Grading

Does a 10 mean the same thing at PSA, BGS, and CGC?

Published · By the Cards from Japan editors

Summary

No. All three top out at 10, but each company writes its own standard. CGC splits its 10 into Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10, and Beckett also calls its top grade Pristine 10 and gives a special black label to cards with four 10 subgrades.

CGC's two tens

A CGC Pristine 10 is flawless under 10x magnification with 50/50 centering. A card that misses any one Pristine requirement becomes a Gem Mint 10, which allows centering of about 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back. Mint 9 widens that to 60/40 on the front and 90/10 on the back. CGC also notes that its old "CGC Trading Cards Gem Mint 9.5" corresponds to today's "CGC Cards Gem Mint 10."

Beckett's half points and subgrades

Beckett Grading Services issues final grades in half-point steps (10, 9.5, 9, 8.5 and so on) after judging centering, corners, edges, and surface separately. A card that earns a 10 in all four subgrades gets a black label, which Beckett introduced in 2014 for modern cards; it does not apply to BVG, Beckett's line for cards from 1980 and earlier.

PSA's ten-point scale

PSA grades only cards it has judged authentic, on a scale of 1 to 10, and prints the grade and certification number on the label of a sealed case. So a PSA 10, a CGC Pristine 10, and a BGS Pristine 10 share a number and nothing more; each is a verdict under a different company's rules.

Sources

  1. CGC Cards grading scale
  2. Beckett grading scale
  3. Beckett, Introducing BGS Black
  4. PSA Trading Card Grading

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

More grading guides

8 articles
GradingWhat should you check before buying a graded card?A slab is a card that a grading company has assessed and sealed in a hard holder, with the grade and a certification number printed on the label…Read the guide →GradingWhat happens after you send a card to PSA for grading?PSA's cheapest open tier in the U.S. is Standard at $59.99 a card, with an estimated 90 to 100 business days. The card either comes back sealed in a…Read the guide →GradingWhat do the four small numbers on a BGS label mean?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…Read the guide →GradingHow much does CGC charge per card, and what won't it grade?For direct U.S. submissions, CGC Cards' cheapest tier is Bulk at $17 a card (25-card minimum, $500 maximum value), followed by Economy at $20. Both…Read the guide →GradingDo graded card boxes and sleeves fit every grader's slabs?Not necessarily. Storage makers name the graders each product is meant for, and the lists differ. BCW's cardboard graded box and its resealable graded…Read the guide →GradingBesides mailing, how else can you send cards to PSA in the U.S.?An order you create on PSA's website or app can be handed in at a local submission event instead of being mailed. You can also skip the online order…Read the guide →GradingCan a PSA cert page tell you how many copies of a card have been graded?Only part of the picture. A cert page opens without signing in and shows the card details, the grade, and a figure called PSA Pop Higher. The full…Read the guide →GradingHow do TAG, SGC, and Ace grade differently from PSA, BGS, and CGC?The biggest differences are in how the grade is scored and what comes with it. TAG converts a 1,000-point score into a 1 to 10 grade and includes a…Read the guide →

All grading guides · All guides and search