The team at Gimko have some news to share with our collecting community. Today we are extremely excited to announce that we have partnered with Platinum Standard Grading (PSG) to provide bulk submission grading services to our collecting community.
“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
What does this mean for our community?
It means that you will be able to send your trading cards to us from your personal collection or tell us to grade your hits straight from our breaks whilst your trading cards are still in our possession. The service is offered as way for people who want to take advantage of the bulk submission price, however do not have many trading cards to grade or the time to submit trading cards for grading the correct way. Gimko will ensure that everything is packaged safely and made ready and easy for PSG to grade the submitted trading cards.
The other main benefit of submitting via Gimko is that you will not have to pay upfront! We will only invoice you once we have the trading cards back to us graded and ready to be provided back to you!
Why did we partner with PSG?
Simply put, like us at Gimko, the team at PSG are passionate collectors who have a collective experience of over 100 years in the hobby.
PSG has invested substantial amount of money into technology used for grading as well as had extensive grading training in the US for the grading team to ensure that there is a consistent approach across all trading cards graded.
Like Gimko, PSG are also an Australian owned and operated business and to Gimko this is important as we believe that grading Australian trading cards, in particular AFL, NRL and NBL, should only be graded by experts in Australia. It also feels more natural for Australian trading cards to be encapsulated within Australian Slabs.
How do I submit my trading cards for grading?
There are two ways to submit your trading cards for grading:
- Complete the online submission form and we will see your submission arrive to us directly
- Download the submission template and email it to us to the email specified in this template
Once you have completed the submission template please ensure it is signed and then we will provide you postage details to where your trading cards are to be sent.
Why should I grade my trading cards?
This is a common question asked. There are many reasons why collectors grade their trading cards. These are some of the main reasons:
- Extra added security. A slab encapsulates the trading card air tight and gives it that extra amount of durability.
- Condition of the trading card. By grading, you know exactly what condition the trading card is in. Some collectors will only collect the best of the best and knowing they are getting a PRISTINE trading card versus a NEAR MINT is very important to them.
- Financial investment. The higher the grade the more the trading card is worth. This concept may not be common with Australian collectors at the moment, but in America, trading card condition is everything to many collectors and over time, trading cards that have a higher grade warrant a premium price.
Why grade with PSG?
The main reasons why you should grade using PSG are:
- A Clear and Incredible look
- Detailed Sub-Grades Information
- Reliable and Secure Protection
- QR Code utilising Blockchain Technology
What damages should I look out for on my trading cards before submitting them?
Here is our grading checklist of things to look out for when choosing what trading card to grade:
- White/soft edges
- Surface scratches
- Centering
- Edge marks
- Print defects
- Miscut
- Sign of altering
How is the final grade determined?
Once sub-grades are completed, a final grade is given in which the overall grade cannot exceed 1 full point higher than the lowest sub-grade for the trading card.
For example:
- Centering = 9
- Corners = 8
- Edges = 6
- Surface = 8
- Overall Grade = 7
Even though the average suggests the grade should come to a 7.75, because the lowest grade is a 6, the overall grade cannot exceed one full number higher than the lowest sub-grade regardless of the total score. Hence this trading card receiving a 7.
What is the grading scale for PSG graded trading cards?
PSG uses a comprehensive 10 to 1 scale to determine the condition of a trading card, as shown below:
| OVERALL GRADE | CLASSIFICATION | SLAB LABEL |
| 10 (all subs 10) | Platinum | 10 PLATINUM |
| 10 | Pristine | 10 PRISTINE |
| 9.5 | Gem Mint | 9.5 GEM MINT |
| 9 | Mint | 9 MINT |
| 8.5 | Near Mint-Mint Plus | 8.5 NMT-MT+ |
| 8 | Near Mint-Mint | 8 NMT-MT |
| 7.5 | Near Mint Plus | 7.5 NEAR MINT+ |
| 7 | Near Mint | 7 NEAR MINT |
| 6.5 | Excellent Plus | 6.5 EXCELLENT+ |
| 6 | Excellent | 6 EXCELLENT |
| 5.5 | Great Plus | 5.5 GREAT+ |
| 5 | Great | 5 GREAT |
| 4.5 | Very Good Plus | 4.5 VERY GOOD+ |
| 4 | Very Good | 4 VERY GOOD |
| 3.5 | Good Plus | 3.5 GOOD+ |
| 3 | Good | 3 GOOD |
| 2.5 | Fair Plus | 2.5 FAIR+ |
| 2 | Fair | 2 FAIR |
| 1.5 | Poor Plus | 1.5 POOR+ |
| 1 | Poor | 1 POOR |
What is a Platinum 10 Grade?
A Platinum 10 grade is a trading card that is unequivocally flawless in every measurable way. A Platinum 10 has achieved a very rare feat of being graded in every sub category (centering, edges, corners and surface) a grade of 10/10. The only way for a trading card to be graded a Platinum 10 is by passing the opinion of three graders at PSG to ensure the highest scrutiny of standard was used. The rarity of this occasion is identified with a special Platinum coloured label.
