5 Signs Your Card Will Grade PSA 10

February 10, 20266 min read

Introduction

Getting a PSA 10 Gem Mint grade is the holy grail for trading card collectors. A PSA 10 can multiply a card's value by 5x, 10x, or even 100x compared to its raw counterpart. But with grading fees, shipping costs, and turnaround times to consider, you want to be confident before you submit. Here are five telltale signs that your card has what it takes to earn that coveted Gem Mint designation.

1. Perfect Centering

Centering is often the first thing graders evaluate, and it is one of the most common reasons cards miss the PSA 10 threshold. For a Gem Mint grade, PSA requires centering to be no worse than 60/40 on the front and 75/25 on the back.

To check centering at home, look at the borders on all four sides of the card. The left and right borders should appear virtually identical in width, and the same goes for top and bottom. If you notice even a slight lean to one side, measure it carefully. Many collectors use a centering tool or ruler to get precise measurements.

Hold the card at eye level and compare opposite borders side by side.
Use a digital centering tool or app to calculate exact ratios.
Remember that back centering matters too, though PSA is slightly more lenient on the reverse.
Cards with 50/50 centering on both axes are your strongest candidates.

2. Sharp, Undamaged Corners

Corners are magnets for wear, and even the slightest softness or fraying can drop your card from a 10 to a 9. A PSA 10 card must have four perfectly sharp, pointed corners with no rounding, whitening, or dings visible under magnification.

Inspect each corner with a jeweler's loupe or magnifying glass at 10x magnification. You are looking for a crisp, clean point with no paper separation or fuzzing. Factory-fresh cards from a sealed product generally start with perfect corners, but mishandling during pack opening or storage can introduce damage quickly.

Use a 10x loupe to examine all four corners on both the front and back.
Check for whitening at the corners, which indicates paper fiber exposure.
Handle cards by the edges only, and sleeve immediately after pulling from packs.
A single soft corner is usually enough to prevent a PSA 10.

3. Clean, Smooth Edges

The edges of your card should be smooth and free of any chipping, whitening, or roughness along the entire perimeter. Edge wear is subtle and easy to miss with the naked eye, but graders will catch it every time.

Run your finger gently along each edge to feel for any irregularities. Then visually inspect under good lighting and magnification. Look for tiny nicks, chips, or areas where the color layer has separated from the card stock. Some cards come from the factory with slightly rough-cut edges, which can unfortunately count against you.

Inspect edges under direct, bright light at a slight angle to reveal imperfections.
Look for color breaks or white spots along the edge line.
Factory cutting issues such as diamond-cutting or saw-tooth edges can affect the grade.
Both the front and back edges should be uniformly clean.

4. Flawless Surface

The surface of a PSA 10 card must be free from scratches, print lines, roller marks, wax stains, and any other blemishes. Surface defects are perhaps the trickiest to detect because they often only show up under specific lighting conditions.

To properly evaluate surface quality, hold the card under a bright, direct light source and tilt it at various angles. This technique, often called "the light test," reveals scratches, fingerprints, and print defects that are invisible under normal viewing conditions. A clean, glossy surface with no interruptions is what you are looking for.

Perform the light test by angling the card under a bright LED or halogen light.
Look for hairline scratches, which can be caused by sliding cards against each other.
Check for print lines, which are factory-caused streaks across the card surface.
Wax stains from older wax pack products are surface defects that will lower the grade.
Fingerprint oils can leave marks, so always handle cards with clean, dry hands or cotton gloves.

5. Strong Print Quality

Even if a card has perfect centering, corners, edges, and surface, poor print quality can still keep it from a PSA 10. Print quality refers to the sharpness and accuracy of the image, text, and color registration on the card. This is a factory-controlled attribute, meaning some cards are simply not printed well enough to achieve Gem Mint regardless of how carefully you handle them.

Look for crisp, clear text with no blurring or ink bleeding. The image should be vibrant with no color fading, spotting, or out-of-focus areas. Color registration should be tight, meaning the layers of color align correctly without visible shifting or ghosting.

Compare your card to a known PSA 10 example if possible to benchmark print quality.
Look for ink dots, specks, or missing ink spots that indicate print imperfections.
Check that foil or holographic elements are evenly applied without bubbling or peeling.
Some print runs are known to have better quality than others, so research your specific set.

Use AI to Verify Before You Submit

While training your eye to spot these five signs is essential, nothing beats a data-driven confirmation. AI-powered tools like GradingMetric can analyze high-resolution images of your card and provide a grade probability matrix, telling you the statistical likelihood of receiving each possible grade. This takes the guesswork out of the submission process and helps you avoid spending money on cards that are unlikely to hit that PSA 10.

By combining your visual inspection with AI analysis, you can build a submission strategy that maximizes your hit rate and your return on investment. The best collectors do not just hope for Gem Mint grades; they make informed decisions based on evidence.