IN THIS GUIDE
Pre-screen it yourself first
You can't reproduce a professional exam at your kitchen table, but you can catch the obvious problems before you pay to submit. Work on a clean, clear surface under bright, even, neutral-white light. Colored light hides discoloration, and one harsh beam makes reflections that look like scratches. Look at both sides straight on, then tilt the card slowly so dents, print lines and scuffs catch the light.
- Centering. Compare the borders left to right and top to bottom, front and back. Border designs vary by era, so measure against the printed frame. Each grader sets its own centering tolerance.
- Corners. Check all four from the front, back and side for whitening, rounding, bends or layers starting to separate. One soft corner counts even if the other three are sharp.
- Edges. Run along each edge under angled light for whitening, chips, nicks and rough factory cuts. Wear is easier to spot on dark borders than on pale ones.
- Surface. Look for scratches, dents, creases, stains, print lines and roller marks. Check holofoil from several angles. A flaw you only see in reflection is still a flaw.
Write down what you see. Don't try to predict an exact number. Graders judge the card as a whole, and a factory defect can be treated differently from handling wear depending on the company's published standard.
Don't try to improve the card
Wash and dry your hands, hold the card by its edges, and keep food, drinks and tape well away. Slide it into a clean sleeve that fits, without forcing a corner, and back it with a rigid or semi-rigid holder. Never press on a dent or wipe grit across the surface.
Don't trim, recolor, flatten, polish, or use heat, moisture, solvents or erasers. Those can damage a card, and graders may treat the results as alteration. If loose dust doesn't lift off without touching the card, leave it. Send the card as it is and let the grader decide.
PSA, BGS and CGC at a glance
PSA grades on a 1 to 10 scale, from PR 1 (Poor) to GEM MT 10. It also gives half grades between 1.5 and 8.5, but there is no 9.5, so the step from 9 to 10 is a whole point. The label shows the card, the grade and a certification number. Check current details with PSA.
BGS, from Beckett Grading Services, uses a 10-point scale in half-point steps. Depending on the service level, the label can also show four subgrades: centering, corners, edges and surface. On Beckett's lowest-priced tier subgrades are optional, and higher tiers include them. A BGS 10 with a 10 in all four subgrades gets the Black Label. Confirm current options with Beckett.
CGC Cards uses a 1 to 10 scale with named grades. At the top it separates Pristine 10, reserved for cards that look flawless under magnification and carries a gold label, from Gem Mint 10. Confirm current standards with CGC Cards.
These scales don't convert into each other. A PSA 9, a BGS 9 and a CGC 9 each follow their own company's definitions. Labels and terms also change over time. Read the current standard before you submit, and check fees, service levels and turnaround on the company's own site. Service levels open and close: in 2026 PSA paused its Value tiers starting in June, and Beckett paused its Base and Standard tiers in August, both because of submission volume. An old video or forum post won't tell you what is open today.
Check the slab, not just the number
Find the certification number on the label and type it into the grader's official lookup yourself. Don't trust a search result, a QR code you haven't checked, or a screenshot from the seller. Match the name, year, set, card number, variant and grade to the card in front of you.
A matching lookup is one check, not proof on its own, because real cert numbers can be copied onto fake labels. Compare the card and label with any images the grader has on file. Look at the case for cracks, signs of opening, uneven seams or odd printing. If anything conflicts, stop and ask the grader to review the cert. Don't open the slab yourself.
Keep it raw, or send it in?
Raw makes sense for a binder, a deck, or a card you just want to look at in a good holder. Grading makes sense when you want third-party authentication, a standard condition opinion or a sealed case. Weigh that against the flaws you already found, the grading and shipping costs, the months the card may be gone, and the small real risk of loss or damage in the mail. A grade is an opinion, and a resubmission can come back different.
Pack and ship the submission
Follow the grader's current packing instructions exactly. Before you pack, photograph the front and back, note identifying details, save the order confirmation, and write down the condition you saw. Sleeve the card, use the holder the service asks for, and add rigid support so nothing can bend or slide. Keep tape and sticky tabs away from the card itself.
Photograph the packing as you go, keep copies of every form, and ship with tracking. If you buy insurance, read the carrier's rules for collectibles first. Coverage terms differ and claims need evidence. When the slab comes back, check it against your notes before you put it away.
Condition in HoloHunt
Every card in the HoloHunt vault carries a condition grade recorded at intake, and you see it before you hold, trade back or ship. That is HoloHunt's own intake record, not a grade from PSA, BGS or CGC. If a card you ship arrives in worse condition than its recorded grade, email support with photos. How HoloHunt Works explains the rest of the flow.
Questions
Is a PSA 9 the same as a BGS 9 or a CGC 9?
No. Each company grades against its own published standard, so the same number doesn't mean the same thing across graders.
Should I clean a card before I send it for grading?
No. Don't trim, flatten, polish or use solvents or moisture. Those can damage the card and may be treated as alteration. Sleeve it and send it as it is.
How do I check that a slab is real?
Type the certification number into the grader's official lookup yourself and match every detail to the card. Then inspect the case itself. A matching cert number alone is not proof.
Is the condition grade in HoloHunt a PSA, BGS or CGC grade?
No. It is the condition HoloHunt recorded when the card came into the vault, shown before you act on the card.