Card grading guides

Grading turns a card's condition into a number on a sealed label, and that number often matters more to a buyer than anything else about the card. These guides cover how professional grading works, what graders look at in centering, corners, edges and surface, how the major companies' scales and labels differ, and how to decide whether a card is worth submitting at all. They also show you how to pre-grade at home with good light, a loupe and a steady routine, so that you only send cards with a realistic shot at a high grade. Grading fees and turnaround times change often, so the guides explain where to check them rather than quoting them. Sporta's AI condition pre-grade appears where it genuinely helps: it is an estimate from your photos, useful for sorting a stack and spotting obvious flaws, and it is not an official grade from any grading company.