APG combines an overall grade with sub-score records. Review focuses on centering, corners, edges, surface, print quality, preservation, and special defects. The following standard is adapted from APG grading material into APG-owned wording and does not include any third-party brand guarantee, crossover value promise, or external service commitment.
Core dimensions: centering measures front/back border balance; corners check wear, dents, rounding, whitening, and magnified corner defects; edges check roughness, chipping, cutting marks, whitening, and factory-cut consistency; surface and print check original color, gloss, scratches, stains, registration, focus, print dots, creases, and alteration.
P10 Pristine: almost no visible flaws, centering within 52/48, clean original color, and precise print registration. P10 is a stricter full-score display band and requires extremely strong consistency across the main condition dimensions.
10 Gem Mint: the card reaches the 10-point condition band, with only one item short of P10. Corners show no visible flaws, magnified inspection remains within high-grade expectations, and the surface has no print failure or visible defect. Front centering is no worse than 55/45 and back centering no worse than 75/25.
9 Mint+: corners are intact with only extremely minor wear, and edges may show tiny flaws. Original color is preserved. Minor stains, a single small dot, one slight surface defect, light factory traces, or light handling traces may be allowed. Sports and non-sports cards should reach 60/40 front centering or better and 90/10 back centering or better.
8 NM/Mint: edges remain clean with light wear only and original color is preserved. One minor issue may be allowed, such as slight corner wear under magnification, small print defects, slight focus shift, or very light cutting marks. TCG cards may show light to moderate handling traces. Sports and non-sports cards should reach 65/35 centering or better.
7 Near Mint: three to four corners may show light wear, or edges may have minor roughness. Slight registration shift, light cutting marks, or very light back staining may be present. Sports and non-sports cards should reach 70/30 centering or better.
6 Ex/NM: up to one damaged corner, or no more than two light-to-moderate issues such as 2-3 worn corners, light edge roughness, or obvious print defects. Moderate cutting marks and visible front staining may be present. Sports and non-sports cards should reach 75/25 centering or better.
5 Excellent: corners show wear or slight rounding, with generally clear outline and 2-3 damaged corners. Edges may be damaged or border color may fade. Obvious print defects, color distortion, focus issues, or coating-level scratches may appear, while the card base should not be broken.
4 VG/Ex: corners are slightly rounded. Surface wear, scratches, and one or more light creases may be visible. Original color is partially retained, borders show whitening and multiple light stains, and cutting flaws may be very obvious.
3 Very Good: corners are rounded with light wear. The surface may have one moderate crease or multiple light creases, along with wear, scratches, and fading. Edges show moderate wear, and both sides may have heavier stains.
2 Good: severe creases crossing the card, multiple writing marks or other damage on the front or back, serious cutting defects, or obvious miscut problems may be present.
1 Poor: the card is severely damaged, with deep broken creases, missing surface areas, missing corners, or multiple major defects.
Review and rejection: cards with alteration, recoloring, trimming, counterfeiting, heavy contamination, unsafe encapsulation conditions, or uncertain authenticity may be routed to manual review, rejection, or exception handling. Cards in the same order move by batch, and results enter encapsulation and certificate issuance after required review.