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Choice Collections College

102: Grading Decoded

How grading scales and labels work, when grading makes sense, and how to verify a cert yourself so you don't get fooled by a fake holder.

Grading companies examine an item, assign a grade, and seal it in a labeled holder (a "slab"). Coins are commonly graded by PCGS and NGC, comics by CGC and CBCS, and cards by PSA, BGS and SGC. Each company has its own scale and label wording.

Lesson 102.1: Grading scales, in plain English

Coins use a numeric scale up to 70; comics and cards use scales up to 10. Higher numbers mean better-preserved condition. Each company publishes its own definitions; read them on the company's own website.

Lesson 102.2: Raw vs. graded

"Raw" just means ungraded. Grading can make an item easier to sell and verify, but it costs money: membership, the tier fee, handling and shipping both ways. Collectors on the NGC Chat Boards (February 2025 thread) have described a total of "a minimum of $60… $80+" for a single coin once all of that is added up (NGC Boards; check current fees on NGC's fee page). A cleaned or damaged coin may come back with a "Details" grade instead of a number. Our "Should I grade this?" calculator helps you compare the costs with your own estimate before you send anything.

Lesson 102.3: Labels and designations

Labels can carry extra designations (for example, "First Strike" or a signature). These describe how or when an item was submitted or signed. Read each company's own definitions before paying extra for a label.

Lesson 102.4: Verify the cert yourself

Fake holders with copied cert numbers exist, and some carry QR codes that lead to look-alike websites. One Collectors Universe forum thread (June 2026) described a QR code that pointed to a spoof domain instead of the grader's real site (Collectors Universe forum). Coin shows "are not immune" (US Coin Shows).

How to check:

  1. Type the grader's web address yourself. Never use the QR code on the holder.
  2. Enter the cert number on the grader's own verification page.
  3. Compare the photo, grade and label details with the item in front of you.
  4. Be suspicious if the same cert number shows up in more than one listing.

PCGS also advises keeping "a good high-resolution image of the front and back of your coin" (PCGS).

Try it in your portal

Enter the cert number on an item and use the "Verify on [grader]" button. It opens the grader's own verification page; we don't copy or store their data.

Educational only. This is not insurance, tax, legal or investment advice. Fees and grading standards are set by each grading company and change; check their current pages.

Sources

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Last reviewed 2026-10-28 · Draft