Midpoint Community
Questions and answers from collectors.
Grading decisions, centering calls, what a card is worth, where to buy and sell, and show-and-tell — asked and answered by people who collect. Reading is open to everyone; posting happens in the Midpoint app.
- Questions & polls
- 52
- Answers
- 50
- Members
- 6
Boards
Pick a board to browse its questions. Game boards link across to that game's price guide.
General
TCG
Sports
Latest questions
52 published posts so far — newest first.
Stephon Castle — worth grading?
Value
0repliesGrading
@bdoggranchPinnedQuestion of the week: What was the last card you sent for grading, and would you do it again?
Grader, turnaround, the grade you expected vs. what came back — and whether the slab was worth the fee. Newer collectors learn the most from these. — Midpoint…
0repliesGrading
@midpoint_botBotPSA, CGC, BGS or TAG for a modern Pokémon holo — how do I pick?
I'm new to grading and I have a handful of modern Pokémon holos I actually like. Everyone on YouTube seems to say PSA, but the CGC and TAG fees look lower and…
1answeredGrading
@midpoint_teamTeamHow do I decide whether a card is worth sending in at all?
I collected as a kid and just got back into it after cleaning out my parents' basement. I've got maybe 200 cards that look nice to me, but I know grading costs…
1answeredGrading@midpoint_teamTeamWhat should I budget for grading fees, and how long does it really take?
My son saved up to grade three of his cards and I'm trying to help him plan. The grading company websites list a lot of service levels and I can't tell what a…
1answeredGrading@midpoint_teamTeamCan I cross a CGC 9.5 over to PSA, and what happens if it misses?
I flip mid-range slabs and I keep running into CGC 9.5s that would sell for a lot more as PSA 10s. I know PSA has a crossover service but I've never used it. D…
1answeredGrading@midpoint_teamTeamShould I crack my PSA 9 and resubmit hoping it gems?
I have a PSA 9 that, to my eye, is basically flawless. Corners are sharp, no print lines, and the centering looks dead on. The price gap between the 9 and a 10…
1answeredGrading@midpoint_teamTeamWhat do BGS subgrades mean, and how do four numbers become one grade?
I bought my first BGS slab and it says 9.5 on the front with 9.5 / 10 / 10 / 9.5 on the label. A friend said the final grade is basically the lowest subgrade,…
1answeredGrading@midpoint_teamTeamIs a PSA 9 worth anything, or do I lose money on anything but a 10?
I'm a small-time flipper and I've been burned twice: sent cards in expecting 10s, got 9s, and the 9s sold for barely more than I paid raw plus the fee. Now I'm…
1answeredGrading@midpoint_teamTeamWhy did my flawless-looking card come back a PSA 8?
Pulled it myself, sleeved it immediately, no scratches, corners look perfect under my desk lamp. Sent it off and it came back an 8. I don't get it. Nothing on…
1answeredGrading@midpoint_teamTeamPSA 10 vs CGC Pristine 10 vs BGS Black Label — are these the same thing?
I keep seeing Pristine and Black Label slabs sell for way more than PSA 10s of the same card, and I don't understand what they're actually certifying. Is a PSA…
1answeredGrading@midpoint_teamTeamIs TAG really more forgiving on off-center vintage, and does anyone buy TAG slabs?
I have a stack of late-90s WOTC holos and some 80s baseball, and most of them are somewhere between 60/40 and 65/35. A dealer at a show told me to send them to…
1answeredGrading@midpoint_teamTeamHow do I actually measure centering at home without special tools?
Complete beginner here. I see people quote numbers like 55/45 and I want to check my own cards, but I don't have any templates or calipers. Can I do this with…
1answeredCentering & measuring@midpoint_teamTeamDo I measure to the artwork or the printed border when the yellow isn't even?
On my Pokémon cards the yellow border seems like the obvious thing to measure, but on some cards the artwork box inside the yellow isn't centered relative to t…
1answeredCentering & measuring@midpoint_teamTeamFront is 52/48 but the back is 80/20 — does that kill the 10?
I measured a modern holo and the front is beautiful, 52/48 both ways. Then I flipped it and the back is way off, something like 80/20 top to bottom. I've heard…
1answeredCentering & measuring@midpoint_teamTeamWhy is my holo so hard to measure — does glare or holo bleed change the number?
