Blog · 2026-10-21

How to Grade a Card: Prep Checklist Before PSA or BGS

Pre-grade your Pokemon, sports, or MTG cards at home before submitting to PSA or BGS. Check centering, corners, edges, and surface, then pack cards so they arrive safely.

Grading fees add up fast. Every card you send to PSA or BGS that comes back a 6 when you hoped for a 9 is money and months you will not get back. A few minutes of honest pre-grading at home weeds out the cards that were never going to pay off.

This checklist works for Pokemon, sports, and MTG cards.

What you need

• A bright desk lamp or LED light you can angle
• A jeweler's loupe or 10× magnifier
• A microfiber cloth (lint-free, no cleaning sprays)
• Penny sleeves and semi-rigid card savers such as Card Saver I
• A centering tool or a printed centering overlay (optional but useful)

Step 1: Centering

Centering is the first thing graders see and the one flaw you cannot fix.

Compare the border widths left-to-right and top-to-bottom on the front, then do the same on the back. PSA publishes its centering tolerances on its grading standards page, and a PSA 10 requires front centering close to 55/45 or better. If one border is visibly thicker at arm's length, the card is unlikely to reach a gem grade.

Rule of thumb: if you have to talk yourself into the centering, it is not a 10.

Step 2: Corners

Look at all four corners under the loupe. You are checking for:

• Whitening or fraying on the back corners (very common on Pokemon cards with blue backs)
• Soft or slightly rounded tips
• Dings from being pulled out of a tight toploader

One soft corner can cap a card at a 9. Several will pull it lower.

Step 3: Edges

Run the light along each edge, front and back. Look for white flecks, chipping, and rough factory cuts. Dark-bordered cards such as many modern sports chrome parallels show edge wear the most.

Step 4: Surface

Surface problems are the easiest to miss and the most common reason a "perfect" card comes back a 9.

Hold the card under the light and tilt it slowly so the glare passes across the whole face. Check for:

• Print lines and roller marks from the factory
• Scratches on holo and foil areas
• Fingerprints and smudges
• Dents or indentations you can only see at an angle

Fingerprints and dust can be wiped gently with a clean microfiber cloth. Scratches and print lines cannot be fixed. Never press, flatten, or use liquids on a card. Graders treat altered cards as ineligible and will not slab them.

Step 5: Decide what is worth sending

After checking, sort your stack into three piles:

• Submit: strong centering and clean corners, edges, and surface. Grade it.
• Maybe: one minor flaw. Grade only if a 9 is still worth more than raw plus fees.
• Keep raw: visible wear or off-centering. Binder it, trade it, or sell it raw.

Before you commit, look up recent sold prices for the raw card and for the grades you realistically expect. If a PSA 9 sells for about the same as a raw copy plus the grading fee and shipping, there is no reason to send it. Our raw vs graded guide goes deeper on that math.

Step 6: Pick the grader

PSA usually gives the widest resale market. BGS adds subgrades, which help on cards with one standout quality such as perfect centering. Read our PSA vs BGS comparison if you are not sure which label fits your card.

Step 7: Pack it the way graders want

• Put each card in a fresh penny sleeve, then a semi-rigid card saver. PSA asks for semi-rigid holders and does not want screwdown cases or tape on the holders.
• Fill out the submission form so the order of cards matches the order in your stack.
• Sandwich the stack between two pieces of cardboard, wrap it so nothing slides, and ship with tracking and insurance.

Submission rules and service levels change, so check the grader's current instructions before you ship.

Rather buy it already graded?

If you would rather skip the wait and the guesswork, PokePitchShop carries graded cards with the cert number visible on every listing.

• All graded cards
• Graded Pokemon
• Graded sports cards

Buying slabs online? Read how to spot fake trading cards first.