Card Grading Australia

As some of you may or may not know, theres now a place in Australia where you
can get your cards graded. And after seeing their 2 for 1 listing on ebay last month,
thought it might just be worth it to send in a few bits of cardboard to see how well
they fare against the big companies like PSA and BGS.

So after waiting a couple of weeks, they arrived today

NOTE: The cards I chose for submission are not examples of my most 'prized' or
what I thought would fetch a high grade. But simply chosen due to their difference
in age and condition as this was to see their grading process.


Derek Jeter RC







Lawrence Taylor RC




Mario Lemieux OPC RC




OJ Simpson RC




MJ Insert:




The first thing i noticed (apart from the rather plain slab label )
was the difference in the slabs compared to the Beckett ones.
Ive never had a PSA one to compare with, but its a lot thinner than your 'standard card'
BGS slabs, but its also a little bit longer:
(tho i wish a company could come up with a smaller, more compact slab, comparable
to the size of a magnetic one touch)





But one of the things i was really intrigued with, was that they also offered written
reports for the cards they grade so that you can ascertain where and how your cards
were graded.

Heres the report for the Mario Lemieux:




It also has the corresponding report # hologram affixed to the back of the slab label:




Essentially i wouldve liked to have sent in cards that had been previously graded by
either by PSA or BGS, to see how close their grading systems are.

One thing I was really happy with, was their exceptional customer service.

For more information on their services/fees check out their website:

http://www.cardgradingaustralia.com/


Thanks for looking. Would love to hear peoples thoughts on it

looks pretty good. i like the report they give u

CGA look like the PSA cases.

PSA don't have a FANCY lGOLD Label either like Beckett. But they have developed a reputation. SO I wouldn't worry about that.

All you ened to do is search beckett on here and you will find BAD experience with the FANCY LABEL OVER RATED GRADING COMPANY.

No I actually do like the plain PSA labels...
CGA couldve just used a bit more color to give it a more 'professional' look.

It is great to see someone gave them a chance.
there is always complaining that no one does it here, but since they started no one wanted to give it a shot.

they have to start somewhere i guess. and build a reputation.

I like the way the reports are done too. and i think i will be digging out a few cards i think maybe worthy of grading and send them off soon as well.

thanks

nino_013 said:

No I actually do like the plain PSA labels...
CGA couldve just used a bit more color to give it a more 'professional' look.

Click to expand...

I agree, greren and gold to represnrt AUS HAHA.

looks good. Only thing I see that it's missing is subgrades

Those cards look way overgraded from first looks....
Also how can 71% be Near Mint?? Serioulsy??

Sacha said:

Those cards look way overgraded from first looks....
Also how can 71% be Near Mint?? Serioulsy??

Click to expand...

before you go putting your expert opinion on a 71 being Near Mint, perhaps you should compared to BGS, supposedly the best in the business.


Here is their scale:

