Vintage Baseball Cards

There is no universally agreed upon baseball card grading system. There are companies that specialize in grading cards but in the grand scheme of things, the ultimate judge of baseball card condition is the collector. We can however, provide a basic understanding of the baseball card grading system and give a general blueprint of accepted definitions that collectors use for describing baseball cards. I cannot stress enough that the definitions below are in no way authoritative and should only serve as a general outline for baseball card grading.

MT (Mint) Four sharp corners and a centering ratio of 55/45 or better (perfect balance is 50/50) with smooth edges and with original color border and gloss.

NM-MT (Near Mint-Mint) At first glance may seem like a mint card but when looked at closer with the naked eye or under a microscope has a slight imperfection to corners or print spots. Card should have a entering ratio of at least 60/40 with original color border and gloss.

NM (Near Mint) These cards may also look like a mint card at first glance but again when looked at closely reveals a minor flaw pertaining to either slightly rounded corners, noticeable print spots, minor color border discoloration, focus imperfections, or minor discoloration. Cards should have a centering ratio of 65/35 or better.

EXMT (Excellent-Mint) These are cards are similar to Near Mint cards but have more than one minor flaw with slightly rounded or fuzzy corners, noticeable print spots, minor border discoloration, focus imperfections, or minor discoloration. Cards should have a centering ratio of 70/30 or better.

EX (Excellent) These cards normally show signs of wear with light creases and/or slight notching. May contain other minor imperfections with focus, print spots, or minor discoloration. Cards should have a centering ratio of 75/25 or better.

VG (Very Good) These cards show noticeable signs of wear and can have soft, rounded corners, chipping and slight creases. Cards may also exhibit some minor scuffing, minor discoloration, and some light stains. Cards should have a centering ratio of 80/20 or better.

As you can see some of the criteria for grading baseball cards is entirely subjective. A collector, adept at baseball card grading, could assign a grade to a particular card which is one grade below or one grade higher than an equally adept baseball card collector's appraisal of the very same card. Some card collectors are met with frustration when faced with this situation. Other collectors revel in this fact and state that it is the beauty of baseball card collecting. Regardless of which side of the coin you reside that baseball card grading is in the eye of the beholder.