Ledger · 7 min
How TCGPal estimates a grade
The method behind TCGPal’s pre-grade: four sub-scores, an overall grade, and mapped PSA, BGS, SGC, and CGC estimates — plus what the model cannot feel.
Updated August 12, 2026 · TCGPal
Four scores, then a label
You submit front and back photos. TCGPal scores centering, corners, edges, and surface. Those subgrades combine into an overall grade and a label such as Gem Mint or Near Mint. The lowest subgrade usually limits the card. A perfect surface will not save a dinged corner — that is how human graders work, and the report follows the same logic.
Example report
Front + back condition
Same four criteria a human grader uses.
- Centering
- 10
- Corners
- 9
- Edges
- 9.5
- Surface
- 10
PSA
10
BGS
9.5
SGC
10
CGC
9.5
Company estimates are a translation
Collector maps the same condition read onto PSA (whole numbers), BGS (half points and subgrades), SGC, and CGC. These are not four independent inspections. They are estimates of how that condition typically labels at each company, so you can compare solds. A mapped PSA 10 is still a pre-grade.
What we will not pretend to know
The model cannot authenticate a card. It cannot feel a crease, a ripple, or a textured stock. It cannot smell restoration. It cannot see defects that glare erased. If a card scores a 10 on centering and an 8 on corners, the corners are the story — even if the overall number still looks attractive in a thumbnail.
How we want you to use it
Treat TCGPal as the first pass: identify the printing, read condition, check raw versus graded comps, then decide whether the slab fee is rational. The honest output is a report you can disagree with, not a certificate you can list as PSA.
FAQ
Questions collectors ask
Are the four company numbers four separate grades?
No. Collector translates one condition read onto four label formats. PSA whole numbers, BGS half points, SGC, CGC — same photos, different scales. You are not getting four inspections.
Why is the overall grade lower than three of the subgrades?
The lowest subgrade usually limits the card. A 10 / 10 / 10 / 8 is not a 10. Human graders work the same way. Read the weak score first.
What does Gem Mint versus Near Mint mean here?
A label on top of the number, in the same language collectors already use. It is a summary of the overall grade, not a second scoring system and not a company certificate.
Does Collector change the condition read?
The four subgrades come from the photos on free and Collector. Collector adds the company mapping, share images, and a PDF. It does not buy you a friendlier centering score.
Can I show this report as proof of grade?
Show it as your notes. Do not show it as a slab. The market pays for PSA, BGS, SGC, or CGC plastic. TCGPal is the pass you run before you pay for that plastic.
