Official grading standard
Grading
scale
Every card submitted to Crest is evaluated under magnification and controlled lighting against four pillars. Each pillar is scored on a half-point scale. The four pillar scores are averaged, and that average determines a single whole-number final grade from 1 to 10.
What gets scored
The four pillars
Centering
The balance of the borders on the front and back. Measured left/right and top/bottom. The worse of the two axes governs the pillar score.
Corners
Sharpness and integrity of all four corners. Fraying, softening, dings, rounding, and layer separation are all corner defects.
Edges
The cut quality along all four sides. Chipping, nicks, roughness, whitening, and fuzz are edge defects.
Surface
Gloss, print quality, and cleanliness on both sides. Scratches, print lines, dimples, creases, stains, wax, indentations, and loss of gloss are surface defects.
The math
How the final grade is calculated
- Each pillar is scored 1–10 on a half-point scale.
- The four pillar scores are averaged.
- The average is rounded to the nearest whole number. An average ending in exactly .5 rounds up.
- That whole number is the card's Crest grade.
- All four pillars at 9.5 (9.5 + 9.5 + 9.5 + 9.5) ÷ 4 = 9.5 → rounds up → CREST 10
- 10 / 10 / 9.5 / 9 = 9.625 → rounds up → CREST 10
- 9 / 9 / 8.5 / 9 = 8.875 → rounds up → CREST 9
- 8 / 8 / 8.5 / 8 = 8.125 → rounds down → CREST 8
Rounding reference
Four pillars on a half-point scale produce averages in increments of 0.125
| Average | Final grade |
|---|---|
| 9.500 – 10.000 | 10 |
| 8.500 – 9.375 | 9 |
| 7.500 – 8.375 | 8 |
| 6.500 – 7.375 | 7 |
| 5.500 – 6.375 | 6 |
| 4.500 – 5.375 | 5 |
| 3.500 – 4.375 | 4 |
| 2.500 – 3.375 | 3 |
| 1.500 – 2.375 | 2 |
| 1.000 – 1.375 | 1 |
Exception, not routine
Subgrade half-point policy
Half points are available on every pillar, but they are exception scores. A pillar receives a .5 only when it is clearly and demonstrably not either adjacent whole number — when the lower score understates the pillar and the higher score overstates it, and any experienced grader would see both problems immediately.
- A .5 is never used to resolve grader uncertainty or to split the difference on a close call. When there is doubt, the lower whole number is assigned.
- A .5 requires a documented, specific reason recorded on the cert — one named defect that bars the higher score, with the pillar otherwise meeting the higher standard.
- Half points are not available below 2.0. No pillar is scored 1.5.
- Target issuance rate: under 10% of all pillar scores. If half points exceed that rate over a quarter, grader calibration is reviewed.
Corners, edges, and surface are clean 9s. Centering measures 68/32 — too sharp to be an 8, too off-center to be a 9. A specific, measurable defect both graders can point to.
Pillar score: 8.5
A surface that "feels like it's between a 7 and an 8," with no single defect either grader can name. This is grader uncertainty, not a half-point pillar, and uncertainty always resolves downward.
Pillar score: 7
Guardrails
Grade caps
Averaging alone can let one badly damaged pillar hide behind three strong ones. Caps are applied after the average is rounded, and they can only lower a grade, never raise it.
The Gem Mint gate
A card cannot receive a 10 if any pillar scores below 9.0. A card graded 10 / 10 / 10 / 8 averages 9.5 and would otherwise round up to a 10; the 8 blocks it, and the card is a CREST 9.
The two-point rule
The final grade may never exceed the lowest pillar score by more than 2 points. A card graded 10 / 10 / 10 / 6 averages 9.0 and would otherwise be a 9; the cap holds it to a CREST 8.
The arm's-length rule
Any single defect immediately visible at arm's length without magnification caps the card at 8, regardless of the average.
Pillar scoring standards
What each number means
These standards define each whole number on every pillar. Half points fall between them under the policy above.
