The Bluechip Standard
How we grade a card.
In the open.
A grade is only worth something if anyone can see how it was reached. So here’s the entire methodology — the four criteria, the scale, worked examples, and an honest account of what a photo can and can’t tell us.
The one rule that matters most
The grade is the weakest link
— not the average.
A card with flawless centering, edges, and surface but one dinged corner is not a 9. It’s graded by that corner. Real graders work this way, and so do we. One serious flaw caps the whole card, with only light holistic judgment on top.
See it for yourself
What centering actually means
Centering is the most objective criterion — it’s a measurable border ratio. The tighter and more even the borders, the higher the grade. Here’s the same card at three centering levels.
55/45
Supports a 10
60/40
Caps around a 9
65/35
Caps lower
The methodology
The four criteria
Every grade comes from these four — the same dimensions PSA, BGS, and SGC judge.
Centering
How evenly the card's image and borders sit within the cut edges, measured as a ratio (left/right and top/bottom).
Top grade requires
Roughly 55/45 or better on the front. The tighter and more even the borders, the higher the grade.
What drops it
- 60/40 typically caps the grade around 9
- 65/35 or worse caps it lower
- Heavy miscut or off-center backs pull it down further
From a photo: The most objective criterion — we can estimate the border ratio directly from a clear, flat image.
Corners
The sharpness and integrity of all four corners — the first place wear shows.
Top grade requires
All four corners crisp and sharp under magnification, no whitening or rounding.
What drops it
- Whitening or fraying at the tips
- Soft or rounded corners
- Dings, bends, or fold marks
From a photo: Obvious damage shows in a photo; a slightly soft corner often doesn't. We flag what we can see and stay conservative on what we can't.
Edges
The condition along the four cut edges of the card.
Top grade requires
Clean, smooth edges with no chipping or whitening along any side.
What drops it
- Edge whitening (common on dark-bordered cards)
- Chipping or nicks
- Rough or uneven cuts
From a photo: Edge whitening is usually visible; fine roughness may not be. Lighting and angle matter a lot here.
Surface
The face of the card — print quality, gloss, and any marks on the surface.
Top grade requires
Clean, glossy, defect-free surface with no scratches, print lines, or indentations.
What drops it
- Scratches and scuffs (especially on holos)
- Print lines, dots, or snow
- Indentations, dents, or stains
- Loss of gloss
From a photo: The hardest to judge from a photo — hairlines and print lines are often invisible at phone resolution. We lower our confidence accordingly rather than assume a clean surface we can't verify.
The scale, made visual
What each grade looks like
The same card, slabbed at four points on the scale. Look at the corners, the centering, and the surface — that’s the whole story of a grade.
Centering 55/45
Razor-sharp corners, clean glossy surface, effectively dead-centered.
Centering 60/40
A touch off-center with the faintest corner softness — still presents beautifully.
Centering 65/35
Rounded corners, noticeable off-centering, and light surface wear.
Centering 70/30
Creasing, heavy corner rounding, and edge whitening throughout.
The reference
The full 1–10 scale
Mapped to the PSA scale, so a Bluechip Score means exactly what you expect it to.
Gem Mint
Virtually perfect. Sharp corners, clean surface, centering ~55/45 or better.
Mint
One minor flaw — a touch of edge wear or slightly off-center, otherwise pristine.
Near Mint–Mint
Very light wear: minor edge or corner softness, light off-centering.
Near Mint
Light handling visible on close inspection but no major flaws.
Excellent–Mint
Light wear on multiple criteria, still presents well.
Excellent
Noticeable wear on corners or surface; sound card.
Very Good–Excellent
Moderate wear; rounding, edge wear, or surface marks.
Very Good
Clear handling: rounded corners, creasing, or surface wear.
Good
Heavy wear; creasing and rounding throughout.
Poor–Fair
Major damage — heavy creasing, tears, or staining.
What a Bluechip Score is — and isn’t
A pre-grade, not a slab.
A Bluechip Score is an honest second opinion to help you decide whether a card is worth submitting. A phone photo can’t resolve every hairline or soft corner, so we report a range, tell you our confidence, and stay conservative when we can’t see something clearly. The official grade still comes from PSA, BGS, or SGC.
That honesty is deliberate. A grade is only as good as the trust behind it — and trust is built by being straight about the limits, not by overpromising a number we can’t stand behind.
Score your card against the standard.
Snap a photo, get a Bluechip Score across all four criteria, plus the live math on whether it’s worth sending in.