Six concise lessons covering everything our AI vision model checks — so you can pre-screen cards yourself and never overpay or under-submit again.
Centering is measured as left/right and top/bottom border ratios. A 55/45 split or better usually grades 9+, while 50/50 is the holy grail for Pristine 10. Always measure from the inner border, not the card edge.
Inspect all four corners under raking light. Look for whitening, fraying, dings and softness. Even microscopic wear drops a 10 to a 9. Use a loupe at 10x.
Edge wear shows as silver/white lines along the card border. Common from binder shuffling. Run a fingernail gently along each edge to detect chips you can't see.
Surface defects include scratches, print lines, indentations, holo scratching, and stains. Holo cards are scored more strictly because the foil shows every imperfection.
Compare weight, light test, rosette pattern under loupe, font kerning, and energy symbols. Modern fakes are getting good — trust the HoloGrade authenticity engine for a second opinion.
Don't submit anything below a predicted AI 9. Factor in grading cost, market premium for 10 vs 9, and turnaround time. The HoloGrade ROI Calculator does this math instantly.
Run a free AI grade on any card and see exactly where you stand.
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