Centering
| Score | Front | Back |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 55/45 or better | 60/40 or better |
| 9 | 60/40 | 70/30 |
| 8 | 65/35 | 75/25 |
| 7 | 70/30 | 80/20 |
| 6 | 75/25 | 85/15 |
| 5 | 80/20 | 90/10 |
| 4 | 85/15 | 90/10 |
| 3 | 88/12 | — |
| 2 | 90/10 | — |
| 1 | Worse than 90/10, or factory miscut into the image | |
Corners
- 10Four sharp, tight corners. No wear under magnification.
- 9Sharp to the eye. At most one corner shows the faintest touch under magnification.
- 8Sharp to the eye, slight wear visible under magnification on multiple corners.
- 7Slight fraying visible without magnification on one or two corners.
- 6Visible wear on multiple corners. Softening evident.
- 5Rounding beginning. Layers softening.
- 4Clearly rounded corners.
- 3Significant rounding with layer separation.
- 2Heavy rounding, possible minor paper loss.
- 1Severe rounding, paper loss, or missing corner material.
Edges
- 10Clean, smooth cut on all four sides. No chipping or fuzz.
- 9Minimal whitening, not visible to the naked eye.
- 8Minor edge whitening or a single small nick.
- 7Light edge wear or minor chipping.
- 6Moderate chipping or whitening along one or more sides.
- 5Noticeable wear and chipping on multiple sides.
- 4Chipping along most edges.
- 3Heavy edge wear throughout.
- 2Edges worn through in places.
- 1Severe damage, tearing, or missing edge material.
Surface
- 10Full original gloss. No print defects, scratches, or dimples under magnification.
- 9Full gloss. One minor print dot or a single shallow scratch invisible at arm's length.
- 8A light scratch, faint print line, or minimal gloss loss.
- 7Light scratching, a print line, or modest gloss loss. No creasing.
- 6Visible scratching, gloss loss, or a small blemish.
- 5Scratching visible without magnification. Gloss substantially reduced. A very light non-tearing wrinkle may be present.
- 4Scuffing, staining, or light creasing.
- 3One or more visible creases. Scuffed, stained, or faded.
- 2Multiple creases, significant staining or fading.
- 1Major creasing, tearing, water damage, writing, or tape residue.
The labels
The final grades
-
10
Gem Mint
A virtually perfect card.
Average 9.5+ · no pillar below 9.0 -
9
Mint
Sharp card with only the faintest imperfections, none visible at arm's length.
Average 8.5 – 9.375 -
8
Near Mint-Mint
Minor wear visible under magnification; the card presents cleanly to the eye.
Average 7.5 – 8.375 -
7
Near Mint
Light wear visible without magnification. No creasing.
Average 6.5 – 7.375 -
6
Excellent-Mint
Visible wear across multiple pillars.
Average 5.5 – 6.375 -
5
Excellent
Rounding, chipping, and gloss loss all present.
Average 4.5 – 5.375 -
4
Very Good-Excellent
Rounded corners, chipped edges, surface damage or light creasing.
Average 3.5 – 4.375 -
3
Very Good
Heavy wear with visible creasing.
Average 2.5 – 3.375 -
2
Good
Heavy damage across every pillar. Card remains fully intact.
Average 1.5 – 2.375 -
1
Poor
Extreme damage. The card is identifiable and intact enough to encapsulate, but nothing beyond that.
Average 1.0 – 1.375 -
0
No Grade
Not a condition score and never the product of an average. A 0 is issued when a card is disqualified from the numeric scale entirely: evidence of trimming, recoloring, rebuilding, or chemical alteration; restoration of any kind; counterfeit or unauthorized reprint; or damage so severe the card cannot be safely encapsulated.
Returned in a Crest holder marked NO GRADE · pillars are not scored
Before you submit
Submitter notes
- Crest grades are final. Every card is reviewed by a minimum of two graders before encapsulation.
- All four pillar scores are listed on the card's online cert page, so the math behind every grade is visible. This applies to every submission at every service level, Bulk included — the slab shows the grade, the cert page shows how it was reached.
- Disagree with a grade? Crest offers a review service — the card is regraded blind by a separate team.
Try it yourself
Run the numbers
Drag a notch on each pillar. The final grade updates live, caps included.
Gem Mint
- Average
- 9.500
- Lowest pillar
- 9.5