So you want to know more about grading cards, but don't know where to start? Our guide is here to help.
The Grading Companies
Beckett Grading Services (BGS), PSA and SGC are the main companies used to grade a card. In general, BGS is preferred for modern cards, while PSA is the favorite for vintage cards.
The Grading Scales
Beckett grades their cards on a scale of 1-10 with sub-grades (.5s). PSA Grades on a flat 1-10 scale and SGC Grades on a scale out of 100, which they then use to give the card a grade of 1-10.
Cards are graded based on these factors: Centering, Corners, Edges, and Surface. They give each attribute a grade of 1-10, then combine those to give the card a final grade of 1-10. Anything above a 9 is worth book value or greater, as BGS 9 (known as a "Mint 9") is the condition expected of the card out of the pack. A grade of 9.5 is Gem-Mint, which is a card that is nearly flawless. This is the condition most collectors want. Then there is a "PRISTINE 10" which is the holy grail of cardboard. Pristine 10s are rarely handed out. A Pristine 10 can turn a $10 card into a $1,000 one.
Putting Condition Into Context
The Brand
This probably confuses people most. Expecting a high grade for certain card brands is not only unrealistic, but virtually impossible. A good example of this is Derek Jeter's 1993 SP rookie card. The card's foil stock led to an insane amount of "out of the pack" imperfections. As a result, high-grades sell for thousands while average grades go for much less.
On the flip side, there are the occasional sets in which a majority of the cards come out the pack in near perfect condition. In this case, a BGS 9.5 barely does a thing for the value. If you want to understand how to approach this, think about opening a pack and imagine how the cards would hold up over time (sleeving process, gentle bump to a corner or edges, moisture, etc. ..).
The Year
The year is fairly simple as older cards grade lower than newer ones. This doesn't mean older cards are worth less, it simply means that less is expected in terms of condition. The older cards get, the worse the condition gets. The goal is to find cards that have been well taken care of and are in better condition than the norm.
What to Do When You Can't See a Card in Person
The hardest and riskiest way to buy a card is when you can't see it in person. If the scan of the card you wish to buy seems to be hiding something or doesn't offer an accurate or visible picture, it's time to close your eyes and type. Simply ask the seller questions to help clear up anything you aren't certain about. A few sample questions are shown below.
Are all 4 corners sharp?
I noticed _____. Is that on the card or on the case of the card?
Are there any noticeable imperfections?
Now You're Ready To Practice "The Eye of Collector"
This is extremely simple. Thanks to Beckett Grading Services, we know the five primary attributes used to grade a card.
Centering: Centering is basically the width of the border. Ideally, the border sizing should be equal on the left, right, top and bottom. Sometimes judging the centering won't be as simple as looking for equal spaced borders. The bottom line is that the card should feel balanced. If a card appears lopsided, this means the centering is off.
Corners: This is arguably the most important and most scrutinized of the grading attributes. A card with four sharp corners can alleviate other concerns, especially on older cards. Study all four corners looking at the front of the card first, then look at the back of the card. This is the best way to double-check. If a corner shows imperfections on both sides, it's not your eyes playing tricks on you. Sometimes the ink, foil or other factors can create the illusion of a weak corner, so always be sure to check the back. If a corner or two is an eyesore to look at, your probably looking at a card that will grade under 8.5. Slight corner imperfections, such as barely visible white might be the difference between a BGS 9 and a BGS 9.5, but can also result in no change.
Edges: The four edges of a card are important, as well. Some brands are notoriously terrible with edges, especially cards with dark or black borders. At the same time, less is expected from these, so lower your expectations. Graders also look at the back for this, too. Edges should be sharp and the color should be constant. Imperfect edges have dings, dents or subtle discolorations. As with corners, barely visible white isn't the end of the world.
Surface: Surface is the condition of the cardboard as a whole. With glossy cards such as Bowman Chrome, scratches on the surface can be an issue, as well as faded autographs. In addition, cards made with foil stock are prone to small pieces of foil coming off, leaving white specks on the card. With older cards, the main concern is creases and moisture damage. Many 1980s cards suffer from ink smearing and stamp marks that happen when the card goes through a print press. Many times a crease is hard to notice at first, as the picture on a card can hide one very well.
Autographs: The autograph grade has nothing to do with the grade given to the card itself. If the ink isn't smeared and the autograph isn't faded, it will normally be a 10. All graded autographs must be "out of pack" autos (not hand-signed or in-person). It is very easy to "eye grade" an autograph.
Although the grading process may technically be scientific, learning how to look at a card has more to do with your gut reaction. If a card looks great, it looks great. There's a thin line between having high expectations for condition and being paranoid about perfection.
Looking to buy graded cards?
