Slabbed / Graded Card
A slabbed or graded card has been authenticated and encased in a tamper-evident plastic case by a third-party grading service, with a numerical grade representing its condition.
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Published BySuperCatch
Published April 25, 2026
A slabbed (or graded) card has been submitted to a third-party grading service for authentication and condition assessment, then sealed in a tamper-evident plastic case with the assigned grade printed on a label inside the slab. The grading process inspects centering, corners, edges, and surface; the resulting numerical grade (typically on a 1-10 scale, sometimes with half-grade subgrades) is the industry-standard condition signal. The major grading services for trading cards are PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), BGS (Beckett Grading Services), SGC (Sportscard Guaranty), and CGC (Certified Guaranty Company). Each uses its own grading scale, label design, and turnaround pricing. PSA is dominant in modern American sports cards; BGS leads in vintage and basketball; SGC has historically led in vintage baseball; CGC is the rising graded-comic-book service expanding into cards.…Read more
Grading materially changes a card's market value. A raw (ungraded) card might trade in a wide range based on subjective condition assessment, while the same card graded PSA 10 (Gem Mint) trades at a clear premium because the condition is contractually authenticated. Grading premiums compound with rarity — a high-end rookie card in PSA 10 can be worth multiples of the same card raw or in PSA 9.
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