A comprehensive training program has been developed based upon decades of in-house hobby expertise. Each card will be thoroughly analyzed in several key areas and assigned an overall grade based upon the accumulation of the individual characteristics. Here is the basic criteria for each grade and area.
Pristine 10
Centering: 50/50 all around on front. 60/40 or better on back. Corners: Perfect to the naked eye and Mint under magnification. Edges: Perfect to the naked eye and virtually free of flaws under magnification. Surface: No print spots. Flawless color, devoid of registration or focus imperfections. Perfect gloss, devoid of scratches and metallic print lines.
Gem Mint 9.5
Centering: 50/50 one way, 55/45 the other on front. 60/40 or better on back Corners: Mint to the naked eye, but slight imperfections allowed under magnification. Edges: Virtually Mint to the naked eye. A speck of wear is allowed under intense scrutiny. Surface: A few extremely minor print spots, detectable only under intense scrutiny. Deep color, devoid of registration or focus imperfections. Perfect gloss, devoid of scratches and metallic print lines
Mint 9
Centering: 55/45 both ways on front. 70/30 or better on back. Corners: Mint upon close inspection. A speck of wear is allowed under intense scrutiny. Edges: Virtually Mint to the naked eye. Unobtrusive specks of chipping on the borders are allowed. Surface: A handful of printing specks or one minor spot. Very minor focus or color imperfections. Clean gloss with one or two tiny scratches barely noticeable to the naked eye. One faint, unobtrusive metallic print line is allowed.
Near Mint/Mint 8
Centering: 60/40 both ways or better on front. 80/20 or better on back. Corners: Sharp to the naked eye, but slight imperfections allowed under close examination. Edges: Relatively smooth borders. Specks of chipping visible to the naked eye are allowed. Surface: A few minor print spots. Very minor color or focus imperfections. Solid gloss with very minor scratches detectable only upon close inspection. Or a subtle metallic print line.
Near Mint 7
Centering: 65/35 both ways or better on front. 90/10 or better on back. Very slight diamond cutting is allowed. Corners: Very minor wear on two or three corners is allowed. Edges: Slight roughness, minor chipping or very minor notching is allowed. Surface: A few noticeable print spots or minor speckling is allowed. Minor color or focus imperfections. Very minor border discoloration. A very minor wax stain on back. Solid gloss with a few minor scratches detectable upon close inspection. A few metallic print lines.
Excellent Mint 6
Centering: 70/30 both ways or better on front. 95/5 or better on back. Slight diamond cutting is allowed. Corners: Fuzzy corners, but free of dings and fraying. Edges: Moderate roughness, moderate chipping or minor notching is allowed. Surface: Noticeable print spots. Minor color or focus imperfections. Minor border discoloration and color or focus imperfections. Minor wax stains or extremely subtle ink marks. Relatively solid gloss with minor scratches, but devoid of scuffing. Noticeable metallic print lines.
Excellent 5
Centering: 75/25 both ways or better on front. 95/5 or better on back. Slight diamond cutting is allowed. Corners: Four fuzzy corners, a touch of notching or a minor ding is allowed. Edges: Noticeable roughness - but no layering. Very slight notching or noticeable chipping is allowed. Surface: Noticeable print spots. Minor color or focus imperfections. Minor border discoloration. Minor wax stains or very light ink mark. Some gloss lost from surface with minor scratches, but devoid of scuffing.
Very Good/Excellent - 4
Centering: 80/20 both ways or better on front. 100/0 or better on back. Moderate diamond cutting is allowed. Corners: Slight notching or layering, or moderate dings are allowed. Edges: Readily chipped or notched and/or slightly layered. Surface: Heavy print spots. Hairline creases. Moderate color or focus imperfections. Moderate border discoloration. Moderate wax stains. Very light ink mark or tape stain. A good deal of gloss lost from surface. Very minor scuffing or an extremely subtle tear in the form of a touch of broken surface paper.
Very Good 3
Centering: 85/15 both ways or better on front. 100/0 or better on back. Moderate diamond cutting is allowed. Corners: Slightly rounded or noticeably notched corners with slight layering is allowed. Edges: Heavy notching, moderate layering or heavy chipping is allowed. Surface: Heavy print spots. Very minor creases. Noticeable color or focus imperfections. Noticeable border discoloration. Noticeable wax stains. Light ink mark or tape stain. Very little surface gloss. Minor scuffing or a very minor tear.
Good 2
Centering: 90/10 both ways or better on front. 100/0 or offcut on back. Noticeable diamond cutting is allowed. Corners: Noticeably rounded or heavily notched corners with moderate layering. Edges: Severely chipped, notched or layered. Surface: Severe print spots. Noticeable creases. Noticeable color or focus imperfections. Noticeable border discoloration. Heavy wax stains. Moderate ink mark or tape stain. A surface devoid of gloss. Noticeable scuffing or a noticeable tear.
Poor 1
Centering: 100/0 or offcut on front or back. Heavy diamond cutting is allowed. Corners: Heavily rounded or heavily notched with noticeable layering. Edges: Destructive chipping, notching or layering. Surface: Severe print spots. Heavy creases. Severe color or focus imperfections. Heavy border discoloration. Severe stains. No original gloss. Heavy scuffing or a severe tear.

BGS and PSA both use 70% as near mint.

Sacha said:

Those cards look way overgraded from first looks....
Also how can 71% be Near Mint?? Serioulsy??

Click to expand...

Interesting what would everyone's breakdowns be:
98 - 100 - Gem Mint
95 - 98 - Mint
90 - 95 - NM+
85 - 90 - NM
70 - 85 - Excellent
55 - 70 - Very Good
45 - 55 - Good
20 - 45 - Fair
0 - 20 - Poor


PSA STANDARDS:

GEM-MT 10: Gem MintA PSA Gem Mint 10 card is a virtually perfect card. Attributes include four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus and full original gloss. A PSA Gem Mint 10 card must be free of staining of any kind, but an allowance may be made for a slight printing imperfection, if it doesn't impair the overall appeal of the card. The image must be centered on the card within a tolerance not to exceed approximately 55/45 to 60/40 percent on the front, and 75/25 percent on the reverse.

