Grading Scale & Standards
One 1–10 scale. Two sets of trained eyes.
Sports cards and TCG cards share the same numeric grading scale, but they're not judged the same way. Print technology, common flaws, and what collectors actually care about differ between the two — so VCG applies category-specific standards under a single, consistent scale.
The VCG 1–10 scale
| Grade | Designation | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Gem Mint | Essentially flawless under standard review — sharp corners, perfect centering, no visible print or surface defects. |
| 9 | Mint | Only the slightest, often microscopic imperfection keeps this from a 10. |
| 8 | Near Mint-Mint | Minor wear or a slight centering shift visible on close inspection. |
| 7 | Near Mint | Light surface or edge wear, still a strong-looking card overall. |
| 6 | Excellent-Mint | Visible wear on corners or edges; centering may be noticeably off. |
| 5 | Excellent | Moderate wear across multiple areas of the card. |
| 4 | Very Good-Excellent | Noticeable wear, possible minor surface damage. |
| 3 | Very Good | Significant wear; corners and edges show real handling damage. |
| 2 | Good | Heavy wear, creasing, or other visible damage. |
| 1 | Poor | Major damage — the card is still authentic and identifiable, but heavily degraded. |
This scale is a placeholder description written for site launch. Final grading criteria language should be reviewed and refined by VCG's grading team before publishing.
S
Sports Cards
Sports card grading weighs four core factors:
- Centering — how evenly the image sits within the card's borders, front and back.
- Corners — sharpness vs. rounding, fraying, or whitening at the tips.
- Edges — chipping, roughness, or wear along the card's borders.
- Surface — scratches, print dots, staining, or gloss loss across the card face.
T
Trading Card Games
TCG cards are judged on the same four factors, with extra scrutiny on issues specific to how these cards are printed and handled:
- Print lines — thin lines from the printing process, more common on TCG stock than sports cardstock.
- Whitening — edge and corner whitening shows more readily on many TCG card borders.
- Surface texture — holo/foil cards are evaluated for scratches and print imperfections unique to foil stock.
- Centering — often a tighter tolerance given TCG border design conventions.