A PSA 10 means Gem Mint, the top of the 1 to 10 grading scale. To earn it, a card needs near-perfect centering, sharp corners, clean edges, and a flawless surface, with only the tiniest allowance for imperfection under close inspection. Very few copies of any card meet that bar, which is exactly why a PSA 10 commands such a premium over the grades just below it.
What does the full 1 to 10 grading scale mean?
The scale runs from Gem Mint at 10 down to Poor at 1, with each step describing how much wear a card shows. Those top grades separate cards that look flawless from cards that are merely clean, and that small visual gap drives a large price gap.
| Grade | Name | Plain meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Gem Mint | Virtually perfect, sharp corners and clean surface under a close look |
| 9 | Mint | Excellent with one very minor flaw you have to hunt for |
| 8 | Near Mint-Mint | Slight wear, maybe soft centering or a tiny corner touch |
| 7 | Near Mint | Minor handling visible but still a clean, displayable card |
| 5 | Excellent | Noticeable wear on corners or surface, honest played condition |
| 1 | Poor | Heavy damage, creases, or major surface loss |
Why does a PSA 10 cost so much more than a 9?
The jump comes down to scarcity. A perfect copy is rare, so demand from collectors chasing the best possible version concentrates on a small supply, and the price climbs far faster than the one-point grade difference suggests.
Think of it as a supply curve, not a straight line. Plenty of cards grade a 9. Only a slice of those clear the Gem Mint bar, and for sought-after cards that slice can be tiny. When many buyers want the single best grade and few copies exist, the multiplier over a raw or mid-grade copy stretches out.
Illustrative multipliers over raw value, not real prices
Where do subgrades fit in?
Subgrades are separate scores for each of the four factors, shown alongside the overall grade on some slabs. PSA labels typically show one overall number, while companies that emphasize subgrades break out centering, corners, edges, and surface so you can see exactly how a grade was built.
- +A single overall grade tells you the summary verdict at a glance.
- +Subgrades tell you the story behind it, such as a strong surface pulled down by soft centering.
- +Cards with four maxed-out subgrades can carry extra cachet, since they show strength across the board rather than one weak factor.
A PSA 10 is not a little better than a 9. It is a scarce, near-perfect copy, and its price reflects how few exist rather than a single point on the scale.
Before you chase a Gem Mint copy or pay to grade your own, know what each grade is actually selling for. Set a price watch on GrailHawk and let it tell you when a PSA 10, or the raw card behind it, hits the number you want to pay.