AI Grading Guide

Understanding Professional Grading Costs

Professional grading services evaluate and authenticate your cards, encasing them in tamper-proof holders with official grades. However, these services come at a cost—both in fees and turnaround time.

Typical Grading Fees

Economy: $25-50 per card (90+ days)
Regular: $75-100 per card (45-60 days)
Express: $150-200 per card (20-30 days)
Super Express: $300+ per card (5-10 days)

Value by Grade Range

Grades 8-10: Typically see significant value increases when professionally graded
Grades 6-7: Grading costs vs. value increase varies by card and market demand
Grades 1-5: Professional grading fees often exceed value increase for cards in this condition

Slab helps you decide: Use our AI-powered pre-grading to evaluate whether professional grading makes financial sense for your specific card before investing in submission fees.

Slab Grade Scale

We use our own premium grade labels that reflect the true condition of your card. Each grade corresponds to a numeric score from 1-10.

10.0

PristineVirtually flawless - museum quality

9.5-9.9

Gem MintNear perfect condition with minimal flaws

9.0-9.4

Mint+Excellent condition with one minor flaw

8.5-8.9

MintStrong mint condition

8.0-8.4

Near Mint+High-end near mint

7.5-7.9

Near MintClean with slight wear

7.0-7.4

SolidBetter than average condition

6.0-6.9

Above AverageCollectible with visible wear

5.0-5.9

AverageModerate wear and defects

1.0-4.9

Below AverageHeavy wear or damage

How Overall Grades Work

The overall grade is calculated by combining scores from four key categories: Centering, Corners, Edges, and Surface. Each category is evaluated on a 1-10 scale, with the final grade representing the card's overall condition.

Industry Standard Alignment: Our AI grading aims to align with industry-leading standards such as PSA, Beckett (BGS), and other major grading services.

However, our estimates may not directly translate to official grades from these companies. Professional grading services may have different interpretations, updated standards, or additional factors that affect final grades. These are predictions for educational and pre-grading purposes only—not official grades.

Grading Categories

Understanding Confidence Scores

Each grade comes with a confidence score that indicates how certain the AI is about its assessment. This score is based on image quality, card visibility, and the clarity of defects.

85-99%Excellent - Crystal clear images, perfect lighting

70-84%Good - Quality images, minor shadows or glare

55-69%Fair - Moderate blur, lighting issues, or angles

40-54%Low - Poor quality, but card is still identifiable

Confidence below 55% suggests retaking photos with better lighting for more accurate grading. We'll still grade your card even with low quality images!

Tips for Better Grades

1.Use good lighting - Natural light or bright, even artificial light
2.Keep cards flat - Use a clean, flat surface for scanning
3.Capture full card - Ensure entire card is visible with minimal background
4.Card only - Avoid fingers, hands, or background objects in the photo
5.Take clear photos - Avoid blur, glare, or shadows on the card
6.Show both sides - Front and back images help assess overall condition