Relic Card Grading - Our Card Grading Scale

TRADITIONAL CARD GRADING + TECH

Relic Card Grading combines traditional card grading methods with high-resolution magnification to ensure accurate grading. All cards are initially checked visually, under various lighting conditions, for obvious signs of wear and to get a general understanding of the quality of the card. Next, we employ traditional card grading techniques to evaluate standard card details, which include evaluating cards under low magnification (10x) giving us a sense of the overall quality of the card (i.e., corners, edges, surface, and centering).

In addition to traditional card grading methods, every card is evaluated using high-powered microscopes/cameras to ensure minor flaws are uncovered. At Relic Card Grading we believe there’s a big difference between a 9.0, 9.5, and 10. In our opinion, only best cards deserve the distinguished RELIC 10 grade. You can read more about our grading criteria below.

SURFACE EVALUATION

Print lines, scratches, dimples, and more…

Relic Card Grading takes a hard look at the surface of every card we evaluate. If you are trying to obtain a RELIC 10 grade, your card must be completely void of any scratches, print lines, color loss, image focus issues, dimples, and any other defects that detract from the overall aesthetic value of the card.

EDGES

Chipping, fraying, splitting, and more…

Relic Card Grading takes a close look at the integrity of card edges. We look for any signs of wear and/or production flaws that may diminish overall card quality. Potential flaws include chipping, fraying, edge splitting, and more. Both edges and corners are evaluated using high magnification (>10x) to pick up any flaws that may not be picked up by the naked eye.

CORNERS

Rounding, fraying, splitting, and more…

In order to achieve the highest grade possible, corners should be sharp (unless we are grading Pokémon cards or other cards that are supposed to have rounded corners). The corners should also show no signs of wear like rounding, fraying, splitting, whitening, or any other visual defects.

TOTAL IMAGE CENTERING

Top to bottom, left to right, and front and back…

While we believe card centering is an extremely important quality factor, we do allow for a little tolerance on centering (but not much). You can see the details by reviewing the grading scale below but, if you are looking to score a RELIC 10, your card will likely need to have at least 55:45 on the front (60:40 is allowable on some older cards) and 60:40 on the back.

THE RELIC CARD GRADING SCALE

The Relic Card Grading system takes all four grading criteria into consideration (i.e., corners, surface, edges, and centering). We meticulously evaluate every card submitted to ensure grading accuracy and consistency.

In order to achieve a RELIC 10 grade a card must be completely void of print or refractor lines, surface scratches, edge and corner wear under 10x - 15x magnification, and have at least 55:45 centering on the front. Relic 10 cards will also have at least 60:40 centering on the back.

A Relic Mint+ 9.5 will be a nearly perfect card with only one minor imperfection visible under low magnification (10x). No print lines are allowed on the front or the back of the card. Average centering will be at least 55:45 on the front and 60:40 or better on the back.

A Relic Mint card may have a minor defect visible under low magnification (10x). The front of the card shall be void of any print/refractor lines but a minor print/refractor line may be present on the back of the card as long as it is not readily visible in standard lighting conditions. Overall card centering will be 60:40 or greater on the front and 70:30 or greater on the back.

A few minor flaws may be visible under 10x magnification. A print/refractor line is allowed as long it does not detract from the overall appearance of the card. Centering will be at least 65:35 on the front and 80:20 on the back.

A Relic NMT/RMT card may have a few minor flaws may be visible under 10x magnification or under high light conditions. A minor print/refractor line is acceptable as long as it does not detract from the overall appearance of the card. Centering will be at least 65:35 on the front and 80:20 on the back.

A Relic 7.5 NEAR MINT+ card may have a couple minor flaws upon close examination. This includes a print/refractor line, slight wear to a corner, a minor surface scratch (more tolerance given on the back of the card), and/or other very minor defects. Centering will be at least 70:30 on the front and 80:20 on the back. Multiple refractor lines may be acceptable on the back of the card if the rest of the card is predominately void minor of flaws.

A Relic 7 NEAR MINT may have a few minor flaws upon close examination. This includes a print line or multiple refractor lines that are not overly apparent visually, slight corner wear, a minor surface scratch (more tolerance given on the back of the card), signs of minor edge wear, and/or other very minor defects. Centering will be at least 70:30 on the front and 80:20 on the back.

A Relic 6.5 EX/NMT+ may have multiple visual flaws upon close examination (most of which will still be minor). This includes multiple print or refractor lines that are not overly apparent visually, slight corner wear/light fraying, a minor surface scratch (more tolerance given on the back of the card), signs of minor edge wear, and/or other slight defects. Centering will be at least 75:25 on the front and 85:15 on the back.

