Category: <span>Grading</span>
Condition inspection, grade interpretation and official certification checks.
What an “Authentic” Label Without a Numerical Grade Means for Collectors
An “Authentic” label confirms that a card is genuine without assigning a numerical condition grade. Learn why a number may be absent, how “Authentic Altered” differs, and what…
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How to Check Whether Thick Memorabilia Cards Fit a Grading Company’s Standard Holders
Measure the card’s point thickness, identify its physical format, inspect its condition, and compare those details with the grading company’s current holder and submission guidance.
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Reholder, Review and Crossover Services: Practical Differences for Collectors
Reholder generally replaces an existing holder, review or regrade requests another assessment, and crossover seeks to move an encapsulated item from another grading company. Compare the routes, document…
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What to Check When a Slab Label and Official Certification Record Do Not Match
Verify the printed certification number independently, compare the official record with the card, label, barcode and holder, and document discrepancies without opening or altering the slab.
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How to Check a Slab’s Certification Number Against Official Records
Enter the slab’s certification number into the grading company’s own verification resource, then compare every available record field with clear, current photographs of the card, label and holder.…
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How to Interpret a Minimum Size Requirement Result for an Ungraded Trading Card
Record the result exactly as issued, identify the grading company and consult its current official documentation before drawing conclusions about grade, authenticity, dimensions, eligibility or value.
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What an Altered or Trimmed Designation Means on a Grading Label
An altered or trimmed designation can separate authenticity from condition. Learn what non-numerical label wording may mean, how trimming differs from a factory miscut, and which checks to…
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How to Check Whether a Scratch Is on a Graded Card or Its Holder
Learn how to examine a scratch-like mark through a sealed graded-card holder using oblique light, slow rotation and magnification, and how to document ambiguous results without assuming which…
Read more ↗How to Assess Edge Chipping Without Mistaking a Card’s Printed Design for Damage
Inspect all four card edges for interrupted ink or coating, exposed core material, raised fibres, and changes under directional light. Record ambiguous marks instead of judging them from…
Read more ↗Trading Card Grading Scales: How Numbers, Labels and Subgrades Compare
Trading card grading scales may assess similar condition features, but their numbers, labels and reporting methods are not automatically interchangeable. Compare the complete label using the issuer’s definitions.
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