Graded and ungraded baseball cards differ in several important ways. Graded cards have been professionally assessed and assigned a grade by one of the major third-party grading companies, such as PSA, BGS, or SGC. These companies examine the card closely under special lighting and magnification to analyze the condition and assign it a numerical grade on their respective grading scales from 1 to 10. Cards that receive higher numerical grades, such as 9s and 10s, are typically in near mint to mint condition with few to no defects. Lower graded cards, such as 5s and 6s, will show more visible signs of wear.
Ungraded cards, on the other hand, have not been professionally analyzed or assigned a grade. The condition of ungraded cards can vary widely from mint to poor. When buying and selling ungraded cards, there is far more uncertainty about the true condition and visual appeal of the card compared to a graded card. Buyers and sellers have to rely on detailed photos and verbal condition descriptions to evaluate ungraded cards. Issues like centering, corners, edges and surface defects are harder to discern without professional grading.
Grading a card provides a consistent and standardized assessment of its condition that gives buyers more confidence. The slab and grade label from the grading company serve to clearly communicate the card’s condition to potential buyers. This allows graded cards, especially higher grades, to sell more easily to a wider collector base and often demand significant premiums compared to raw, ungraded versions of the same card. Cards that may otherwise be overlooked or discounted due to minor condition issues can receive a desirable grade that increases demand.
The grading process itself comes at a cost that is passed on to buyers and sellers. Major grading companies charge submission fees that can range from around $10-20 per card for bulk order discounts on economy tiers, to $20-40 per card or more for express services and top-graded card bonuses. Once graded, cards will need protective holders which also have associated costs. As a result, graded cards usually sell for higher prices to account for the initial and ongoing costs of the grading process over time.
Ungraded cards avoid these upfront grading fees and encapsulation costs. For buyers on a budget or collectors only interested in dealing with raw cards, large collections can still be acquired relatively inexpensively in ungraded form compared to graded equivalents. As mentioned earlier, condition and visual appeal are harder to discern without professional grading certification. There is also the risk that cards believed to be in a certain condition could grade lower if submitted, resulting in a loss of perceived value to the buyer or seller.
Graded baseball cards provide a consistent and standardized condition assessment to give buyers higher confidence through a recognized numerical grading scale. This standardized communication of quality has allowed modern graded sports cards to become a mainstream alternative asset class. The grading process itself introduces initial and recurring costs that are reflected in higher prices compared to ungraded versions. Both graded and ungraded cards have their place in the hobby depending on a collector’s interests, budget and how they prefer to collect and trade cards.
