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Grading

What do the four small numbers on a BGS label mean?

Published · Updated · By the Cards from Japan editors

Summary

They are subgrades for centering, corners, edges, and surface. BGS gives an overall grade from 1 to 10 in half-point steps, calling a 10 Pristine and a 9.5 Gem Mint. A card that scores 10 in all four categories gets a black label.

Label colors

Beckett uses three label colors. Black goes to a Pristine 10 with four 10 subgrades, gold covers Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 9.5, and silver is used for every lower grade. When Beckett introduced the black label in 2014, it said the label was for modern cards only and not for BVG, its service for cards from 1980 and older. Below 9.5 the scale runs 9 Mint, 8 NM-MT, 7 NM, 6 EX-MT, 5 EX, 4 VG-EX, 3 VG, 2 Good, and 1 Poor.

Some BGS slabs have no subgrades

Subgrades depend on the service level. Beckett's price table lists Base, at 45 or more business days, for $14.95 a card without subgrades or $17.95 with them. Standard ($34.95, 20 to 25 business days), Express ($79.95, 7 to 10 business days), and Priority ($124.95, 2 to 3 business days) all include subgrades. A card graded at Base without subgrades shows only the overall grade.

Beckett's 2026 submission outage

Beckett.com and the Beckett app were offline on September 23, 2026, when Base with subgrades, Standard, and Express were being accepted through a temporary form and online submissions for Beckett EU were unavailable. By November 2, 2026, the grading pages were back online, and the price page sent EU orders to beckett.com/eu. Separately, Collectors, PSA's parent company, announced on December 15, 2025, an agreement to acquire Beckett and said Beckett would continue as an independent brand.

Sources

  1. Beckett Grading (checked 2026-11-02)
  2. Introducing BGS Black (checked 2026-11-02)
  3. Beckett grading pricing and turnaround times (checked 2026-11-02)
  4. Beckett submissions notice
  5. Collectors to Acquire Beckett (checked 2026-11-02)

Details are as published on these pages on the date above and can change. Check the official page before you buy or submit.

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