CGC Cards uses a highly accurate 10-point grading scale to evaluate TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. Below are CGC Cards’ grading standards for each numeric grade as well as information on designations and autograph grades.
Standard Cards | Telephone Cards
CGC Cards will only accept submissions of unused Chinese generic telephone magnetic cards.
| Pristine 10 | A Pristine 10 is a virtually flawless telephone card to the naked eye. The edges and corners are free of wear and white spots. The telephone card perfectly retains its original color and gloss, with a clear and fully centered print pattern. On the reverse, the card’s magnetic powder is evenly distributed, the text is fully centered and there is no trace of topping up. Both the front and the back of the telephone card have no post-production imperfections visible under 5x magnification. |
| Gem Mint 10 | A Gem Mint 10 card is a card that has received a 10 grade overall; however, one of the grading criteria does not meet the requirements of a Pristine 10. The edges and corners are free of wear and white spots. The telephone card perfectly retains its original color and gloss with clear and fully centered printed pattern. On the reverse, the card’s magnetic powder is evenly distributed, and the text will appear fully centered. |
| Mint+ 9.5 | A Mint+ 9.5 is a telephone card that is nearly indistinguishable from one with a 10 grade. There may be slight minor printing defects on the surface of the card, or the pattern on the front might be very slightly off center. The edges and corners of the telephone card may have very minor white spots, or there may be slight traces of topping up on the reverse. |
| Mint 9 | A Mint 9 telephone card may have only one of the following small imperfections: slight minor wear visible on the edges and corners, very minor scratches on the surface, a slightly off-center print pattern, slight traces of topping up on the reverse or very few stains on the surface. |
| NM/Mint+ 8.5 | A telephone card graded 8.5 might have slight wear on some of the edges and corners. Minor blemishes on the surface may be visible,or the print pattern may be off center. The reverse side of the card should only have slight traces of topping up or very minor stains visible. |
| NM/Mint 8 | A card graded 8 must have relatively smooth edges with only minor touches of wear. It must have original color borders and gloss. One of the following very minor flaws is allowed: corners are sharp to the naked eye but reveal slight imperfections under magnification; a small amount of minor print spots; subtle focus imperfections of the image. A very slight diamond cut is allowed. TCG cards could have small-to-moderate handling defects. For sports and non-sports cards, centering must be 65/35 or better. |
| Near Mint 7 | A telephone card graded 7 will have slightly visible wear on some edges and corners. The card should retain most of its original color and gloss, though the print pattern may be fuzzy. Visible wear or printing defects may be present on the card’s surface, along with traces of topping up or stains on the reverse. The telephone card will have moderate centering. |
| Ex/NM 6 | A telephone card graded CGC 6 will have visible wear or printing defects on the card surface with a slightly fuzzy pattern. The card’s surface may have slight scratches and white spots, and it may lose some of its original gloss. The card’s edges and corners may be worn and the print pattern is off center. Meanwhile, there will be traces of topping up or stains on the reverse. |
| Excellent 5 | In addition to visible wear and printing defects, a telephone card graded CGC 5 will have lost its original gloss with a slightly fuzzy pattern. Edges and corners may be worn, and there may be white spots and scratches on the surface. Corners may be worn and the print pattern is off center. Meanwhile, there may be evident traces of topping up and moderate to severe stains on the card’s reverse. |
| VG/Ex 4 | A telephone card graded 4 will display obvious wear — such as scuffing or scratches — along with visible wear on the edges and corners. While some original surface gloss may be visible, the card’s print pattern will be slightly off center. On the card’s reverse, there will be evident traces of topping up or moderately severe stains. |
| Very Good 3 | A telephone card graded 3 will display obvious wear on its surface, including scuffs, scratches and a loss of gloss. The card may also display some yellowing or discoloration. The card’s print pattern may be slightly off center, and there may be visible wear on the edges and corners.. The card’s print pattern is slightly off center, and there is evident traces of topping up or severe stains on the reverse. |
| Good 2 | A telephone card graded 2 displays clearly visible wear or multiple scratches, along with visible wear on the edges and corners. The surface may have lost its original color and gloss, or have significant discoloration. The print pattern is obviously off center. There is evident trace of topping up or severe stains on the reverse. |
| Poor 1 | For a grade of 1, the edges and corners of the telephone card are severely worn with more severe wear visible on the surface, including scuffing, scratches, dents, creases and stains. The print pattern is extremely fuzzy and severely off center. The card’s reverse has significant stains. |
Non-numeric grades: Most telephone cards have the same defects as those that receive grades of 1. However, the degree of defects could be even more severe, resulting in a nearly complete loss of their visual aesthetics. Cards of this level of defects will receive a non-numeric grade.
For a non-numeric grade, the surface of the telephone card may have missing contents, nearly broken creases or severe discoloration and stains, making it difficult to identify the actual contents of the card. There may also be obvious warping or other serious defects. Additionally, telephone cards that have been tampered with — either intentionally or otherwise — will receive a non-numeric grade.
The CGC Cards Pristine 10 label is reserved exclusively for the best of the best — cards that are flawless under 10-times magnification.