FCGS Grading Scale
10 - GEM MINT+ “Pristine”: A flawless card, and will be VERY rare. Sharp corners, full gloss, no manufacturing or printing defects. Perfectly centered on both the front and the back of the card.
10 - GEM MINT: A “perfect card”. The corners must be sharp, with no noticeable flaws all around. May be very slightly off-center not to exceed 55/45 on the front or 75/25 on the back.
9 - MINT: A “nearly perfect” card that looks brand new. There will be no surface flaws, bends, creases or stains on the front or the back. The picture will be centered within the borders with a ratio of 60/40 or better all-around on the front, and the corners and edges will be sharp and clean.
8 - Near Mint to Mint (NM-MT): Will appear as a MINT card at first glance, but may be a bit more off-center (or tilted) and may have light wear visible on a corner upon closer examination. A NM-MT card should have no surface flaws, bends, creases or stains on the front or back. Centering must be 65/35 or higher on the front.
7 - Near Mint (NM): A NM card looks new at first glance, but closer inspection reveals slight fuzziness on the corners, minor color or print defects, and the centering may be off, but is 75/25 (or better) on the front.
6 - Excellent to Near Mint (EX-NM): This is a common grade for vintage cards. An EX-NM card may have slightly soft corners, color or print defects, a crooked cut or out-of-focus image. May have poor centering or tilt, but is not miscut.
5 - Excellent (EX): Corners may show slight rounding from light wear. Surface gloss may be somewhat lost. May have print defects, wax stains, or manufacturing defects (visible “lines” across the card or minor surface ripples).
4 - Very Good to Excellent (VG-EX): Corners on a VG-EX card will show wear and may have light creasing. May have poor centering. A light wrinkle or minor crease may be evident on the reverse of the card. Major print defects & heavy wax stains may be present.
3 - Very Good (VG): Moderate wear & corners may be more rounded than square. Cards with a major wrinkle or crease may be VG but will have no tears.
2 - GOOD: Very significant wear with rounded corners, multiple creases, light tear at the edges or tape residue. May have creases that crack the surface on the front or back.
1 - POOR: Has significant defects all Iaround including ink or pencil marks, paper loss, heavy creases, major staining, heavy wear, pin or tack holes, heavy tape residue, & tears to the card.
Defect Designation:
Cards with substantial flaws may also receive a defect designation along with their numerical grade. These defects typically result in the value being a grade lower. These include:
OC - Off Center (one or more borders significantly larger than the opposite border)
ST - Staining (stains from wax, gum, water, glue or other substances)
PD - Print Defect (ink smears, random ink spots, or other factory printing defects)
MK - Marks (pen, pencil writing, or ink stamps)
MC - Miscut (part of the card is missing or part of another card appears on a normal sized card)
AUTH - Authentic (card is original but has been altered, repaired, or otherwise enhanced)