Sports Card Grading

I know most people have an idea of what they are looking for when they go into a sports card store and pick up a card..nice corners, crisp picture, smooth edges, nice centering, no rips, tears, folds, etc.

In today’s day and age of sports card grading why should every collector need to go to BGS or PSA to get a good idea of what their own card is worth?  The answer is because people trust these professional graders.
 
With the price of some of these services, it can be pretty costly to get something graded.  What about that Michael Jordan card that is worth maybe $10, but costs $6 to grade and another $5 to ship with insurance.is it worth getting it graded?  Probably not.  But, on the other hand, buyers on eBay like to buy cards which have been graded by someone they trust.  There is that word again, trust.

So what I would like to offer is a guarantee for my own personal grading system and my trust.  This system will entail a bit of both the PSA & BGS grading systems and have my own personal touch and thought.

For my card auctions I will offer a full refund on any product sold, the customer just has to pay the shipping charges for the return and the eBay charges for the listing which will usually be no more than $1.00 plus the percentage of what the item sold for.  See Ebay Fees for fee information.  Charges can be returned through Paypal.  Each refund will differ depending on selling price and listing price.

If a refund is wanted by a buyer I would enjoy some feedback of why a certain auction is not exactly what you had thought it was through my Grading Program.  This can definitely help me with future grading and is greatly appreciated.

Example of Refund

Joe Smith wins auction for 1990 Barry Bonds Mint 9 Card and decides it does not meet his criteria for a Mint card.

Winning Bid = $9.00US
Shipping = $2.00US
Total Paid = $11.00US

Insertion Price = $0.20US
Additional Pictures = $0.45US
Gallery = $0.35US
Final Value Fee (eBay) = $0.47US
(5.25% of winning bid)
Restocking Fee = $0.50US
Charges returned via Paypal = $1.97US
Return Shipping charges are paid by Joe Smith.

Once the card is returned to me and I validate the card’s condition, I will subtract all Ebay fees plus the restocking fee and then deposit the remaining winning bid of $7.03US into Joe Smith's Paypal account.

Card must be returned to me within 30 days of my shipment date which is within 2 days of recieving payment.

How My Grades are Determined

Grading will consist of 4 sub-grades and an Overall Grade: Centering, Corners, Edges, Surface, and Overall Grade.  This system will be based out of 10 and go in 0.5 increments with personal discretion being used, not just an average of the 4 Grades to determine the Overall Grade.

Example

Centering = 9.0
Corners = 9.5
Edges = 8.5
Surface = 8.0
Overall Grade = 9.0

The reason that a card like this would be given an Overall Grade of 9.0 would be based on the fact that the high Corner & Centering Grades would outweigh the low Surface grade.  In addition, I personally think that Centering and Corners are a much bigger factor than Surface quality in the overall grading scheme.

The sub-grades can also help you the buyer, determine if it is the card for you.  Some buyers prefer a heavily weighted surface appearance as opposed to heavily weighted centering.  This can help the buyer decide if they would like to bid on the card by the grading of a certain criteria instead of the Overall Grade or vice versa.  But the Overall Grade can also give you a certain idea of what to expect from the overall condition of the card.

10 Gem Mint
Centering: Minimum 55/45 to 60/40 on the front and 70/30 on the back.
Corners: 4 perfectly sharp corners to the naked eye and intense examination
Edges: Virtually perfect and sharp
Surface: Free of staining, no scratches or print lines, crisp color and focus.

9 Mint
Centering: Minimum 60/40 to 65/35 on the front and 90/10 on the back.
Corners: Looks mint to the naked eye, with a speck of wear on intense examination
Edges: Nearly unnoticeable specks of chipping on the borders
Surface: A few printing specks or one minor spot, a few tiny scratches which are almost unnoticeable.

8 Near Mint-Mint
Centering: Minimum 65/35 to 70/30 on the front and 90/10 on the back.
Corners: Very minor fraying allowed on one or two corners, looks Mint on first quick inspection
Edges: Fairly smooth with maybe a few more specks of chipping on the borders than a Mint card
Surface: A few minor print spots, very minor color or focus imperfections, a few tiny scratches.

7 Near Mint
Centering: Minimum 70/30 to 75/25 on the front and 90/10 on the back.
Corners: Slight fraying on corners
Edges: Slight roughness, minor chipping
Surface: A few noticeable print spots, minor color or focus imperfections, a minor wax stain on back and/or minor border discoloration.

6 Excellent Mint
Centering: Minimum 80/20 on the front and 90/10 on the back.
Corners: Fuzzy corners and/or fraying, no big dings
Edges: Moderate roughness, moderate chipping or notching
Surface: Noticeable print spots, minor color or focus imperfections, minor border discoloration, minor wax stains, noticeable print lines and minor scratches.

5 Excellent
Centering: Minimum 85/15 on the front and 95/5 on the back.
Corners: 4 fuzzy corners, minor rounding becoming evident, a minor ding
Edges: Minor noticeable chipping on edges, slight notching
Surface: Printing defects are more visible, minor color or focus imperfections, minor border discoloration, minor wax stains and/or ink marks, moderate print lines and minor scratches.  No scuffing.

4 Very Good/Excellent
Centering: Minimum 85/15 on the front and 95/5 on the back.
Corners: Slight notching or layering, fuzzy corners, a moderate ding
Edges: Noticeable chipping on edges, slight notching and/or layering
Surface: Heavy print spots, hairline creases, moderate color or focus imperfections, moderate border discoloration, moderate wax stains and/or ink marks, noticeable print lines and minor scratches. Very minor scuffing.

3 Very Good
Centering: Minimum 90/10 on the front and 95/5 on the back.
Corners: Noticeable notched corners and slight layering and/or moderate ding
Edges: Heavy chipping on edges and/or heavy notching and moderate layering
Surface: Heavy print spots, very minor creases, noticeable color or focus imperfections, noticeable border discoloration, noticeable wax stains and/or ink marks, minor scuffing or very minor tear.

2 Good
Centering: Minimum 90/10 on the front and 100/0 or offcut on the back.
Corners: Noticeable rounded corners and/or heavily notched corners with moderate layering
Edges: Severely chipped, notched or layered
Surface: Severe print spots, noticeable creases, noticeable color or focus imperfections, noticeable border discoloration, heavy wax stains and/or ink marks, noticeable scuffing or a noticeable tear.

1 Poor
Centering: 100/0 on the front and back or offcut.
Corners: Heavily rounded corners and/or heavily notched corners with noticeable layering
Edges: Destructive chipping, notching or layering
Surface: Severe print spots, heavy creases, severe color or focus imperfections, heavy border discoloration, severe wax stains and/or ink marks, heavy scuffing or a severe tear.

Half-Point Grades

Cards that are assigned a grade with a half-point increment typically share characteristics from both the level above and the level below the actual grade given.  These are not rules, only general guidelines.