How to read a grading report
Practical guide
A condition report — whether from an official grading company or a photo-based estimate — contains more than a single number. Knowing what to look at helps you understand why the grade is what it is, and how much to trust it.
The overall grade
It's the big number, usually on a 1-10 PSA-style scale (10 = Gem Mint, 9 = Mint, and down from there). It isn't the average of the subgrades: it's typically constrained by the worst parameter, because a single obvious defect weighs on the perception of the card more than an arithmetic average would. A card with three perfect parameters and one ruined corner doesn't get a high grade.
The four subgrades
Centering, corners, edges and surface are evaluated separately. Reading them tells you where the card loses points:
- Low centering, the rest high — that's a "factory" defect (the card was cut off-center), not a preservation one. It doesn't get worse over time.
- Low corners or edges — generally handling wear or storage without a sleeve. It tells you how the card has been treated.
- Low surface — scratches, haze, fingerprints, foil defects on holos. It's the parameter most sensitive to photo quality.
On our report the subgrades are also drawn directly onto the card photo, at the matching points (the four corners, the four edges, the center): a green marker is a high score, a red one a low score.
The defect map
It's a grid overlaid on the photo marking where specific problems were detected, colored by severity. The positions are approximate — they say "look in this area", not measure to the pixel. It's useful for checking by eye whether the flagged defect is really there and how serious it is.
The confidence level
A photo-based estimate should state how sure it is of its result. Low confidence doesn't mean the grade is wrong, but that something in the photo (light, focus, glare, framing) made the analysis less reliable: it's often worth retaking the photo — see how to photograph a card.
How to use it
A report is there to help you decide: keep, sell, or send the card for official physical grading. If the subgrades are all high and stable (no preservation defects), a valuable card can justify submission; if the limit is centering, the official grade won't be different from the estimate. See AI vs physical grading.