Quick answer: The PSA grading scale is a 1-to-10 system that Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) uses to rate a trading card's condition. With the PSA grading scale explained simply: 10 is Gem Mint, 9 is Mint, and lower numbers mean more visible wear to centering, corners, edges or surface. Some labels add a qualifier such as OC (off-center), ST (staining) or MK (marks), meaning the card meets that grade except for one specific flaw.
Key takeaways
- PSA grades run from 1 (Poor) to 10 (Gem Mint), and half-point grades exist between 1.5 and 8.5.
- A PSA 10 Gem Mint card has sharp corners, clean edges, a flawless surface and centering inside PSA's published tolerance.
- A PSA 9 Mint card is excellent but is allowed one minor flaw, such as a slight print imperfection or slightly off centering.
- Qualifiers like OC, ST, MK, PD, OF and MC flag one specific defect on a card that otherwise meets the stated grade.
- Japanese Pokémon cards are graded on the same PSA scale as English cards; the label adds the language and set details.
PSA Grading Scale Explained: Every Grade From 1 to 10
PSA assigns each card one number from 1 to 10, and each number has an official name, from Poor (1) to Gem Mint (10). The grade reflects four factors: centering, corners, edges and surface. A higher number means fewer and smaller flaws across all four.
The full PSA grade table at a glance
Here is every whole-number grade with its official PSA name and what it means in everyday terms.
| Grade | Official PSA name | Label abbreviation | Plain-English meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Gem Mint | GEM MT | Virtually perfect: sharp corners, full gloss, no staining, tight centering |
| 9 | Mint | MINT | Superb card with just one minor flaw |
| 8 | Near Mint-Mint | NM-MT | Looks like a 9 at first glance; minor flaws show on close inspection |
| 7 | Near Mint | NM | Slight surface wear and light corner fraying visible up close |
| 6 | Excellent-Mint | EX-MT | Visible surface wear, slightly rough corners, some gloss loss |
| 5 | Excellent | EX | Noticeable corner rounding and surface wear, more gloss lost |
| 4 | Very Good-Excellent | VG-EX | Slightly rounded corners, light creases or scuffing possible |
| 3 | Very Good | VG | Rounded corners, obvious surface wear, possible light creasing |
| 2 | Good | GOOD | Heavy wear, accelerated corner rounding, several creases |
| 1.5 | Fair | FR | Very worn, but the card is fully intact |
| 1 | Poor | PR | Extreme wear; may be missing small pieces or heavily creased |
The four factors graders look at:
- Centering: how evenly the borders frame the artwork, measured left-to-right and top-to-bottom on both the front and back.
- Corners: sharpness, with any rounding, fraying or dings lowering the grade.
- Edges: whitening, chipping or nicks along the four sides.
- Surface: scratches, print lines, dents, staining, fingerprints and loss of original gloss.
What "Authentic" means when there's no number
Some slabs show no number at all. Authentic means PSA confirmed the card is genuine but did not give it a numerical grade. Authentic Altered means the card is genuine but PSA found evidence that it was altered, such as trimmed edges or recoloring. Neither label sits on the 1-to-10 scale.
How half-point grades fit into the scale
PSA uses half-point grades from 1.5 up to 8.5. That means you can see a PSA 6.5 or 8.5, but never a 9.5. Above 9, the only step is the 10. A half grade signals a card that sits at the high end of its whole-number grade, often because of strong centering. PSA periodically updates the wording of its standards, so check PSA's official grading standards page for the current definitions.
What does PSA 10 Gem Mint actually mean?
PSA 10 Gem Mint means a virtually perfect card: four sharp corners, clean edges, full original gloss, no staining of any kind, and centering within PSA's tightest tolerance. It's the top of the numerical scale, and nothing above it exists in standard PSA grading.
Centering, corners, edges and surface at Gem Mint level
- Centering: PSA's published standard has described the Gem Mint front tolerance at roughly 55/45 to 60/40, with about 75/25 allowed on the back. Treat these as approximate ratios and confirm against PSA's current standards.
- Corners: all four must be sharp under magnification, with no fraying.
- Edges: no visible whitening or chipping on the front or back borders.
- Surface: sharp focus, full original gloss and no staining.
What PSA still allows on a PSA 10
Gem Mint doesn't literally mean flawless. PSA's standard allows a slight printing imperfection if it doesn't impair the overall appeal of the card. What it does not allow is staining, corner wear or centering outside the tolerance. Any of those pushes the card down to a 9 or lower.
Holo and full-art surfaces: where Japanese cards usually get checked hardest
Many of the Japanese PSA 10s collectors chase are textured or full-art cards. Examples listed at PokeNinJapan include Charizard V {103/100}, Mew V {106/100}, Dragonite V {074/067} and the FA Eternatus V. On textured and full-art surfaces, print lines, holo scratches and edge whitening show up easily under angled light. A 10 on one of these cards tells you the surface passed close inspection, not only the corners and centering.
