Grading Preparation for cards, Suggestions?

[FFIMSMSI2007]

I want to send some cards to get graded.

Do you clean the card faces?
If so, what do you use?

Can you shave/sharpen fuzzy/hairy corners/edges?

What do you look for on a card,
to ensure you get a nice grade?
(I have magnifiers)

How is centering determined on a card with no
border?

Is the Ice RC's the best ones to submit, due to the sharp edges & corners?

Is there a code to submit, that gives discounts?

Who has the best grading services for cost per card, etc..

Any help on these questions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[mr ozzie]

If I were you, I would leave any fuzz alone. You might damage the card even further. To get a nice grade, corners usually come first because they are the easiest to damage. Don't forget that there are 8 corners (4 front, 4 back). Next come the edges. For corners and edges, two main things come into play: paint and curls. Any curling you see will be considered damage. Any "white" edges or corners are considered damage. Cards such as Cup, Black, OPCP, and other thick cards are usually bad for this. Surface comes third. Any dirt, fingerprints, etc. are considered damage. Also, any indentation is considered damage (your magnifier will help). Centering is the least of your worries because there's nothing you can really do about it. If it's off-center, then it's off-center. Modern cards with no borders typically grade between 9.5-10 in centering - rarely do you see 9 or below. So I wouldn't put too much stock on it.

As for best grading - sheesh, you're going to open up a can of worms here. My top 3 are BGS, PSA, and KSA. Yes, they WILL make mistakes, but they are the most consistent. From personal experience, I HIGHLY DO NOT recommend GMA Grading. If you want proof of that, find me a GMA graded card less than 10.

[FFIMSMSI2007]

Thanks! Nice info.

[CoolHandLuke]

Never cut side of card, that could totaly send the card as tempered with and not gradable. Remember they will use magnifier and they will look for tempering possibility. You can use maybe a sweet brush (painting new brush) to clean the surface of possible dirt but I would not do more to the card. Package them well so that they get in the same condition.

Ice rookie may have scracth on the surface so it's really one by one to evaluate the surface as they are really easy to scratch. That is where they fail the moist in grading.

PSA and BGS seem to be the most recognise company by collectors. I don't use them so I talk about post I read here.

Check Beckett grading info:
How Final Grades are Determined

http://www.beckett.com/estore/helpsy...?ArticleId=301

Grading Scale
http://www.beckett.com/estore/helpsy...x?ArticleId=47

[bidds55]

Contact someone you trust who grades a lot, and have them send the cards in for grading. That's probably worth an extra half grade per card.

The number one criteria grading companies take into consideration is not corners, or surface, or edges.....It is in fact how much money the submitter has spent with the grading company.

[travlncard]

Contact someone you trust who grades a lot, and have them send the cards in for grading. That's probably worth an extra half grade per card.

The number one criteria grading companies take into consideration is not corners, or surface, or edges.....It is in fact how much money the submitter has spent with the grading company.

I would tend to agree with this... Ive sent over 500 cards to beckett over the years... and my friends now days laugh at the grades the cards come back. Its quite obvious they are biased, as unfair as that may seem... But ive had several cards that prior to grading i could visibly see imperfections, yet the card would come back gem mint!!

[roy.the.greatest]

To get return on your money, only use BGS, PSA and SGC. Do not use minor grading companies like KSA.