• MINT 9: Mint
  A PSA Mint 9 is a superb condition card that exhibits only one of the following minor flaws: a very slight wax stain on reverse, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off-white borders. Centering must be approximately 60/40 to 65/35 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.
• NM-MT 8: Near Mint-Mint
  A PSA NM-MT 8 is a super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the card can exhibit the following: a very slight wax stain on reverse, slightest fraying at one or two corners, a minor printing imperfection, and/or slightly off-white borders. Centering must be approximately 65/35 to 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.
• NM 7: Near Mint
  A PSA NM 7 is a card with just a slight surface wear visible upon close inspection. There may be slight fraying on some corners. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. A minor printing blemish is acceptable. Slight wax staining is acceptable on the back of the card only. Most of the original gloss is retained. Centering must be approximately 70/30 to 75/25 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.
• EX-MT 6: Excellent-Mint
  A PSA EX-MT 6 card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect which does not detract from its overall appeal. A very light scratch may be detected only upon close inspection. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. Card may show some loss of original gloss, may have minor wax stain on reverse, may exhibit very slight notching on edges and may also show some off-whiteness on borders. Centering must be 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.
• EX 5: Excellent
  On PSA EX-5 cards, very minor rounding of the corners is becoming evident. Surface wear or printing defects are more visible. There may be minor chipping on edges. Loss of original gloss will be more apparent. Focus of picture may be slightly out-of-register. Several light scratches may be visible upon close inspection, but do not detract from the appeal of the card. Card may show some off-whiteness of borders. Centering must be 85/15 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.
• VG-EX 4: Very Good-Excellent
  A PSA VG-EX 4 card's corners may be slightly rounded. Surface wear is noticeable but modest. The card may have light scuffing or light scratches. Some original gloss will be retained. Borders may be slightly off-white. A light crease may be visible. Centering must be 85/15 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.
• VG 3: Very Good
  A PSA VG 3 card reveals some rounding of the corners, though not extreme. Some surface wear will be apparent, along with possible light scuffing or light scratches. Focus may be somewhat off-register and edges may exhibit noticeable wear. Much, but not all, of the card's original gloss will be lost. Borders may be somewhat yellowed and/or discolored. A crease may be visible. Printing defects are possible. Slight stain may show on obverse and wax staining on reverse may be more prominent. Centering must be 90/10 or better on the front and back.
• GOOD 2: Good
  A PSA Good 2 card's corners show accelerated rounding and surface wear is starting to become obvious. A good card may have scratching, scuffing, light staining, or chipping of enamel on obverse. There may be several creases. Original gloss may be completely absent. Card may show considerable discoloration. Centering must be 90/10 or better on the front and back.
• FR 1.5: Fair
  A PSA Fair 1.5 card's corners will show extreme wear, possibly affecting framing of the picture. The surface of the card will show advanced stages of wear, including scuffing, scratching, pitting, chipping and staining. The picture will possibly be quite out-of-register and the borders may have become brown and dirty. The card may have one or more heavy creases. In order to achieve a Fair grade, a card must be fully intact. Even though the card may be heavily worn, it cannot achieve this grade if it is missing solid pieces of the card as a result of a major tear, etc. This would include damage such as the removal of the back layer of the card or an entire corner. The centering must be approximately 90/10 or better on the front and back.
• PR 1: Poor
  A PSA Poor 1 will exhibit many of the same qualities of a PSA Fair 1.5 but the defects may have advanced to such a serious stage that the eye appeal of the card has nearly vanished in its entirety. A Poor card may be missing one or two small pieces, exhibit major creasing that nearly breaks through all the layers of cardboard or it may contain extreme discoloration or dirtiness throughout that may make it difficult to identify the issue or content of the card on either the front or back. A card of this nature may also show noticeable warping or another type of destructive defect.

Click to expand...

beaten to it!

