Whether you’ve been collecting baseball cards since childhood or recently came across sports card collector’s items, it will be beneficial to grade the cards, so you’ll know their condition and value. You must take time to carefully inspect the cards or consult with a professional to determine the quality and have them graded. The article below highlights several factors you should think about when judging the card condition.

What to Look for During Baseball Card Grading

1. Focus on Corners & Edges

Self-grading will give you an idea of what grade the cards may get if you submit them to a professional grading company. The corners and edges of your baseball cards might look sharp to the naked eye, but the appearance can change when you view it under magnification. Be sure to use a magnifying glass and look out for frayed or fuzzy corners, worn edges, and even slight creases that can affect the grade your card receives.

2. Surface Condition

The grading of baseball cards and other sports card collector’s items will help assure its authenticity with potential buyers. The surface of the card should be visually clean and free of creases, paper loss, stains, scratches, print defects, and other imperfections. Any major flaws will have a significant impact on the grade the card receives, regardless of its age. The color of the card is also important, so you should assess if there is any fading and whether the card has its original gloss coating.

3. Centering

Centering means that the image is equally balanced and centered on the baseball card. You can use a ruler to measure whether the image is off center and by how much. Professional grading companies have detailed criteria of their centering guidelines that can be researched online.

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