View popular PSA sports card auctions on eBay.
View popular BGS sports card auctions on eBay.
View popular SGC sports card auctions on eBay.
Be sure to check out our additional guides for more information about grading.
Other Card Grading Articles
Finding the Right Company to Grade Your Sports Cards
2015 Upper Deck Young Guns Connor McDavid Rookie Card PSA 10 Gem Mint $5276. 84
Should I get my cards PSA graded?
NBA rookie cards (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)
NBA Basketball cards: How to inspect and prepare a card for PSA grading by Josh Wilson
Mock NBA Draft 3.0: Where will LaMelo Ball be selected? by Corey Rausch
Basketball Cards
by Josh Wilson Follow @J_wilsonsports
A full guide on the pros and cons of PSA grading for NBA basketball cards
One of the existential questions for collectors of basketball cards is whether or not to send specific NBA basketball cards in for grading with a service like Beckett or PSA (Pro Sports Authority).
If you’re a long-term basketball card collector, deciding to grade or not grade cards is a decision you’ll have to make on a regular basis as you acquire great cards.
There are a variety of factors and personal motivations to consider when determining whether or not to get a card graded. Let’s dive into as as many of them here as possible!
What is PSA grading for NBA basketball cards?
PSA grading (also can be done through Beckett or some other lesser-known and used grading services) is an industry-standardized card grading service. You send in your sports card and they give it a grade out of 10 points.
The main factors the grading services consider with each card is the centering of the card, any visual printing errors (misaligned foil, for instance), and the edges/corners.
Once a grade is given to each card, it’s placed in a tamper-free plastic casing by PSA or Beckett and an identifying label is placed at the top of the plastic with information about the card, its grade, and the unique number associated with that grade within that specific company’s grading history.
On the back, you get a QR code that you can scan to see information about the population of that card and its grading. It will show you how many of the same card have been graded and how many cards are graded higher. This is useful when trying to trade or sell a card because it further displays the rarity of that card.
What are the advantages in getting an NBA basketball card PSA graded?
There are plenty of advantages in getting a card PSA graded. I’ll start with a simple one — aesthetic appeal and protection. The tamper-free case helps preserve cards to a major degree. They won’t be indestructible by any means, but they’ll be better preserved and protected than they would be in a plastic top-loader or soft plastic sleeve.
They also stack nicely with other graded cards, so if you have a bunch they’re fairly easy to keep together and organize them however you like.
From a selling standpoint, grading a card helps solidify the inherent rarity in your card. If you get a card numbered to 250, you already know it is one of only 250 out there in circulation. If you get it graded, it may be one of 200 graded cards. If it’s graded at a 10, it may be only one of 100 cards graded as a 10.
A raw card numbered to 250 is going to sell for far less than a graded 10 card numbered to 250 for this very reason. Similarly, and this should be made clear, 10 mints are uncommon. That’s not to say your card isn’t a 10, but when you send in a card for grading there is no promise that it will be graded at a 10.
For this reason, the valuation difference between a card graded at a 9 and a card graded at a 10 is stark. In many cases, a graded 10 card can bring in substantially more value than a graded 9 card. I’ve seen it double up the value of PSA-9 in some cases.
What are the risks in getting an NBA basketball card PSA graded?
There are plenty of risks in getting a card PSA graded that collectors should be aware of. As we discussed already, there’s a chance getting a card PSA graded will increase the value of the card, but it could also decrease the value of the card. If you are trying to turn a profit, this is a major pain point of the grading process.
For instance, if you have a raw card that you send in to get graded, it’s probably going to cost anywhere from $20 (if you submit via a group submission) to $50 (solo) to send it in and get it graded. That’s often without any shipping cost or card insurance, and this is the slowest grade speed. If you want your card back ASAP, you’ll be looking at much higher costs.
So, if you paid, let’s say $50 for a card and wanted to send it in to get it graded, you could be looking at a total cost on that card of $100 or more. If you’re unable to sell the card for $100 or more (certainly not a guarantee, depending on the card) you will be losing money on the entire process.
Finally, there are some cases where you might be expecting your card to grade at a 9 or 10 and it comes in at an 8 or lower. 8s do not sell very well, generally speaking (it always depends on the specifics of the card). At that point, you’ve spent a lot of money to potentially bring in less money on the sale or trade. A buyer might have been willing to buy a raw card at a higher price on the assumption that it might grade higher.
Finally, shipping. Even if you prepare your card just right for getting PSA graded, who knows what happens in the shipping process. Your package will go through many hands and facilities before it gets to your grading service. If you prepare your package well this shouldn’t be a major issue, but it is still worth considering.
