Granite State Grading
AI card grading, certification, and verification
Granite State Grading uses AI-assisted image analysis to evaluate the same core areas on every card: centering, corners, edges, and surface. The final grade appears on the front label, while subgrades provide a clearer look at how the card earned that grade.
Our goal is simple: make the grade easier to understand. A buyer should be able to see the overall grade, review the subgrades, and verify the certification record behind the slab.
Centering measures how well the printed design is positioned within the card borders. A card with strong centering has balanced left/right and top/bottom borders. Off-center cards lose grade strength as the imbalance becomes more noticeable.
Corners are reviewed for sharpness, rounding, dings, fraying, bends, whitening, and visible wear. Sharp, clean corners support higher grades, while even small corner flaws can affect the final result.
Edges are reviewed for chipping, rough cuts, whitening, nicks, dents, and uneven wear. Clean edges help a card hold a high grade, especially on darker-bordered cards where defects are easier to see.
Surface review looks for scratches, print marks, stains, gloss issues, dents, creases, scuffs, residue, and other visible flaws. Surface issues can be subtle, but they often separate strong cards from truly elite examples.
GSG uses a numerical grade with a short label description. The number is the primary grade. The text helps describe the condition tier at a glance.
Reserved for a card that receives a 10 in every subgrade category: centering, corners, edges, and surface. This designation separates a fully perfect 10 from a card that reaches an overall 10 without perfect subgrades across the board.
An elite card with an overall grade of 10, but not all four subgrades are perfect 10s. This card may have one very minor limiting factor while still grading at the top overall level.
A premium card with excellent presentation and only very minor imperfections. A Gem Mint card should look exceptional at normal viewing distance, with small issues only becoming apparent through closer review.
A sharp near-mint to mint card with strong eye appeal. A 9 may show minor imperfections in one or more categories, but the card remains clean and attractive overall.
A strong near-mint to mint card with more noticeable limitations than a 9. The card still presents very well, but one or more subgrade areas may show modest issues.
A near-mint to mint card with visible but limited condition issues. An 8 should still present well, but defects are more apparent than in the higher grade tiers.
A solid card with good presentation, but with clear condition issues that keep it below the near-mint to mint tier.
An excellent to mint card with visible wear or defects. The card may still display well, but condition issues are readily apparent.
A card with obvious condition issues but acceptable overall presentation. Wear, surface flaws, or centering problems are clearly visible.
A very good to excellent card with significant condition issues. The card remains collectible, but wear and defects are prominent.
A card with heavy wear or defects, but still intact and identifiable. This grade reflects clear condition problems across one or more categories.
A heavily worn card with major flaws. The card is still collectible but has substantial condition issues.
A card with severe condition problems. This grade is used for cards with extensive wear, damage, or defects while still being identifiable.
Two cards can share the same overall grade for different reasons. One card may have excellent centering but weaker corners. Another may have sharp corners but a surface issue. Subgrades help make those differences visible.