What card grades mean: PSA, CGC and Beckett

PSA, CGC and Beckett (BGS) give cards numerical condition grades, but their labels are not interchangeable. PSA Gem Mint is 10; BGS Gem Mint is 9.5; CGC has both Gem Mint 10 and Pristine 10. Read the company, number and designation together before recording a slab or comparing two cards.

The top grades side by side

How PSA, CGC and BGS name their top numerical grades

Grader	9	9.5	10
PSA	Mint	Not awarded	Gem Mint
CGC	Mint	Mint+	Gem Mint or Pristine
BGS	Mint	Gem Mint	Pristine; Black Label when all four subgrades are 10

Scroll sideways for the full comparison.

This compares names, not equivalent condition or value. A grade from one company does not promise the same result if the card is submitted elsewhere. For an ungraded card described as NM or LP, use raw card conditions instead; “Near Mint” in a sale listing is not a slab grade.

What a grader examines

Beckett’s grading overview identifies four areas: centering, corners, edges and surface. Those are useful places to look when learning to inspect your own cards too.

• Centering: compare the borders on both the front and back.
• Corners: look for rounding, bends and tiny areas of wear.
• Edges: check for chips, whitening and dents.
• Surface: change the angle of the light to reveal scratches, impressions and print defects.

A fresh pack does not guarantee a top grade: production and handling can leave defects before a card reaches your binder. Inspection helps you describe what you see; it does not let House of Holos predict a professional grade.

PSA: Gem Mint 10, with no 9.5

PSA’s standards describe its 10 as virtually perfect, with a small allowance for a printing imperfection that does not harm overall appeal. Lower labels include Mint 9, NM-MT 8 and EX-MT 6.

PSA’s half-grade explanation covers half points from 1.5 through 8.5, with no 9.5. A 9 does not have a half-step before 10. A half grade recognizes a stronger example within the lower whole grade; it is not simply an arithmetic midpoint.

Read any qualifier or other designation on the label as part of the record. Do not silently turn an older qualified grade into an unqualified one when entering it in a collection.

CGC: two current 10s and a legacy 9.5

CGC’s current scale distinguishes Gem Mint 10 from Pristine 10. Pristine has the higher requirements and a special label. The current 9.5 is Mint+, not Gem Mint.

There is an important exception when reading older labels: CGC’s legacy-grade key maps CGC Trading Cards Gem Mint 9.5 to CGC Cards Gem Mint 10. That does not mean every current 9.5 is a 10. Check the exact wording and the grader’s current certification record. A legacy Perfect 10 retains its own Perfect designation.

CGC no longer offers subgrades. Older slabs can still show them. Keep a note of distinctions you want to preserve when a tracker stores only the overall number.

BGS: 9.5 Gem Mint and the Black Label

BGS uses half-point grades from 1 to 10. Its 9.5 is Gem Mint, while 10 is Pristine. Subgrades describe centering, corners, edges and surface; check the actual label to see what it records.

Beckett’s Black Label explanation reserves that label for a card with four 10 subgrades. Do not infer Black Label from an overall 10 alone, or calculate an overall grade by averaging the four subgrades yourself.

Check a cert number against the slab

Use the grader’s own PSA verification, CGC lookup or Beckett lookup. Type the address yourself if you are unsure where a seller’s link leads.

1. Match the card name, set, collector number and printing.
2. Match the grade and any designation the record shows.
3. Compare the holder and card with the grader’s images when available.
4. Investigate a mismatch before treating the number as verified.

PSA explicitly warns that a matching certification number does not eliminate risk: a real number can be copied onto a counterfeit item. A successful lookup is a record check, not proof that the physical slab in front of you is authentic.

Keep the record useful after you buy

In House of Holos, Add a slab (after you sign in) accepts the grader and cert number. PSA lookup may fill in the card and grade; otherwise search for the card yourself. Check the exact printing before saving, and keep each cert as its own copy with quantity one. The slab walkthrough shows the steps.

House of Holos stores the overall numeric grade and cert, rather than separate BGS subgrades or dedicated CGC/BGS label designations. Use the holding’s note for details such as “Pristine,” “Black Label” or the wording on a legacy label. Record what you paid as your own cost; the app does not provide market prices, grading predictions or slab authentication.