How to get Magic: The Gathering cards graded (PSA, BGS, CGC)

A graded Magic card — sealed in a tamper-evident plastic slab with an official condition score — can sell for two to five times the price of the same card loose. But grading costs money and takes months, and most cards aren't worth it. Here's how to decide which cards to submit and how the process works.

What does "grading" actually mean?

Professional grading companies examine a card's physical condition and assign it a numeric score. The three major services for trading cards — including Magic — are:

• PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) — the most recognized name; grades on a 1–10 integer scale. A PSA 10 (Gem Mint) is near-perfect. PSA grades trade at strong premiums on eBay and TCGplayer's certified listings.
• BGS (Beckett Grading Services) — gives four subgrades (centering, corners, edges, surface) plus an overall grade in half-point increments. A BGS 9.5 (Gem Mint) or BGS 10 (Pristine) is the target for top-tier cards.
• CGC (Certified Guaranty Company) — originally known for comics, now a growing name in cards. Often faster than the other two during backlogs, and popular for foreign-language submissions.

All three seal the card in a hard plastic case (a "slab") with a label showing the grade, the card name, and a certification number you can verify online. Slabs prevent further wear and prove the grade to a buyer who's never seen the card in person.

What graders look for

Graders evaluate four dimensions under magnification and measured centering tools:

• Centering — how evenly the image is centered within the border. Heavily off-center cards cap out around a 7 or 8 no matter how clean the surface is. Most graders want 55/45 or better front and back.
• Corners — sharp or rounded? Even a single nicked corner under a loupe drops you from a 10 to a 9.
• Edges — the card's four sides. Chipping or fraying here is common on played cards and kills high grades.
• Surface — scratches, print lines, foil peeling, whitening, fingerprints. Foil cards are especially vulnerable — a single hair-line scratch across the foil surface can drop a grade.

Cards that look perfect to the naked eye often reveal flaws under magnification. Before submitting anything, examine your cards under good light and a loupe or jeweler's magnifier.

Which cards are worth grading?

The math only works when the grade premium exceeds the cost of grading plus your time. As a rule:

• High-value staples — dual lands, original fetchlands, Reserved List cards, iconic rares with enduring demand (Black Lotus, Mox Sapphire if you're fortunate enough to own one). A PSA 10 on an Alpha or Beta card can be worth many times the raw price.
• Popular chase rares in pristine condition — cards pulled from a sealed pack and sleeved immediately. If you've never played a card and it came out of a collector booster perfectly centered, it's a candidate.
• Special printings — Japanese foil alternate art cards, serialized cards, special treatments (borderless, showcase, retro frame). The collector market for these is active and graded copies command premiums.
• Not bulk — grading a $2 rare at a $25 submission fee is a guaranteed loss. A useful rule of thumb: the raw card should be worth at least $50, and you should believe a high grade could push the sale price above $100+.

Know the exact printing before you submit

Graders log the specific edition and collector number on the slab label. A foil showcase Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer from MH2 is worth dramatically more than the regular rare version — and the label reflects that distinction. Before submitting, confirm exactly which printing you have: the set code, collector number, language, and finish.

This is one place a digital collection catalog is genuinely useful. Scanning the card in Archivist before submission confirms the exact set and collector number against Scryfall's database, so you're not guessing. You can also check the raw price and compare it to recent graded sales on eBay to estimate whether the grade premium makes financial sense.

How to submit cards for grading

1. Create an account on PSA, BGS, or CGC's website and start a submission order online.
2. Choose a service tier — each company offers tiers by turnaround time and declared card value. Faster tiers cost more. Economy tiers can take 3–9 months; express tiers are faster but significantly pricier per card.
3. Package carefully — put each card in a penny sleeve, then a team bag or rigid card saver, then between two pieces of cardboard. Follow each company's exact packaging instructions; damaged-in-transit cards are not the grader's liability.
4. Insure the shipment — declare full value and use a carrier that offers tracking and insurance (UPS and FedEx are standard). Don't send valuable cards via first-class mail without insurance.
5. Track the submission — each company provides an online tracking portal. Cards move through intake → grading → quality control → encapsulation → shipping.

What to do while the cards are away

Your collection is incomplete until graded cards come back. A practical habit: create a "At Grader" location in your collection app and move submitted cards there so your inventory doesn't show them as on hand. When they return, move them back (or into a "Graded Slabs" location) and update the condition and value.

This matters especially if you're using your collection value for insurance purposes — a card that's been mailed off shouldn't be counted as in your possession.

Setting realistic expectations

Even cards that look perfect rarely score a 10. PSA estimates that roughly 1–3% of submissions hit PSA 10 for modern Magic cards; the rest cluster in the 7–9 range. A PSA 9 still commands a premium over raw, but less dramatically than a 10. If you're submitting cards primarily for investment upside, go in knowing the outcome is uncertain — grade the card that's worth $80 raw and a PSA 10 might fetch $300, but a PSA 8 might only fetch $110.

Grading for preservation and peace of mind — protecting a card you care about in a hard case — is always worthwhile regardless of grade. Grading for profit requires careful math before you submit.