FT is identified as offering the most precise and reliable grading services. Our unwavering commitment to excellence means every card is meticulously assessed, providing collectors with the assurance and confidence they deserve with each grade we assign.

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Grading involves accurately evaluating a trading card's condition and assigning a numerical grade based on specific criteria. The process includes assessing five key subgrades:

• Centering

• Corners

• Edges

• Surface

• Saturation

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A card that excels in these categories will achieve a high grade on a 10-point scale, while a card with lower subgrades will receive a lower numerical grade. At FT, we meticulously review both the front and back of each card to ensure thorough and accurate grading. Although grading organizations may vary in their proportion standards, FT adheres to a consistent benchmark of: 55/45 or 60/40 for the front, and 75/25 for the back.

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Surface

A trading card's surface encompasses both the front and back, and it must be pristine, devoid of any stains, smudges, or scratches. Any blemish, such as manufacturer print defects or ink smears, will impact the card's grade based on their position and how they integrate into the card's overall appearance.

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Edges

The edges of the trading card must be precisely cut and free of any imperfections or excessive roughness. Any flaw, including manufacturer print defects or flaking, will result in a lower grade.

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Corners

A card is expected to have four sharp corners. Dull edges will prevent the card from achieving a mint grade, and significantly damaged corners could render the card unworthy of grading. However, if the damage to the corner is minor, it may be overlooked dependent on the severity.

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Centering

Centering is considered perfect at a 50/50 ratio, but even a 60/40 front centering and 75/25 back centering are seen as mint. Modern trading cards usually have exceptional centering due to advanced manufacturing techniques. In contrast, vintage cards often display imperfect centering owing to older cutting methods, making a well-centered vintage card exceptionally rare and highly prized.​

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Saturation

Color Matters: Faded cards—often caused by sunlight or poor storage—lose value. Collectors prefer vibrant, original colors that meet manufacturer standards.

Recoloring = Damage: Adding color to conceal flaws (e.g., edge chips) is considered alteration. Recolored cards are low-tier in value and less desirable.

Vibrancy Preferred: Bold, accurate colors attract collectors. Muted or washed-out tones—whether from printing or fading—diminish appeal.

Normal Variations: Minor ink saturation differences from mass printing are common and usually don’t affect value.

Significant Errors: Major ink issues (e.g., “Insufficient Ink”) may be considered rare errors. If tied to a popular subject and collector demand, they can be valuable

 

Every card undergoes a detailed analysis in four key areas and is given an overall grade based on its unique characteristics.
 

The chart below outlines the basic criteria for each numeric grade:​

FT Grade Descriptions

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• 10 Mint

• 9 Mint

• 8 Near Mint

• 7 Near Mint

• 6 Near Mint

• 5 Excellent

• 4 Excellent

• 3 Good

• 2 Good

• 1 Standard Flawed

 

​Grading Criteria Overview

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10 MINT

• Centering: 50/50 - 60/40 on the front, 75/25 or better on the back.

• Corners: Perfect to the naked eye and virtually flawless under close scrutiny.

• Edges: Perfect to the naked eye and virtually flawless under close scrutiny.

• Surface: No print spots, flawless color without registration or focus issues, free from scratches and metallic print lines. An allowance may be made for a slight printing imperfection, if it doesn't impair the overall appeal of the card.

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9 MINT

• Centering: 60/40 on the front, 75/25 or better on the back.

• Corners: Mint upon close inspection with slight wear under normal scrutiny.

• Edges: Virtually mint to the naked eye with unobtrusive specks of chipping.

• Surface: A handful of printing specks or one minor spot. Minor focus or color imperfections, clean gloss with tiny scratches barely noticeable to the naked eye, and one faint metallic print line allowed.

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8 NEAR MINT

• Centering: 60/40 on the front, 80/20 or better on the back.

• Corners: Sharp to the naked eye with slight imperfections upon close examination.

• Edges: Relatively smooth borders with specks of chipping visible to the naked eye.

• Surface: A few minor print spots, minor color or focus imperfections, solid gloss with very minor scratches only visible upon close inspection, and a subtle metallic print line allowed.

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7 NEAR MINT

• Centering: 65/35 on the front, 90/10 or better on the back. Very slight diamond cutting allowed.

• Corners: Very minor wear on two or three corners.

• Edges: Slight roughness, minor chipping, or very minor notching.

• Surface: A few noticeable print spots, minor speckling, minor color or focus imperfections, very minor border discoloration, very minor wax stain on the back, solid gloss with a few minor scratches upon close inspection, and a few metallic print lines allowed.

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6 NEAR MINT

• Centering: 70/30 on the front, 95/5 or better on the back. Slight diamond cutting allowed.

• Corners: Fuzzy but free of dings and fraying.

• Edges: Moderate roughness, moderate chipping, or minor notching.

• Surface: Noticeable print spots, minor color or focus imperfections, minor border discoloration, minor wax stains or extremely subtle ink marks, relatively solid gloss with minor scratches, and noticeable metallic print lines.

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5 EXCELLENT

• Centering: 75/25 on the front, 95/5 or better on the back. Slight diamond cutting allowed.

• Corners: Four fuzzy corners, touch of notching, or a minor ding allowed.

• Edges: Noticeable roughness, no layering, slight notching, or noticeable chipping.

• Surface: Noticeable print spots, minor color or focus imperfections, minor border discoloration, minor wax stains or very light ink marks, some gloss loss with minor scratches, devoid of scuffing.

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4 EXCELLENT

• Centering: 80/20 on the front, 100/0 or better on the back. Moderate diamond cutting allowed.

• Corners: Slight notching or layering, moderate dings allowed.

• Edges: Readily chipped, notched, or slightly layered.

• Surface: Heavy print spots, hairline creases, moderate color or focus imperfections, moderate border discoloration, moderate wax stains, very light ink mark or tape stain, a good deal of gloss loss, very minor scuffing or extremely subtle tear.

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3 GOOD

• Centering: 85/15 on the front, 100/0 or better on the back. Moderate diamond cutting allowed.

• Corners: Slightly rounded, noticeably notched, slight layering.

• Edges: Heavy notching, moderate layering, or heavy chipping.

• Surface: Heavy print spots, minor creases, noticeable color or focus imperfections, noticeable border discoloration, noticeable wax stains, light ink mark or tape stain, very little gloss, minor scuffing, or minor tear.

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2 GOOD

• Centering: 90/10 on the front, 100/0 or offcut on the back. Noticeable diamond cutting allowed.

• Corners: Noticeably rounded, heavily notched, moderate layering.

• Edges: Severely chipped, notched, or layered.

• Surface: Severe print spots, noticeable creases, noticeable color or focus imperfections, noticeable border discoloration, heavy wax stains, moderate ink mark or tape stain, devoid of gloss, noticeable scuffing, or noticeable tear.

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1 STANDARD FLAWED

• Centering: 100/0 or offcut on the front or back. Heavy diamond cutting allowed.

• Corners: Heavily rounded, heavily notched, noticeable layering.

• Edges: Destructive chipping, notching, or layering.

• Surface: Acute print spots, heavy creases, harsh color or focus imperfections, heavy border stain, severe stains, no original gloss, heavy scuffing, or severe tear.