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Grading & condition

Grading Scale Converter

Pick a grade from any of the five major companies and this shows what the same card would most likely be called by the other four, alongside the written condition standard behind each number. The scales look interchangeable and are not: BGS has half steps PSA does not, CGC has a grade above 10, and the market does not price the equivalents equally.

Start from a grade you already have

The list changes with the company — not every company issues every number.

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Closest equivalent at each company, and what that grade means in words.
Company Equivalent Called Condition standard

The scales are not the same scale

All five companies grade out of 10, which creates the impression that a 9 is a 9. Three differences make that false in practice.

  • Half grades. BGS and CGC issue 9.5. PSA and SGC do not — a card that would be a BGS 9.5 is either a PSA 9 or a PSA 10, and which one it lands on is the single largest source of price difference between the two holders.
  • Grades above 10. CGC separates Gem Mint 10 from Pristine 10 (all four subgrades at 10) and Perfect 10. BGS has Black Label, a 10 with four 10 subgrades. PSA has one 10.
  • Subgrades. BGS and optionally CGC publish four component scores on the label. PSA publishes only the overall number, so a PSA 9 hides whether it lost the point on centering or a corner.

Full scale, side by side

Approximate equivalents. Grading is judgement, so treat these as the centre of a range rather than a conversion rate.
PSA BGS CGC SGC Condition in words
10 Gem Mint9.5 Gem Mint / 10 Pristine10 Gem Mint / 10 Pristine10 Gem / 10 GoldSharp corners, full gloss, 55/45 centering or better, no visible flaw at arm's length
9 Mint9 Mint9 Mint9 MintOne minor flaw: slight corner wear, a touch of print noise, or 60/40 centering
8 NM-MT8.5 / 8 NM-MT8.5 / 8 NM-MT8 NM-MTVery light wear on two or three corners, minor surface imperfection
7 NM7.5 / 7 Near Mint7 Near Mint7 NMSlight fraying at corners, minor focus or print blemish, still bright
6 EX-MT6.5 / 6 EX-MT6 EX-MT6 EX-NMVisible corner wear, light surface scratches, gloss starting to go
5 EX5.5 / 5 Excellent5 Excellent5 EXRounded corners, noticeable wear, no creases through the image
4 VG-EX4 VG-EX4 VG-EX4 VG-EXSoft corners, surface wear, possibly a light crease
3 VG3 Very Good3 Very Good3 VGRounding on all corners, creasing, loss of gloss
2 Good2 Good2 Good2 GoodHeavy wear, creases, possible small tear or writing
1 Poor–Fair1 Poor1 Poor1 PoorMajor damage: tears, missing paper, heavy creasing

Where the equivalence breaks down in the market

A conversion table tells you what condition two numbers describe. It does not tell you what buyers pay, and on modern cards the gap is large: a PSA 10 routinely sells for a multiple of a BGS 9.5 describing the same physical card, because PSA population and liquidity dominate that end of the market. Vintage reverses it in places, where SGC's holder and reputation for consistency on pre-war cardboard command their own premium.

Practical consequence. Crossing a card between holders is a bet on exactly this table being wrong in your favour. A BGS 9.5 crossed to PSA either becomes a 10, which is usually a large gain, or a 9, which is usually a loss — and the grader keeps the fee either way.

What TAG's numbers mean

TAG grades optically and publishes a 1,000-point subscore alongside the 1–10 number, so a TAG 9.5 comes with a machine-readable account of every defect that cost it the half point. The headline number maps to the table above; the subscore has no equivalent anywhere else, which is the point of it.

Questions people ask about this

Is a BGS 9.5 the same as a PSA 10?

In condition, they describe nearly the same card: BGS 9.5 Gem Mint sits between PSA 9 and PSA 10, and most cards that earn a BGS 9.5 would grade PSA 9 or PSA 10. In price they are not equivalent — PSA 10s generally sell for substantially more than BGS 9.5s of the same card, which is why crossover submissions exist at all.

What is the difference between CGC Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10?

A Gem Mint 10 is a 10 overall. A Pristine 10 is a 10 overall where all four subgrades are also 10. Perfect 10 sits above both and is very rarely awarded. PSA has no equivalent distinction: one 10 covers everything from a borderline gem to a flawless card.

Does SGC grade on the same 1–10 scale as PSA?

Yes, since SGC retired its old 10–100 scale. An SGC 9 and a PSA 9 describe the same condition, and SGC adds a Gold Label designation for its strongest 10s. The older 88 (NM-MT) and 96 (Mint) numbers still appear on cards in circulation, and they map to roughly PSA 8 and PSA 9 respectively.

Which grading company is strictest?

For the top grade, BGS — a Black Label requires four 10 subgrades and is far rarer than a PSA 10. Across the middle of the scale the companies are close enough that the differences are within the normal variation between two graders at the same company on different days. SGC has a reputation for consistency on vintage; TAG is the only one whose result is reproducible by machine.

Where these numbers come from

Rates on this page were last checked against the published price lists on . Grading companies change fees and pause tiers without notice — confirm the total on the submission form before you pay.