What are the PSA 9 Mint criteria, and how is it different from a 10?
A PSA 9 Mint card is a superb card that shows only one minor flaw, such as a very slight wax stain on the back, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off-white borders. Its centering tolerance is also slightly wider than a 10's. A 10 allows no staining and essentially no flaws beyond a slight print imperfection.
The one minor flaw a PSA 9 is allowed
The key phrase in PSA's Mint standard is "only one" minor flaw. Here's how a 9 compares with a 10, factor by factor:
| Factor | PSA 10 Gem Mint | PSA 9 Mint |
|---|---|---|
| Centering (front) | Approx. 55/45 to 60/40 or better | Slightly wider tolerance (PSA has published approx. 60/40 to 65/35) |
| Centering (back) | Approx. 75/25 or better | More leeway (PSA has published approx. 90/10) |
| Corners | Four perfectly sharp corners | Sharp; no fraying beyond the single allowed flaw |
| Staining | None of any kind | A very slight wax stain on the back can be the one flaw |
| Printing | Slight imperfection allowed only if it doesn't impair appeal | A minor printing imperfection can be the one flaw |
| Borders | Clean | Slightly off-white borders can be the one flaw |
Centering ratios above are approximate and based on PSA's published standards. Check PSA's site for the current figures.
PSA 8 NM-MT and PSA 7 NM in plain English
- PSA 8 Near Mint-Mint: looks like a 9 at first glance. Up close, it may show the slightest fraying on one or two corners, a minor print imperfection, a very slight wax stain on the back or slightly off-white borders. Centering is wider than a 9.
- PSA 7 Near Mint: slight surface wear is visible on close inspection, and some corners may show slight fraying. The image focus can be slightly out of register, and slight wax staining is acceptable on the back only. Most of the original gloss remains.
How to spot the difference in listing photos
Graders handle the card directly, but you can still check a lot from good slab photos:
- Look for angled-light shots. Surface scratches, print lines and dents on holo or textured cards often only show when light hits at an angle.
- Check the back borders. Edge whitening usually shows first on the darker back border, especially at the corners.
- Compare opposite borders. Hold the left border against the right, then the top against the bottom. A visibly thicker side means the card is closer to its grade's centering limit.
- Zoom on all four corners. Fraying that kept a card at an 8 is often visible as a tiny white point.
What do qualifiers like OC, ST and MK mean on a PSA label?
A qualifier is a code printed after the grade, such as "PSA 9 OC". It means the card meets the standards for that numerical grade in every way except for one named flaw. The qualifier tells you exactly which defect kept the card from receiving a straight grade.
OC – Off-Center
The centering falls outside the tolerance for the stated grade, but corners, edges and surface are at that grade's level. A "PSA 9 OC" card can have 9-quality condition with clearly uneven borders.
ST – Staining
The card shows staining, such as wax or other discoloration, beyond what the stated grade normally allows.
MK – Marks
The card has a mark from ink, pencil or a similar source, often on the back. The rest of the card meets the stated grade.
PD, OF and MC – Print Defect, Out of Focus and Miscut
| Qualifier | Meaning | What it flags |
|---|---|---|
| OC | Off-Center | Centering outside the grade's tolerance |
| ST | Staining | Discoloration or wax staining |
| MK | Marks | Ink, pencil or similar marks |
| PD | Print Defect | A noticeable printing flaw from manufacturing |
| OF | Out of Focus | The image is blurry or out of register |
| MC | Miscut | The card was cut so part of another card or the print sheet shows |
On Japanese cards, the print-related qualifiers PD and OF are the ones to watch for, since they describe flaws from the factory rather than from handling.
How a qualified grade compares to a lower straight grade
Qualified grades appear less often than straight grades, and listing titles sometimes drop the code. Always read the grade line on the slab itself. Collectors split on whether a qualified grade beats a lower straight one. Display-focused collectors often prefer a straight 8 because the borders look balanced in a case. Others prefer a 9 OC because the corners, edges and surface underneath are cleaner. Neither choice is wrong. It depends on which flaw bothers you more.
How do you read the PSA label on a Japanese Pokémon card?
A PSA label lists the year, the game and language, the set name, the card name and number, the grade name and number, and a unique certification number. Reading those lines tells you exactly which Japanese card is inside and what condition PSA assigned it.
Card name, year, set name and language line
Work through the label from top to bottom:
- Year and game: the release year, followed by the game. Japanese cards are typically identified as Japanese on this line.
- Set name: the expansion or promo series the card comes from.
- Card name and number: the Pokémon or trainer name and its collector number.
- Grade: the grade name and number, such as GEM MT 10 or MINT 9, plus any qualifier.