On top of these risks, there is the legwork and time spent waiting for the card to come back. You could be without your card for several months. If you want to make a quick sale or are impatient for any other reason, grading is often not the move unless you want to pay extra for speed.
How much does it cost to get a card PSA graded?
This is a complicated question that has a variety of answers.
The general baseline is that even if you do a group submission (sending your card in with a group of other people’s cards) it will be at least $20 for the whole thing. PSA lists some approved vendors for group submitters on their site to go through and make sure you’re sending your card to a trusted source.
If you go to PSA directly, it will depend on what sort of card you are sending in, how many cards you are sending at a time and your desired turnaround time. It’s often going to be at least $50, but PSA’s prices may change. Consult their website for specifics.
How do I know if my card will be a PSA 10?
A PSA 10 card has perfect centering and pristine corners as well as no blemishes like smudges, scratches, or printing errors. It’s hard to get a 10. It means not only were there zero errors in the manufacturing process but that the card was probably found in the middle of a pack (more protected) and hardly touched at all once the pack was ripped.
The only way to know for certain if your card is a 10 is to send it in and try, but evaluating your card before you send is important. We have another article detailing that whole process here.
Should I get my basketball card PSA graded?
As we’ve detailed here, there are many factors to consider when deciding whether or not to send your card in to get PSA graded. I would say these are the scenarios in which it’s worth getting a card graded:
Your card is numbered and in very good condition. In this case, this will vastly increase the value of your card, assuming it grades as a 9 or higher. Inspect all elements of the card and prepare it for shipping with care. This YouTube video is a must-watch for anyone looking to send in a card.
Your card is a premium hobby product and in very good condition. Ideally, these should probably mainly be rookie cards. You may want to check secondhand sites like eBay and see what graded versions of the same card have sold for to get a better feel for the market.
This is a card you personally treasure and don’t plan on selling or trading. This won’t be a money play, but maybe there’s a card you love and just want it preserved in a case for display. Nothing wrong with that, that’s the joy of collecting! While it’ll cost some money to get it done and almost certainly won’t increase the cards value, many collectors might go this route for some of their personal favorites. Instead, you might also consider a halfway-permanent case like a magnetic hard plastic. It’s less expensive and preserves the card nearly as well. You can always get it graded later, too!
It is to complete a collection of other graded cards. If you have a ton of a certain rookie and most are graded because they were great cards, but this one is a less rare/base version, maybe you might consider getting it graded to make the set uniform. I wouldn’t, personally, but some might.
If you are lucky enough to pull a 1-of-1 or 1-of-2 there is often little value in getting that sort of card graded. At that point, the card is already so rare that the cost of grading it won’t increase its value at all. A magnetic hard plastic case is better for these situations.
At the end of the day, deciding whether or not to submit your card for grading is up to you!
The most expensive basketball cards of November-December - Hobby: Collectible cards - Blogs
Hobby: Collectible cards
Blog
Hello everyone!
After a short break, the top most expensive basketball cards are back. Today we will capture 2 months - November and December.
In order for the cards of different periods to be presented in the top, I divided it into three parts: before the 90s, the 90s and the first half of the 00s and the last 10 years.
Let's go from new cards to old ones (most often this means an increase in cost).
So, the top 4 most expensive new cards.
4) In fourth place is a 1/1 LeBron James card from Flawless 2015-16 with the NBA logo. They paid $10,300 for it.
3) Next is newcomer Steph Curry from Topps Chrome 2009-10. The gold parallel in this collection has a circulation of 50 copies. Added to this is the almost perfect condition of the card, and the total price is $10,600.
2) And the same amount was paid for a Karl-Anthony Towns card with a mourning patch dedicated to Flip Saunders of Flawless 2015-16.
1) And in the first place, 2 league logos and two Golden State stars - the same Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. It's the same Flawless collection from last season. The price of this card is $12,000 without one dollar.
Further older cards. I will say in advance that all 4 are from the second half of the 90s
4-3) And open the top two cards of Michael Jordan with a jersey and an autograph. In the first case, the card in this form was inserted into the blocks of the Upper Deck 19 collection98-99 - a kind of parallel with the autograph with a circulation of 23 copies. $10,999 was paid for the card. And the second card in the collection of the previous season was a regular unnumbered jersey. For a re-release in 2013, an autograph was at stake in the Jordan collection. The resulting result was estimated at $15,000.
2) Next, another overlay of the top newcomer from Topps Chrome. This time it's Kobe Bryant and the 1995-96 collection. Plus, the card itself is in excellent condition. Price $17500.
1) And in the first place is the red parallel Metall Universe PMG by Michael Jordan with an edition of only 100 copies. In addition, the card number 23/100 is of additional interest. It should also be noted that the card was sent to the PSA for an authenticity check, but not for a condition assessment. The rating would not be high - edge damage (not rare for cards of this sub-series) is visible to the naked eye. As a result, the card was sold for $21453.
