Grading guide

PSA Gem MT 10: front ~55/45, reverse ~75/25. TAG 10 (TCG): front ~55/45, back ~65/35. TAG Pristine (TCG): front ~51/49, back ~52/48, noticeably tighter on both sides.

Front and back are graded separately. A clean front with a shifted back is a common miss on ultra modern, especially for PSA, where reverse centering allows more skew but still has limits.

Hold the card flat under even light. Measure border width on all four sides using the outer frame, not just the artwork window.

• →If you’re targeting TAG Pristine, inspect at hi-res. The 51/49 front rule is unforgiving on SIRs and full arts.
• →Factory cut variance on Pokémon backs often decides whether a copy is a 10 or a 9. Always flip the card.

Rock the card under a raking light. Print lines, dimples, roller marks, and holo scratches are the usual downgrade triggers. TAG 10 explicitly allows a very small pit, light scratch, or print/refractor line under hi-res, but TAG Pristine does not.

Corners: PSA expects four perfectly sharp corners. TAG 10 allows minor fill, fray, or a light corner touch on the reverse. TAG Pristine expects virtually flawless corners with no visible wear.

Edges: check for whitening, chips, and sleeve pull. TAG 10 allows minor edge fill or fray visible under magnification.

• →Use a loupe or macro lens. TAG grades with hi-res imaging; defects you miss at arm’s length may still score.
• →Staining is an automatic problem for PSA Gem MT. Any discoloration on white borders is a red flag.

When in doubt, sell raw NM or hold. A PSA 9 on a thin-premium card often nets less than raw after fees.

Pull recent NM raw sold comps and slab sold comps for your exact card and grader (PSA 10, TAG 10, etc.). One outlier sale is not a market.

CardRadar’s grading play table uses PSA 10 eBay comps by default. If you’re submitting through TAG or CGC, check that grader’s 10 sales before trusting the spread.

Check sample size and CardRadar’s 24h / 7d / 30d change columns. Momentum matters on thinly traded chase cards.

• →If PSA 10 comps are thin, widen your verdict to “speculative” even when the spread looks huge.
• →Japanese vs English, promo stamps, and alternate set treatments are different products. Compare like for like.

Open the grading play table, set your real grading cost preset, and filter by era or tag. Sort by net play or min profit (+$100 etc.) to shortlist.

Strong play on CardRadar is built on PSA 10 − NM. Ask the downside question: if this comes back PSA 9, do you still clear your cost and raw basis?

Look up PSA 9 sold comps for the same card. If 9 trades near NM or below, you need an exceptional copy and a very wide spread to justify the risk.

• →Rule of thumb: net play at 10 should ideally be 2× your grading cost or more on modern chase, so a 9 doesn’t wipe the trade.
• →Use min-profit filters to hide cards where fees eat the entire spread.

Penny sleeve → semi-rigid/card saver → team bag. Tape the semi-rigid opening so the card can’t slide out in transit.

Sandwich between two pieces of thin cardboard in a bubble mailer or small box. No loose cards, no oversized envelopes that bend.

Track shipment both ways. For high-value subs, declare accurate value and buy insurance through your middleman or carrier.

Photograph front, back, and packaging before you ship. If a slab comes back damaged in transit, documentation matters.

• →PGCG and other AU middlemen have packing guides. Follow them exactly to avoid submission rejects.
• →Batch subs you’re confident in; don’t grade the whole binder because the spreadsheet looked green.