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The PSA grading scale, 1 to 10
What each number on a PSA label means, how centering caps a grade, and what the little letters after the grade are telling you.
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) was founded in July 1991 by David Hall, who also owned the coin grader PCGS, and it became part of Collectors Universe. Its business was built on a simple promise: an independent grader looks at a card, checks that it is genuine and unaltered, assigns a number from 1 to 10 and seals it in a tamper-evident holder. Heritage Auctions' sports glossary describes PSA as the first widely accepted grading service, the one that set the standard for the graded-card market.
The number is a shorthand for condition — corners, edges, surface, centering, print quality and eye appeal; the card condition glossary defines the terms graders use for each. Below is PSA's own grade ladder, summarised from its published grade definitions.
The grades at a glance
| Grade | Label | Front | Back | In short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | GEM-MT | 55/45 | 75/25 | Four sharp corners, sharp focus, full original gloss, no staining; a slight printing imperfection is allowed if it doesn't hurt the look. |
| 9 | MINT | 60/40 | 90/10 | Superb, with one minor flaw such as a very slight wax stain on the reverse or slightly off-white borders. |
| 8 | NM-MT | 65/35 | 90/10 | Looks like a 9 at first glance; slight fraying on one or two corners or a minor print flaw on closer inspection. |
| 7 | NM | 70/30 | 90/10 | Slight surface wear, slight corner fraying, most of the original gloss retained. |
| 6 | EX-MT | 80/20 | 90/10 | Visible wear or a light scratch, some loss of gloss, very slight notching on edges. |
| 5 | EX | 85/15 | 90/10 | Very minor rounding of corners, minor chipping on edges, several light scratches. |
| 4 | VG-EX | 85/15 | 90/10 | Slightly rounded corners, noticeable wear, light scuffing; a light crease may show. |
| 3 | VG | 90/10 | 90/10 | Some rounding of corners, much of the gloss lost, possible visible crease, yellowed borders. |
| 2 | GOOD | 90/10 | 90/10 | Accelerated corner rounding, obvious wear, several creases, considerable discoloration. |
| 1.5 | FR | ~90/10 | ~90/10 | Extreme corner wear, advanced scuffing or staining, one or more heavy creases — but the card is intact. |
| 1 | PR | — | — | As above but worse: may be missing small pieces, deep creases, heavy warping or discoloration. |
Two practical points follow from that table. First, centering is a hard ceiling: a card that is 75/25 on the front cannot be an unqualified PSA 7 or better no matter how sharp the corners are. To check your own card, measure its borders with the centering calculator. Second, the back matters far less than the front above the 9 level — everything from PSA 2 through PSA 9 shares the same 90/10 allowance on the reverse.
PSA's standards page adds that graders may, at their discretion, allow a small centering variance when a card's eye appeal justifies it. It gives the example of a 70/30 card that can be held back from an unqualified grade because of how it looks; the reverse also happens, where strong other attributes let a borderline card avoid an off-center qualifier.
Half grades
PSA's definitions allow a half-point bump within grades 2 through 9 for cards that show high-end qualities for their grade, with a clear emphasis on centering. That is where labels such as NM-MT+ 8.5 or GOOD+ 2.5 come from. FR 1.5 is listed separately in PSA's definitions as a grade of its own, between PR 1 and GOOD 2. PSA notes that pins and coins do not receive half-point grades.
Qualifiers: the letters after the number
PSA defines a qualified card as one that meets every criterion for a grade but fails the standard in one area. The flaw is named on the label next to the number. PSA's own example: a card with NM-MT 8 qualities but centered 90/10 left to right receives “NM-MT 8 OC”.
| Code | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| OC | Off-center | Optional — may appear as a qualifier or be reflected in a lower number |
| ST | Staining | Optional |
| PD | Print defect | Optional; covers print dots, white “snow” patches or print lines |
| OF | Out of focus | Optional |
| MK | Marks | Required; writing, ink or pencil marks, or impressions from writing |
| MC | Miscut | Required; an atypical cut, e.g. part of the card missing or part of another card showing |
According to PSA's FAQ, MK and MC are always shown when they apply, while OC, ST, PD and OF can either be printed as a qualifier or simply be built into a lower numerical grade.
Authentic, Authentic Altered and “no grade”
Not every card gets a number. PSA lists no-grade reasons N1 to N9, covering problems such as trimming, restoration, recoloring, cleaning, questionable authenticity, minimum size and miscuts. Some of those cards can still be encapsulated as “Authentic” (genuine, but no numerical grade) or “Authentic Altered” (genuine but altered), depending on the reason and what the submitter requested; questionable authenticity never qualifies. Heritage's glossary calls a card returned ungraded a “body bag”.
Sources
- PSA — Grading Standards
- PSA grade definitions (as reproduced on GameStop's PSA page)
- PSA Lingo — Q (Qualifier)
- PSA Lingo — P (Pop Report, PD)
- PSA — Support FAQ
- Wikipedia — Professional Sports Authenticator
- Heritage Auctions — Glossary of Sports Collectible Terms
Sources checked October 2026.