Also SGC who use a 100 point scale -

SGC Grading Scale:

These grade descriptions are guidelines, designed to outline the evaluation process of the SGC grading team as they establish a specific physical condition grade. Other factors that may or may not contribute to the final assigned grade might not be specifically noted in these descriptions.
GradeQualityDescription
100 PRISTINE A "virtually flawless" card. 50/50 centering, crisp focus, four sharp corners*, free of stains, no breaks in surface gloss, no print or refractor lines, and no visible wear under magnification.
98 GEM 10 55/45 or better centering, sharp focus, four sharp corners*, free of stains, no breaks in surface gloss, no print or refractor lines, and no visible wear. A slight print spot visible under close scrutiny is allowable if it does not detract from the aesthetics of the card.
96 MINT 9 60/40 or betting centering, sharp focus and four sharp corners*. A minor flaw may exist upon close examination. A minor flaw may be, but is not limited to: a slight nick to one corner, a small gloss break or surface scratch, a minor print line or minor refractor line, a minor focus or color imperfection, or a small print spot.
92 NM/MT+ 8.5 65/35 or better centering, four sharp corners*. A few minor flaws may exist upon close examination. A minor flaw may be, but is not limited to: a slight nick to one corner, a small gloss break or surface scratch, a minor print line or minor refractor line, a minor focus or color imperfection, or a small print spot.
88 NM/MT 8 65/35 or better centering, corners sharp to the naked eye but may exhibit slight wear under closer examination. A few small flaws may exist upon close examination. A small flaw may be, but is not limited to: very minor wear on one corner, a gloss break or surface scratch, a print line or refractor line, a focus or color imperfection, or a print spot.
86 NM+ 7.5 70/30 or better centering, a few small flaws may exist upon close examination. A small flaw may be, but is not limited to: very minor wear on one corner, a gloss break or surface scratch, a print line or refractor line, a focus or color imperfection, or a print spot.
84 NRMT 7 70/30 or better centering, slight wear on some corners, minor scratching, some print spots or speckling, and print lines or refractor lines are acceptable. Card may exhibit a slightly skewed (diamond) cut.
80 EX/NM 6 75/25 or better centering, slight fuzzing of corners may be evident, skewed cut may be more evident, focus or register may be off, and slight notching of edges may exist.
70 EX+ 5.5 A 60 EX 5 card with higher grade centering or corners.
60 EX 5 80/20 or better centering, minor rounding or fuzzing of corners, roughness or chipping along edge (no layering), one VERY slight surface or "spider" crease may exist on one side of the card, gloss may be lost from surface with some scratching that does not detract from the aesthetics of the card.
50 VG/EX 4 85/15 or better centering, corners are slightly rounded with modest surface wear. Light hairline crease may show on one or both sides. A light tear or surface break may exist.
40 VG 3 90/10 or better centering, corners more rounded--but not excessive, stronger creasing may exist. Poorer focus, registration, and discoloration, and staining are more noticeable.
30 GOOD 2 Centered 90/10 or better. This card usually exhibits one or more of these characteristics: heavy print spots, heavy crease(s), pinhole(s), color or focus imperfections or discoloration, surface scuffing or tear, rounded and/or fraying corners, ink or pencil marking(s), and lack of all or some original gloss.
20 FAIR 1.5 Centered 90/10 or better. This card usually exhibits several of these characteristics: heavy print spots, heavy crease(s), pinhole(s), color or focus imperfections or discoloration, surface scuffing or tears, rounded and/or fraying corners, ink or pencil marking(s), and lack of all or some original gloss, a small portion of the card may be missing.
10 POOR 1 This card usually exhibits many of these characteristics: heavy print spots, heavy crease(s), pinhole(s), color or focus imperfections or discoloration, surface scuffing or tears, rounded and/or fraying corners, ink or pencil marking(s), and lack of all or some original gloss, small portions of the card may be missing.
*Cards with round corners (ie. Pokemon, Playing Cards, etc.) should exhibit clean, flat corners with the corner arc unencumbered.

Click to expand...

Cobretti said:

before you go putting your expert opinion on a 71 being Near Mint, perhaps you should compared to BGS, supposedly the best in the business.

Click to expand...

I dont care if u had a written note from the queen! Sorry but in MY Opinion ( as your clearly stated) , a card that has a list of faults longer then my arm and only receives a 71, is not in near Mint Condition. That my entitled opinion! Not expert, but 25 years exp.
Ill tell you, if you listed a card on ebay (or here) as NEAR MINT and it came to me with that many faults, it would be getting sent back as NOT AS DESCRIBED!! unless of coarse those faults were clearly listed! But then im sure the word MINT would not be getting used in that same paragraph. Im sure most people on here buying cards, ASSUME that all cards they buy should be of mint condition UNLESS stated. Obviously ppl have different ideas on what mint is, but a card that is more then 25 % damaged is not mint, no matter what language you speak. Once again, thats my opinion and that differs from BGS and CGA.
Im sure if you were missing an arm or a leg you would describe yourself as being in mint condition!

