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Free Tool

Card Grade Estimator

Grade your card the way a grader does — four attributes, worst one wins. Rate centering, corners, edges and surface to see the highest grade your card can realistically reach before you pay a cent in fees.

Used only to build your eBay comps link — not stored.

Not sure? Measure it exactly with the centering calculator. Open it →

Check all four under a bright light, at an angle.

Chipping shows up worst on dark or chrome borders.

Tilt the card under a light — scratches and print lines only show at an angle.

Realistic ceiling
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Limiting attribute
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Attributes at gem level
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Likely grade range
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Now run the money side → Grading ROI Calculator See what graded copies sell for on eBay

An estimate is only half the decision — the raw-to-graded spread is the other half. We may earn a commission from eBay links.

Browse every live “jalen brunson psa 10” listing on eBay →

The four things every grader looks at

Card grading is not a vibe. Every major grader — PSA, SGC, CGC, BGS — assesses the same four physical attributes, and the weakest one sets the ceiling for the whole card. That is why this tool takes the minimum of your four answers instead of averaging them: a flawless card with one soft corner is a 9 at best, no matter how perfect the other three are.

  • Centering — how evenly the image sits inside the borders. It is the one attribute you can measure objectively, and the only one with widely published tolerances: roughly 55/45 or better on the front for a Gem Mint 10, about 60/40 for a 9, about 65/35 for an 8. Measure yours with the card centering tool.
  • Corners — all four, under a bright light and a loupe. Fuzz and white specks that are invisible at arm's length are exactly what a grader catches.
  • Edges — chipping and whitening, which show up worst on chrome and dark-bordered cards. Brunson's Prizm and Optic rookies have dark chrome edges where the tiniest chip is obvious.
  • Surface — tilt the card under a light. Print dots, faint scratches, roller lines and dull patches only appear at an angle. Any crease or dent is a hard cap far below a 9.

What the estimate does and does not mean

This is a screening tool, not a verdict. It is genuinely reliable at ruling cards out: if you can see a crease, a rounded corner, or 70/30 centering, no grader is giving you a 10, and you have just saved yourself a fee. It cannot promise the other direction — a card that looks clean to you can still come back a 9 for something found under a grader's magnification, and the same card can grade differently on a resubmission. Treat a "real 10 candidate" result as permission to check the numbers, not as a guarantee.

The centering thresholds here are the same widely-cited PSA front-centering tolerances used across the hobby. The corner, edge and surface ladders are honest self-assessment language, not published grader policy — no grader publishes an exact scratch-count rulebook.

Then check whether it's even worth grading

A high ceiling is only half the decision. Grading pays off when the gap between the raw price and the graded price more than covers the fee, round-trip shipping, and the real chance of a 9 instead of a 10. Take the ceiling from this page, feed it into the grading ROI calculator, and you have the full picture — condition and economics.

For the Brunson market specifically, our guide on whether to grade your Jalen Brunson cards walks through which of his cards carry a wide enough raw-to-graded spread to justify a submission, and how PSA, SGC and CGC compare on cost, speed and resale. If you are still deciding which card to buy and grade in the first place, start with the 2018-19 rookie card checklist or the Brunson rookie cards top list — and if you are buying an autograph, read how to spot a fake Brunson signature before you send anything in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a card grade estimator actually tell me?
It tells you the highest grade your card can realistically reach given its weakest attribute. Graders assess centering, corners, edges and surface, and the worst of the four effectively caps the grade — a perfectly centered card with one soft corner is not a 10. This tool applies that weakest-link rule so you get a sober ceiling instead of an average, which is the single most common self-grading mistake.
Is this the same as an official PSA grade?
No, and nothing online can be. Only the grader who physically examines your card assigns the grade, and the same card can come back differently on a resubmission. Use this as a screening tool: it is good at ruling cards out (a visible crease or 70/30 centering is never a 10) and it is honest about the fact that a clean-looking card can still miss. When it says your card is a real 10 candidate, run the money side through the grading ROI calculator before you submit.
What centering do you need for a PSA 10?
PSA’s Gem Mint 10 generally requires roughly 55/45 centering or better on the front, with PSA 9 around 60/40 and PSA 8 around 65/35. Backs are judged more leniently. If you have not measured yours, use the card centering calculator to get the exact ratio from your border widths, then bring that number back here.
Which Jalen Brunson cards are worth grading?
Grading pays when the raw-to-graded spread is wide enough to cover the fee, shipping, and the real chance of a 9 — which in the Brunson market usually means his 2018-19 rookie chromes, his signed rookies, and low-numbered parallels rather than base commons. Screen the card here first, then check live graded and raw listings on eBay to see what the spread actually is right now.