At Legacy Card And Comic Book Grading, every collectible is individually examined and assessed against our grading standards before a final grade is awarded.
Our grading process is designed to provide collectors with a clear and consistent assessment of the condition of their collectible.
Trading cards and comic books require different methods of assessment. For this reason, Legacy applies grading criteria appropriate to the type of collectible being examined.
Trading Card Grading Standards
Every trading card submitted to Legacy is assessed across four principal areas:
Centring • Corners • Edges • Surface
Each area is examined individually before being considered as part of the overall grade.
Where applicable, these assessments are displayed as subgrades on the card’s Legacy certification report, giving collectors greater insight into how the final grade was determined.
Centring
Centring refers to the position of the printed design in relation to the edges and borders of the card.
Our graders assess the balance of the card from left to right and top to bottom, taking the original design and intended print layout into consideration.
Legacy allows centring of up to 55/45 for our highest grade.
A card therefore does not need to be perfectly 50/50 centred to achieve a Gem Mint 10, provided the centring remains within our permitted tolerance and the card meets the required standards across the other grading areas.
Cards falling outside the permitted centring tolerance may receive a lower Centring subgrade and this may influence the final overall grade.
We also recognise that some cards have designs where conventional border measurements are difficult or inappropriate. In these circumstances, our graders assess centring using identifiable design elements and the intended positioning of the artwork.
Corners
Corners are examined for their sharpness, shape and overall condition.
Our graders look for characteristics including:
- Whitening
- Rounding
- Fraying
- Compression
- Bends or folds
- Chipping
- Impact damage
- Manufacturing imperfections
A card receiving a high Corner subgrade should display clean, well-defined corners with little to no visible evidence of wear or damage.
Even very small imperfections can affect the Corner subgrade, particularly at the highest grades.
Edges
All edges of the card are carefully examined for manufacturing characteristics, handling wear and damage.
Our graders look for characteristics including:
- Whitening
- Chipping
- Rough edges
- Edge wear
- Dents
- Indentations
- Fraying
- Peeling or separation
- Manufacturing cuts
Minor edge characteristics may have little effect at lower grades but become increasingly important when assessing cards for the highest grades.
The severity, quantity and location of any edge imperfections are considered when determining the Edge subgrade.
Surface
The front and rear surfaces of the card are examined for imperfections that may have occurred during manufacturing, handling or storage.
Our graders may identify characteristics including:
- Scratches
- Print lines
- Scuffing
- Dents
- Indentations
- Staining
- Marks
- Loss of gloss
- Surface wear
- Printing imperfections
- Ink or colour defects
- Foreign material or residue
Some surface defects can be extremely difficult to see under normal lighting, which is why cards are inspected carefully during the grading process.
The severity and visibility of a surface imperfection, together with its location on the card, may influence the Surface subgrade.
Manufacturing Imperfections
Not every imperfection found on a trading card is the result of handling.
Cards can leave the manufacturing process with characteristics including print lines, cutting imperfections, print spots, surface marks, centering variations and other production-related defects.
These characteristics form part of the physical condition of the card presented for grading and may therefore be considered when determining the appropriate grade.
A card being pack fresh does not automatically mean that it will receive a Gem Mint 10.
How Subgrades Affect the Final Grade
The four principal trading card subgrades provide an individual assessment of:
Centring • Corners • Edges • Surface
The final grade represents our assessment of the card as a whole.
A final grade is not determined simply by calculating an average of the four subgrades.
The severity and significance of individual defects must also be considered. A particularly significant defect in one grading area may therefore limit the overall grade even where the remaining areas are exceptionally strong.
This allows the final grade to accurately represent the overall condition and presentation of the card.
Comic Book Grading Standards
Comic books are assessed differently from trading cards due to their construction, materials and the much wider variety of condition characteristics that can affect them.
Legacy graders examine the comic as a complete collectible, considering areas including:
Cover • Spine • Corners • Edges • Interior Pages • Structural Condition
The age, construction and manufacturing characteristics of the comic are also taken into consideration when assessing its condition.
Cover
The front and rear covers are examined for characteristics including:
- Creases
- Scratches
- Scuffing
- Colour loss
- Printing defects
- Staining
- Dents
- Indentations
- Tears
- Surface wear
- Handling marks
The overall presentation and integrity of the cover forms an important part of the comic’s final grade.
Spine
The spine is one of the most important areas when assessing the condition of a comic book.
Our graders look for characteristics including:
- Spine stress
- Colour-breaking spine ticks
- Non-colour-breaking spine ticks
- Spine roll
- Splitting
- Tears
- Staple stress
- Wear
- Creasing
- Structural damage
The number, severity and location of these characteristics are considered as part of the overall assessment.
Corners & Edges
The corners and edges of the comic are examined for signs of handling, storage and age.
This may include:
- Blunting
- Rounding
- Creasing
- Tears
- Chipping
- Edge wear
- Colour loss
- Impact damage
Sharp, clean corners and edges are expected at the highest grades, while increasingly noticeable wear is permitted as the numerical grade decreases.ms an important part of the comic’s final grade.
Interior Pages
Where appropriate, the interior of the comic is examined for condition and completeness.
Characteristics considered may include:
- Page condition
- Tears
- Creasing
- Staining
- Discolouration
- Writing or markings
- Missing material
- Loose pages
- Detached pages
- Other forms of deterioration
The condition of the interior pages can have a significant effect on the final grade.
Page colour and natural ageing can also be relevant to the condition assessment of older comic books. Established comic grading systems similarly distinguish page quality as part of comic assessment.
Structural Condition
The overall construction and integrity of the comic are assessed during grading.
Our graders may examine areas including:
Staples • Spine • Cover Attachment • Centre Pages • Page Attachment • Overall Structure
Structural defects can have a significant effect on a comic’s grade, particularly where covers or pages have become loose, detached or damaged.
Detailed Grading Records
Where applicable, Legacy certification reports may include additional information to help collectors understand the condition of their collectible.
This can include:
Subgrades
Individual assessments of the principal grading areas.
Grading Notes
Additional observations recorded during the grading process.
Detailed Defect Images
Images highlighting specific condition characteristics identified by our grading team.
Certification Information
The unique information associated with the graded collectible.
These records can be accessed through the collectible’s online Legacy certification page and, on compatible Legacy slabs, through Slab Tap Technology.
Our Approach to Grading
Every collectible is different.
Age, manufacturing processes, materials, storage and handling can all influence the condition of a trading card or comic book.
For this reason, grading requires both the application of defined standards and the professional assessment of the collectible as a whole.
The grade assigned by Legacy represents our assessment of the collectible in the condition presented to us at the time of grading.
Our goal is simple:
Clear standards. Detailed grading. Greater transparency for collectors.
Your Cards. Your Comics. Your Legacy.