When evaluating the condition of a baseball card, there are several factors that must be considered in order to determine its grade or ranking. The most important entities that provide official grading of sports cards are Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) and Beckett Grading Services (BGS). Both companies have established detailed guidelines on their grading scales to provide a standard for collectors.
Some of the key items examined when grading include the card’s centering, corners, edges and surface. Centering refers to how evenly the image is placed within the borders of the card. A card that is perfectly centered from top to bottom and side to side would score high in this area. Corners are analyzed for any bumps, creases or flaws. Ideal corners are sharp and have no damage. Edges are inspected for whitening (wear of the color or coating along the edge) or chips. Surface quality means examining the face of the card for any scratches, scuffs, stains or printing defects.
PSA and BGS have established numerical grading scales to represent the overall conditioned based on these evaluative factors. PSA uses a 1-10 scale while BGS utilizes a 1-10 system plus additional half-point increments (e.g. 8.5). Here is a brief breakdown of the PSA scale:
PSA 1: Poor condition, very well worn and scratched card that is damaged
PSA 2.5: Fair condition with more noticeable flaws
PSA 5: Average condition, minor flaws and slight wear present
PSA 7: Good condition with some flaws that do not significantly impact appeal
PSA 8: Very good, above average with minor flaws that are hard to find
PSA 9: Mint condition, exceptional card with only minor flaws under strong lights
PSA 10: Gem Mint, flawless card in pristine collectible condition
BGS utilizes a similar numbering system but provides even more distinction between grades. For example, a BGS 9 would indicate a flawless gem while a BGS 9.5 would be an essentially perfect “black label” worthy specimen.
In addition to the numerical grade, PSA and BGS labels also denote sub-grades to further outline the condition details for each factor examined. For a PSA-graded card, the label will include individual numeric sub-grades for centering (C), corners (COR), edges (EDG) and surface (SUR). The sum total of these sub-grades contributes to the overall condition number assigned. BGS labels show sub-grades as well, including (CX, C, E) for centering, corners and edges.
There are also more descriptive labels that PSA and BGS use beyond just the numeric grades. For PSA, these include “Near Mint” (NM) for 7-7.5 range, “Mint” for 8-8.5 and “Gem Mint” for 9-10. BGS has Gold Labels to denote excellent quality specimens. Both companies identify historical or culturally significant items as being in the population census, for example a PSA 10 card may be designated as the “1 of 1 in PSA 10 Population.”
While PSA and BGS grading is considered the gold standard, vintage cards in particular are often professionally graded using less stringent standards than modern issues. In this case, a grading scale with condition terms like “Very Good” or “Fine” without a number assigned may be used by a respected third-party expert to describe the vintage card. Ultimately, the goal is providing collectors and buyers with a clear assessment of a card’s preserved quality through detailed analysis of its condition attributes. An officially graded card, or one with a detailed condition analysis, allows for an apples-to-apples comparison when evaluating baseball cards in the market.