- Cert number: PSA's unique certification number for that slab.
Card numbers like {103/100} and promo codes like SV-P and SM-P
PokeNinJapan's listing titles mirror the label's key details. Take "[PSA 10] {103/100} CHARIZARD V": the bracket is the grade (10), and 103/100 is card number 103 in a set numbered to 100. When the first number is higher than the set count, as in 103/100, 168/165, 166/165 or 202/193, the card sits beyond the main set numbering, which is how secret-rare-style cards are numbered.
Promo cards use a code in place of the set count:
- {048/SV-P} Miraidon and {067/SV-P} Umbreon are Scarlet & Violet era promos.
- {367/SM-P} Pikachu is a Sun & Moon era promo.
Some older and trainer cards, such as Sabrina's Porygon, Full Heal and Master Ball, carry no number in the listing title. For those, read the slab label in the product photos to confirm the exact set and year.
The certification number and why it matters
Every PSA slab has its own cert number. Entering it into PSA's official cert verification tool should return the same card name, number, year and grade shown on the label. If the details don't match, the slab or label isn't what it claims to be.
Do Japanese cards get graded differently from English cards?
No. PSA uses one grading scale for every language, so a PSA 10 Japanese card and a PSA 10 English card meet the same condition standard for centering, corners, edges and surface. The only difference on the slab is that the label identifies the card as Japanese.
Same scale, same four factors
Every grade definition in the tables above applies to Japanese cards without changes. There is no separate Japanese scale, curve or tolerance. A Japanese Mint 9 is allowed the same single minor flaw as any other Mint 9.
Japanese-specific details graders and buyers notice
- Card stock and finish vary by era. Japanese cards from different periods use different surface finishes. Some show scuffs or edge wear differently, so compare photos within the same era rather than across eras.
- Holo patterns highlight scratches. Holo and textured foil can make fine scratches easy to see under angled light. Look for angled shots on any holo slab.
- Vintage-style cards can still hit Gem Mint. PokeNinJapan's PSA graded listings include older Japanese cards such as Squirtle, Kingler, Zubat and Abra at high grades. For the exact set and year of these cards, check the slab label in each listing's photos.
Choosing a grade that fits your collection
Pick the grade based on how you'll use the card. Centerpiece cards often justify waiting for a 10, set runs and binder collections work well with 8s and 9s, and a qualified grade can make sense when the flaw doesn't bother you.
When a PSA 10 is worth holding out for
- You're chasing a single centerpiece, such as Charizard V {103/100} or the Umbreon {067/SV-P} promo, and want the strongest eye appeal in a display.
- The card is a textured or full-art print where surface flaws are easy to see. A 10 confirms the surface passed close inspection.
- You want centering that looks even at a glance from across the room.
When a 9 or a qualified grade makes sense
- Set completionists: a run of 8s and 9s gives a clean, consistent look across a full set.
- Display collectors: a 9's single minor flaw is often invisible in a stand or case.
- Binder-style collectors chasing hard-to-find cards: a qualified grade like 9 OC or 8 PD can be acceptable when you know exactly what the flaw is and it doesn't bother you.
When you're ready to compare slabs, PokeNinJapan's PSA graded Japanese Pokémon card listings show the grade and card number in each title and the full label in the photos. The store has shipped authentic Japanese cards from Japan worldwide since 2020, with more than 50,000 orders delivered.
FAQ
Is there a PSA 9.5 grade?
No. PSA's half-point grades run from 1.5 to 8.5, so there is no 9.5. A card that grades above a 9 at PSA receives a 10 Gem Mint.
What does 'Authentic' mean on a PSA slab with no number?
PSA verified the card is genuine but did not assign a numerical grade. "Authentic Altered" means the card is genuine but PSA found evidence of alteration, such as trimming or recoloring.
Is a PSA 9 OC better or worse than a straight PSA 8?
It depends on which flaw bothers you more. A 9 OC has 9-level corners, edges and surface but noticeable off-centering. A straight 8 has slightly more wear but centering within the 8 tolerance. Display collectors often prefer the straight grade's balanced borders, while others prefer the cleaner card underneath the qualifier.
Are Japanese Pokémon cards graded on the same PSA scale as English cards?
Yes. PSA applies one 1-to-10 scale to every language, so a Japanese PSA 10 meets the same condition standard as an English PSA 10. The label simply identifies the card as Japanese along with its set and number.
How can I check that a PSA grade on a slab is genuine?
Enter the certification number printed on the label into PSA's official cert verification tool. The result should match the card name, number, year and grade shown on the slab.
Can a PSA graded card be resubmitted for a different grade?
Yes. Collectors can break a card out of its slab and resubmit it, and PSA has offered review options for cards that are already graded. The new grade can go up, down or stay the same, so check PSA's current service options before you try.