Every time I photograph a holo card the shiny area throws off whatever I'm using, and I end up with a different reading each shot. On my Base Set holos I've al…
1answeredCentering & measuring@midpoint_teamTeamIs there one table of centering tolerances for PSA, BGS, CGC and TAG?
I've pieced together numbers from a dozen forum posts and half of them contradict each other. I just want a single reference: for each grader, what front and b…
1answeredCentering & measuring@midpoint_teamTeamWhat's the right way to photograph a card so the centering reading is accurate?
I got three different readings on the same card in five minutes, all from my phone. Once it said 54/46, then 58/42, then 56/44. I'm assuming I'm doing somethin…
1answeredCentering & measuring@midpoint_teamTeamTwo apps gave me 55/45 and 60/40 on the same card — which one is right?
I ran a card through two different centering apps and got a PSA 10 candidate on one and a 9 on the other. Same card, same afternoon. Now I don't trust either.…
1answeredCentering & measuring@midpoint_teamTeamHow do I find real comps for a card instead of asking prices?
When I look up a card I see listings all over the map: one seller wants triple what another wants, and half of them have been sitting for months. When I go to…
1answeredBuying & selling@midpoint_teamTeamWhy does a raw near-mint copy sell for so much less than a PSA 9 of the same card?
I'm getting back into the hobby and the price gaps confuse me. A card I own raw sells for a fraction of what the same card fetches in a PSA 9 slab, and the PSA…
1answeredBuying & selling@midpoint_teamTeamWhat fees should I actually expect when I sell cards on eBay?
I've been selling a few cards a month and my payouts keep coming in lower than I mentally calculated. I know there's a final value fee but I'm not sure what el…
1answeredBuying & selling@midpoint_teamTeamHow do I ship a graded slab safely without spending a fortune on packaging?
Just sold my first slab and I'm nervous about it cracking in the mail. I've seen people mail them in a bubble mailer and I've seen people build a cardboard for…
1answeredBuying & selling@midpoint_teamTeamHow do I spot a fake Pokémon or Magic card when buying raw?
I'm a parent buying singles for my kid and I've read enough horror stories to be nervous. Some of the deals I see online look too good. What are the actual che…
1answeredBuying & selling@midpoint_teamTeamToploader vs semi-rigid — what should my cards be in when I submit them?
I'm putting together my first submission and I've been storing everything in penny sleeves and toploaders. A friend says the grading companies don't want toplo…
1answeredStorage & supplies@midpoint_teamTeamHow should I store cards long-term — humidity, sunlight, boxes?
I inherited a collection that was in a garage for twenty years and a lot of it is warped, faded or stuck to the sleeves. I don't want that to happen to my own.…
1answeredStorage & supplies@midpoint_teamTeamWhat's the best pull you've ever sent for grading, and how did it come back?
I'm curious how other people's submissions have gone. Not just the hits, the near misses too. What was the card, what did you think it would grade, what did it…
1answeredShow & tell@midpoint_teamTeamShow me your best-centered raw card — what does a true 50/50 look like?
I've been measuring my binder for a week and my best card is 52/48. I'm starting to think a real 50/50 is a myth. Has anyone here got a card that measures dead…
1answeredShow & tell@midpoint_teamTeamCan Midpoint measure centering on a card that's already in a slab?
I buy a lot of graded singles and I'd love to check the centering through the case before I pay a premium for a 9.5 or 10. When I scan a slab, the app reads th…
1answeredApp feedback & ideas@midpoint_teamTeamWhy does the app show a centering ceiling and a lower estimated grade for the same card?
On my last scan the app said something like centering allows a 10 but then the estimated grade was an 8. I don't understand how both can be true at once. Is th…
1answeredApp feedback & ideas@midpoint_teamTeam
Ask your own question in the Midpoint app
The Midpoint community lives in the iOS and Android app — ask questions, post polls, attach a scanned card and get answers from other collectors.
Already installed? The button above opens the app directly.
Posts are written by community members and screened automatically. Prices quoted in threads are opinions — the card price guide has the market data.