Well, the oldest top contains only the classic rookie cards of future NBA legends.
4) And this list opens with Wilt Chamberlain's map from the Fleer collection from 1961. The condition of the card is 9 points out of 10 possible, and the price is $32,211.
3-2) Next, two cards from rookie Michael Jordan. Moreover, for a rarer 9-point card from Star-85, they paid more ($40,207) than for a 10-point card from Fleer-86 ($35,999).
1) Well, absolutely out of competition is the triple card of Larry Bird, Julius Irving and Magic Johnson - the main newcomers of the 1979 season-80 from Topps. Three members of the Hall of Fame + the perfect condition of the card itself gave a total of $96423.
Thank you for your attention!
NBA Top Shot - NFT-ARTY
Reading time: 2 minutes
For those who love basketball, the NBA Top Shot is the perfect platform. Here you can buy and sell Game Moments, which are NFTs with officially licensed video clips of your favorite players in action. You can think of these NFTs as traditional basketball cards with a modern digital twist.
There is a range of clips to choose from for each player, from different seasons and versions. Each NFT that comes in multiple copies is marked with a Circulation Count (CC) or Limited Edition (LE) tag. The CC tags mean that the supply of this NFT may increase with a new release. While the LE tags mean that no new copies will be released in the future.
To start your collection, simply create a Dapper account on NBA Top Shot and upload your wallet with some funds. You can top up your wallet balance with a credit card or cryptocurrency. Currently, only five cryptocurrencies are supported - Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and USD Coin.
You can purchase NFTs by purchasing and unlocking new packs from NBA Top Shot. Such purchases are known as drops (sales in the primary market). And you won't know what Game Moments you'll get in each package. Mint takes place at a pre-selected time. And you better hurry.
If you missed the opportunity to buy on the primary market, you can purchase NFTs from other NBA Top Shot users (sales on the secondary market). Moment prices can range from $4 to $200,000. Depending on the rarity and level of the Moment.
Please note that not all packages are available. Some are specifically provided for collectors and may require a certain Collector rating to be reached before they are available for purchase. Counter scores are calculated based on the rarity and levels of collected Moments.
NBA Top Shot Moments are released as NFTs on the blockchain. This means that after the purchase, you have the right to resell them to another user. You can sort the listings on the market to find the lowest priced NFTs with unique attributes such as serial numbers that match player numbers. Please note that there is a 5% commission on sales made on the NBA Top Shot Market.
For more information on past trades and historical prices, please contact your NFT. Or (if necessary) evaluate the market. Here you can find the biggest drivers for individual Monent as well as the circulating distribution. The value of the collection can be estimated even by the username.
Another interesting aspect of the NBA Top Shot is the availability of challenges.
..).
Thanks to Beckett Grading Services, we know the five primary attributes used to grade a card.
If a corner or two is an eyesore to look at, your probably looking at a card that will grade under 8.5. Slight corner imperfections, such as barely visible white might be the difference between a BGS 9 and a BGS 9.5, but can also result in no change.
With older cards, the main concern is creases and moisture damage. Many 1980s cards suffer from ink smearing and stamp marks that happen when the card goes through a print press. Many times a crease is hard to notice at first, as the picture on a card can hide one very well.
Black Jorge Soler RC PSA 10 GEM MINT 34 50 SSP 
72
84
Let’s dive into as as many of them here as possible!
This is useful when trying to trade or sell a card because it further displays the rarity of that card.
A buyer might have been willing to buy a raw card at a higher price on the assumption that it might grade higher.
PSA lists some approved vendors for group submitters on their site to go through and make sure you’re sending your card to a trusted source.
This won’t be a money play, but maybe there’s a card you love and just want it preserved in a case for display. Nothing wrong with that, that’s the joy of collecting! While it’ll cost some money to get it done and almost certainly won’t increase the cards value, many collectors might go this route for some of their personal favorites. Instead, you might also consider a halfway-permanent case like a magnetic hard plastic. It’s less expensive and preserves the card nearly as well. You can always get it graded later, too!
A magnetic hard plastic case is better for these situations.
Added to this is the almost perfect condition of the card, and the total price is $10,600. 
The resulting result was estimated at $15,000. 
Moreover, for a rarer 9-point card from Star-85, they paid more ($40,207) than for a 10-point card from Fleer-86 ($35,999). 
The CC tags mean that the supply of this NFT may increase with a new release. While the LE tags mean that no new copies will be released in the future. 
Some are specifically provided for collectors and may require a certain Collector rating to be reached before they are available for purchase. Counter scores are calculated based on the rarity and levels of collected Moments. 
