check value of baseball cards is an important aspect of properly valuing any card in your collection. A card’s check value refers to the grade or condition the card is in, which has a huge impact on its monetary worth. The better condition a card is preserved in, the higher its value.
There are several third party grading companies that assign official check values or condition grades to cards. The two most prominent are Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) and Beckett Grading Services (BGS). They use a numeric scale from 1 to 10 to indicate a card’s condition, with 10 being flawless “gem mint” condition and 1 being very poor. Most common consumer grade scales top out at 8 or 9.
To receive an official PSA or BGS grade, you must submit your card to be professionally evaluated by their experts. They will then encase the card in a hard plastic holder with the assigned grade prominently displayed. This provides a guarantee to potential buyers that the stated grade is accurate. For valuable vintage cards, this grading process is usually required to maximize resale value.
It’s still important for collectors to be able to evaluate a card’s condition on their own as well without professional grading. The key factors that determine a card’s check value or grade include:
Centering – How perfectly centered the image is front and back within the borders of the card. Off-center cards lose value.
Corners – Look for bends, folds, or damage to the corners which hurt condition. Rounded or “poor” corners lower the grade.
Edges – Inspect for dings, nicks, scratches or fraying along the edges of the card.
Surface – Check for scratches, clouding, stains or other defects on the surface that weren’t present during manufacturing.
Gloss – How much the original gloss or sheen remains on the surface, which fades with age and wear.
Using these criteria as a guide, most collectors and sellers will estimate a card’s condition as Mint (MT), Near Mint (NM), Excellent (EX), Very Good (VG), Good (G), Poor (PR) or Poor (PR) when not professionally graded. Here’s a breakdown of what those estimated designations generally mean:
Mint (MT) – A pristine card that looks like it just came out of the pack. Perfectly centered with sharp corners and no flaws of any kind.
Near Mint (NM) – Very well preserved with bright colors and gloss. May have a slight flaw or two upon close inspection but is still in outstanding shape overall.
Excellent (EX) – Still in great condition but with more noticeable flaws. Corners may be slightly rounded, surface has a few minor scratches or flecks. Colors remain bright.
Very Good (VG) – Significant wear is visible but the card is still completely intact. Corners will be rounded, surface has several light scratches or nicks. Colors fading slightly.
Good (G) – Clearly well-used but not yet damaged. Heavily rounded corners, lots of small scratches/nicks covering the surface. Colors noticeably faded throughout.
Poor (PR) – Significant damage affects the card such as creases, tears, heavy staining or discoloration. Key visual elements like logos/photos may be affected.
Knowing a card’s true check value makes a huge difference in what it’s worth to collectors. A mint rookie card from a star player could be worth hundreds in high grade but only a few dollars in poor condition. Take the time to properly evaluate every card to understand its real value based on preservation. The check value is as important to know as the player, team or year.
