The PSA grading scale, explained

Updated 2026-10-26

PSA grades cards from 1 to 10. Each number has a name, and the name is printed on the label next to it.

The grades

• 10 Gem Mint
• 9 Mint
• 8 Near Mint-Mint (NM-MT)
• 7 Near Mint (NM)
• 6 Excellent-Mint (EX-MT)
• 5 Excellent (EX)
• 4 Very Good-Excellent (VG-EX)
• 3 Very Good (VG)
• 2 Good
• 1.5 Fair
• 1 Poor

Half grades

PSA also gives half grades between 1.5 and 8.5, for cards that are better than their grade but don't reach the next one.

What graders look at

Centering, corners, edges and surface. A card is only as good as its weakest area. Perfect corners don't save a card that is badly off center.

Why 10s cost so much more

Modern cards are often printed well, so many come back as 9s. A 10 is rarer, and collectors pay a lot for the top grade. For popular cards, the gap between a 9 and a 10 can be several times the price.

Qualifiers

Sometimes a label has a code after the grade, like OC for off center or ST for stain. These cards sell for less than the same grade without one.

Check the details

PSA publishes its full grading standards on psacard.com. You can also look up any cert number there to see what PSA recorded for that card.