Sports card gradingA clear verdict on every card you send.
VCG authenticates and grades sports cards on a 1-10 scale, judged on centering, corners, edges, and surface. Add an optional hand-drawn art-matched label if you want the slab to match the card.
Sports we grade
Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, Formula 1, NASCAR, tennis, UFC, and WWE. Not sure about a card? Email support@vcgcards.com before you ship.
What we look at
- Centering: how evenly the image sits within the borders, front and back
- Corners: sharpness, or any rounding, fraying, or whitening at the tips
- Edges: chipping, roughness, or wear along the borders
- Surface: scratches, print dots, staining, or loss of gloss
See every grade and its centering range on our Grading Scale.
The art-matched label
Add a hand-drawn label whose background extends your card's own artwork, so the slab looks like it belongs with the card. It never adds players or logos, only the card's background art.
It's an optional add-on on every tier. See pricing.
Sending sports cards to VCG
No account needed. Choose Manual or Quick Submission, pay for a prepaid USPS label, and ship your cards in. We take standard-thickness cards up to 35pt, so thick jersey and patch cards have to wait for now. Our card prep guide walks through sleeving and packing.
Public pricing
Every tier's price is on our pricing page. No quote requests.
Pay after grading
At submission you only pay for the prepaid shipping label. We bill grading once your cards are graded and slabbed.
Independent
VCG is a standalone grading company, not part of a card shop or auction house.
Look up any cert
Every graded card gets a certification number and a QR code on the label. Anyone can check it on our Verify page, along with a photo of the slab.
Sports card grading questions
Which sports does VCG grade?
Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, Formula 1, NASCAR, tennis, UFC, and WWE cards. If you aren't sure about a card, email support@vcgcards.com before you ship.
Can you grade jersey or patch cards?
Not yet. Right now we can only take standard-thickness cards up to 35pt, so thick jersey and manufactured patch cards would be returned unprocessed. We're working on adding them.
How are sports cards graded?
On a 1-10 scale based on four factors: centering, corners, edges, and surface. The grader also weighs overall eye appeal.
What happens if a card is altered or counterfeit?
If we find a card has been altered, trimmed, or recolored, is counterfeit, or is otherwise materially misrepresented, it won't get a standard numeric grade. We may return it with an authenticity note instead.
When do I pay for grading?
When you submit, you only pay the shipping and handling fee for your prepaid label. The grading fee is billed after your cards are graded.
Formula 1, NASCAR, UFC and WWE are trademarks of their respective owners. VCG is an independent grading service and isn't affiliated with any league, team, player, or card manufacturer.