Trading cards are graded on a 1–10 scale, where 10 is the highest. A 10 (“Gem Mint” or “Pristine”) means a card is essentially flawless; 8–9 is near-mint to mint; the middle grades reflect noticeable wear; and low grades show heavy damage. Graders reach the number by judging four things: centering, corners, edges, and surface.
If you’re new to grading, the numbers can feel mysterious. Here’s what they actually mean — in plain English.
What each grade means (1–10)
PCG grades on the 1–10 scale every collector knows, with half grades at the top end only (9.5 and 8.5 — from 8 down, grades are whole numbers).
| Grade | PCG name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Gem Mint | Essentially perfect to the eye — sharp corners, clean surface, strong centering. |
| 9.5 | Gem Mint | Gem-quality with a single hair’s-width imperfection keeping it from the 10. |
| 9 | Mint+ | Excellent, with only the tiniest imperfection under close inspection. |
| 8.5 | Mint | Mint presentation with one minor flaw under magnification. |
| 8 | Near Mint–Mint | Very nice, minor flaws (slight wear or centering). |
| 6–7 | Excellent / Near Mint | Light, noticeable wear. |
| 4–5 | Very Good / Good | Clear handling wear, softer corners, surface marks. |
| 2–3 | Good / Fair | Heavy wear, creases, or damage. |
| 1 | Poor | Major damage. |
Two designations sit outside the numbers, and they’re industry standard:
- Authentic (AUTH) — the card is genuine, but it isn’t assigned a numeric grade.
- Altered (ALT) — the card shows evidence of alteration (trimming, recoloring, surface restoration), so a condition grade wouldn’t be honest.
How PCG turns four scores into one grade
Most graders give you a single number and leave the math a mystery. PCG scores each of the four criteria — centering, corners, edges, and surface — from 0 to 10, then combines them into a final score out of 40 that maps to the grade on the label. A PCG 10 requires a combined 39 or higher — meaning a card can’t hide a weak category behind three strong ones. That’s also why we can show you photo evidence of exactly which category held your card back.
What does a Gem Mint 10 mean?
A 10 is the grade everyone chases: a card that presents as flawless — sharp corners, clean edges, an unblemished surface, and strong centering. Very few cards earn it, which is exactly why so many submitters are disappointed. With PCG, if your card falls short of a 10, we’ll show you the photo evidence of why. What’s a PCG 10? →
What do graders actually look at?
Every grade comes down to four things, often called the four C’s: Centering, Corners, Edges, and Surface. A single soft corner or off-center print can pull a card down a full grade. We break each one down — and how to check your own cards — in our grading decision guide.
Want to know your card’s grade without the gamble?
Most companies make you pay full price to find out. PCG grades for $1 and shows you exactly how your card scored on each of the four C’s — then you decide whether to slab it. See how it works → · Grade a card for $1 →