top of page

King Card Grading

grading scale & standards

10

Gem Mint

Corners — Four sharp corners with no fraying, swelling, or visible imperfections.

Edges — Clean, smooth edges with no chipping or signs of wear. Tolerance may be made for minor manufacturer cut imperfections, provided they do not affect overall appearance.

Surface — Free of scratches, stains, or any form of damage. Minor printing imperfections are permissible if they do not detract from overall eye appeal and are limited to no more than two imprints. Tolerances for printing or production lines may be made at the grader’s discretion but cannot affect the card’s appearance.

Centering — Must fall within 57.5/42.5 on the front and 70/30 on the back.

09

Mint

Corners — Near perfect, visually resembling a KCG 10 but with minor flaws. One corner may exhibit slight fraying or faint whitening under magnification.

Edges — Clean, smooth edges with no chipping.

Surface — Free of scratches, stains, or damage. May have up to three minor printing imperfections. Tolerances for printing or production lines may be made at the grader’s discretion but cannot affect overall appearance.

Centering — Must fall within 60/40 on the front and 70/30 on the back.

08

Near Mint

Corners — A high-quality card with minor, visible imperfections. No more than two corners may show slight fraying or whitening.

Edges — Edges may display signs of a rough manufacturer cut but remain in good condition.

Surface — May display multiple minor imprints (up to six) and light surface scratches (no more than two), as long as they do not affect overall appearance.

Centering — Must fall within 65/35 on the front and 70/30 on the back.

07

Near Mint

Corners — Noticeable wear in multiple areas, including two or more corners. Corners should remain intact, showing only slight whitening or minor rounding.

Edges — May display minor chipping or visible wear.

Surface — Surface scratches are visible without magnification or specialized lighting.

Centering — Must fall within 70/30 on the front and 70/30 on the back.

06

Excellent-Mint

Corners — Noticeable fraying, rounding, or creasing present.

Edges — May display minor chipping or visible wear.

Surface — Surface scratches are visible without magnification or specialized lighting.

Centering — Must fall within 70/30 on the front and 70/30 on the back.

05

Excellent

Corners — Significant wear, with up to two corners showing creases or bends.

Edges — Pronounced chipping and/or fraying present on two or more edges.

Surface — Displays multiple scratches and/or light staining visible without magnification.

Centering — Must fall within 80/20 on the front and 90/10 on the back.

04

Very Good-Excellent

Corners — Rough corners with multiple creases or bends.

Edges —Edges remain intact but may display extreme fraying, chipping, or minor cuts.

Surface — Multiple surface scratches visible on both front and back without magnification.

Centering — Must fall within 85/15 on the front and 90/10 on the back.

03

Very Good

Corners — All four corners exhibit major fraying, bends, and significant wear.

Edges —Heavy chipping, fraying, and extreme roughness on multiple sides.

Surface — Displays heavy staining, wrinkles, and significant scratching visible without magnification.

Centering — Must fall within 90/10 on both the front and the back.

02

Good

Corners — All four corners exhibit heavy fraying, noticeable bends, and rounding. Severe wear is
present, with potential small tears or paper loss at one or more corners.

Edges — Extremely rough, with severe chipping, fraying, and noticeable damage along most edges.
Minor splits or small tears may be present.

Surface — Heavy surface wear with extensive scratches, staining, and potential discoloration visible to
the naked eye. Wrinkles, light creases, and printing defects are common and detract from the card’s
appearance.

Centering — Must fall within 95/5 on both the front and the back..

01

Poor

Corners — Major damage to all corners, including severe fraying, rounding, creases and tears.
Portions of one or more corners may be missing.

Edges — Extremely worn with severe chipping, tears, fraying, and possible paper loss along multiple
edges.

Surface — Substantial surface damage including large stains, heavy scratches, creases, wrinkles, and
possible tears or missing pieces. Print defects are significant and severely affect overall appearance.

Centering — No centering requirement due to the cards compromised condition.

Corner Integrity

Each card’s corners are carefully inspected using 60x magnification. During inspection, graders are looking for wear, rounding, or fraying. 

Centering Precision

We measure the alignment of the card’s image, borders, and text. Proper centering ensures visual balance and boosts the card’s overall appearance.

Surface Quality

Under specialized lighting, we detect scratches, stains, and print defects to ensure the card’s surface meets the highest standards.

Edge Perfection

Edges are analyzed for chipping, discoloration, and other imperfections. Clean, smooth edges enhance the card’s overall grade.

hudson-massachusetts-usa-april-9-600nw-2144299469.webp

Grading.

At King Card Grading, we don’t just grade cards — we crown them. Our expert team uses a rigorous 10-point scale to evaluate every detail with precision, ensuring collectors and investors get the confidence and credibility their cards deserve.

NO MORE URGENT CARE (30).png

Front

NO MORE URGENT CARE (29).png

Back

NO MORE URGENT CARE (32).png
bottom of page