A Relic 6 EX/NMT may have a moderate visual flaw and multiple minor visual flaws upon close examination . This includes multiple print or refractor lines that are not overly apparent visually, slight to moderate corner wear, a minor surface scratch, signs of minor to moderate edge wear, and/or other slight defects. Centering will be at least 75:25 on the front and 85:15 on the back.

A Relic 5.5 EXCELLENT+ may have multiple minor to moderate visual flaws. This includes multiple print or refractor lines, slightly out of focus image, minor corner wear/rounding, a minor surface scratch, minor edge wear and/or chipping, and/or other moderate defects. Centering will be at least 80:20 on the front and 90:10 on the back.

A Relic 5 EXCELLENT may have multiple visual flaws including a slight crease that does not detract from the cards main image, multiple print or refractor lines, slightly out of focus image, moderate corner rounding and/or wear, minor surface scratching, minor to moderate edge wear, fraying, or chipping, and/or other moderate defects. Centering will be at least 80:20 on the front and 90:10 on the back.

A Relic 4.5 VG/EX+ will exhibit more signs of moderate surface wear (e.g. loss of gloss, scratching, and/or a small crease). Moderate wear and rounding may be present on all four corners. Edges may present moderate chipping and fraying. Centering will be 85:15 or greater on the front and 90:10 or better on the back.

A Relic 4 VG/EX may have moderate surface wear (e.g. loss of original gloss, scratching, and/or a small to moderate crease, or very slight tear). Moderate wear, rounding, fraying, and slight material separation may be present on all four corners. Edges may present minor to moderate chipping and fraying. Minor staining may be observed under close inspection. Centering will be 85:15 or greater on the front and 90:10 or better on the back.

A Relic 3.5 VERY GOOD+ may show signs of increased surface wear which includes larger spider creases (visible on the front and back), numerous light scratches or surface abrasions, and moderate loss of the the original gloss. Moderate to high amounts of corner wear, rounding, fraying, and moderate material separation may be present. Edges may present chipping fraying or slight stock loss. Minor to moderate staining may be observed under close inspection. Centering will be 90:10 or greater on the front and back of the card.

A Relic 3 VERY GOOD may show additional signs of increased surface wear which includes multiple spider creases (visible on the front and back), numerous minor to moderate scratches or surface abrasions, and moderate loss of the original surface gloss. Corners may exhibit significant rounding and/or fraying, and material separation. Edges may present significant chipping fraying and moderate stock loss. Moderate staining may be observed under on the front and back of the card. Centering will be 90:10 or greater on the front and back of the card.

A Relic 2.5 GOOD+ may show signs of heavy surface wear which includes multiple spider creases (visible on the front and back), moderate scratches or surface abrasions, and significant loss of the original surface gloss. Corners may exhibit significant rounding, fraying, and material separation. Edges may present significant chipping, splitting, fraying, and minor discoloration. Moderate staining may be observed on the front and back of the card. Centering will be 90:10 or greater on the front and back of the card.

A Relic 2 GOOD will show additional signs of wear when compared to a 2.5 GOOD+. More staining, scratches, and surface loss may be present. A slight loss of stock material may be present on one or two corners. Overall centering will be 90:10 or better.

A Relic 1.5 FAIR will show additional signs of wear when compared to a RELIC 2 GOOD. In addition to this, a RELIC 1.5 may exhibit minor to moderate surface loss, severe edge and corner wear, moderate staining on both sides of the card, pinholes, and other significant defects.

A Relic 1 POOR is the lowest grade a card can achieve. Extreme staining, surface loss, scratching, creasing, corner wear, and edge defects may be present. Overall the card must still be intact, but a tear or corner loss may be allowed.

Relic Card Grading Newsletter

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CARD GRADING VARIANCE & DISCLAIMER

The Relic Card Grading scale is meant to be used a general guidance tool for the public; however, the grade a card receives may be impacted by various factors which include differences in card production techniques, production years, card types, and more. Each card brand/type/production year/etc. may have standard deviations that need to be taken into account during the card grading process and may impact a cards final grade. These factors include, but are not limited to, higher or lower standard deviations in centering, common print flaws, and other printing or production nuances. Relic Card Grading continues to implement new processes and technology in an effort to minimize the subjectivity of card grading; however, some subjectivity is present anytime a visual evaluation is conducted. Therefore, all grades, provided by Relic Card Grading, are considered final.