Also, the the question above,
3 or below - ungradeable
4 poor
5 poor/fair
6 fair
7fair/good
8 good
8.5 good/excellent
9 excellent
9.5 excellent/near mint
10 MINT

The problem lies in that people have different definitions of the word 'mint'.
While your definition of 'mint' sits at 10, others have it at 9.
Whilst your excellent sits at 9, other scales have it 5-6...

Plus the report is actually quite definitive, in not only does it state the faults of the card,
but also includes description of the conditions not necessarily pertaining to damage.

But you already knew that since you would have obviously read the report
instead of just assuming what was actually stated before posting...

Also, the the question above,
3 or below - ungradeable
4 poor
5 poor/fair
6 fair
7fair/good
8 good
8.5 good/excellent
9 excellent
9.5 excellent/near mint
10 MINT

this above i find really funny, How can you say 3 or below is ungradable, if you have rated it at 3 or below doesnt that mean it has been graded????

the way i look at it, just saying what is above means nothing, it is the full comprehensive explanation of each grade that truely describes the condition.

This is Card Grading Australia Grading Scale (as per their website)

http://www.cardgradingaustralia.com/#!services/vstc7=grading-scale

96-100 PRISTINE
86-95 MINT
76-85 NEAR MINT/MINT
66-75 NEAR MINT
56-65 EXCELLENT/NEAR MINT
46-55 EXCELLENT
36-45 VERY GOOD
26-35 GOOD
16-25 FAIR
1-15 POOR

Sacha said:

I dont care if u had a written note from the queen! Sorry but in MY Opinion ( as your clearly stated) , a card that has a list of faults longer then my arm and only receives a 71, is not in near Mint Condition. That my entitled opinion! Not expert, but 25 years exp.
Ill tell you, if you listed a card on ebay (or here) as NEAR MINT and it came to me with that many faults, it would be getting sent back as NOT AS DESCRIBED!! unless of coarse those faults were clearly listed! But then im sure the word MINT would not be getting used in that same paragraph. Im sure most people on here buying cards, ASSUME that all cards they buy should be of mint condition UNLESS stated. Obviously ppl have different ideas on what mint is, but a card that is more then 25 % damaged is not mint, no matter what language you speak. Once again, thats my opinion and that differs from BGS and CGA.
Im sure if you were missing an arm or a leg you would describe yourself as being in mint condition!

Also, the the question above,
3 or below - ungradeable
4 poor
5 poor/fair
6 fair
7fair/good
8 good
8.5 good/excellent
9 excellent
9.5 excellent/near mint
10 MINT

Click to expand...

nice attitidue.

The fact that you were picking on them for callling 71 a NR/MT without bagging out the rest of the grading mob out there is the reason people including myself started posting other scales.

You are entitled to your opinion of what the scale should be, but at the same time I question your motives here. Why haven't you raised a thread about your discuss at grading companies in the past if the 7s by BSG, PSA etc.. means EXACTLY the same thing?

I think you misinderstand my initial statement. I am not having a go at CGA at all, nor the other companies. And i never claimed to be an expert.
71% is not what i would call NEAR MINT in my opinion... and i asked how 71 is considered near mint?? then you got the craps.... never less nothing more, if you have taken offense to that then thats not my problem.


Without an explanation of what someone or a company considers a 10 to be or a 5 to be, it really means jack.... as stated by someone else above. ALTHOUGH, consider this,CGA- 26% is regarded as GOOD condition. Your understanding of good surely doesn't mean something that is 75% less then its original value/condition. I am just saying that the % do not seem to match up to what the general sense of what MINT or GOOD means in a realistic world. Something that is 26% of initial condition to me should not even be considered to be worth grading. Once again, my Opinion. I think it is MISLEADING to say a card in in near mint condition if it has clear faults. As card collectors we GENERALISE our cards in a couple of catorgories, MOST collectors ask that the cards are in mint condition, we dont ask if they are in fair poor or good condition. Just look at the listings on this forum, cards are always listed as MINT/ Near mint as a general description.
once again i will ask, seriously , how can a card that is 26% be in good condition, it just does not fit the description of good in my opinion.

You seem to be assuming a ratio scale. It's actually ordinal. Translation - the numeric value is not a percentage.