Which BGS Subgrade Bugs YOU Most?

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Which Subgrade Bugs YOU Most?
Focus here would be on BGS 9.5 examples with 3 9.5 subs and one 9 sub.

Another thread touched on this and I thought it deserved its own.

Ofcourse the four subgrades used in a Beckett’s case are: Surface, Centering, Edges, Corners.

In what order would you put them, from worst to least, from the one that bothers you most?

Here’s how I feel.

  1. Edges- (worst) caused by damage that takes some doing to cause. My picture below shows a BGS Gem Mint card with an edges ‘9’ subgrade. To me, that’s the worst.

  2. Corners- probably the most common type of damage

  3. Centering- 3&4 are close because centering isn’t damage. Interesting thing is many Pokémon collectors LOVE off centered cards. Some will even pay a premium. See #4 to see why I made surface my least bothersome.

  4. Surface- probably bothers me least cause that type of damage is often undetectable inside a BGS case…unless you look close.

And you?

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Interesting thread! Let’s see, my stance on it differs a bit, starting with the worst:

  1. Edges - I agree with you here, it’s actual damage that is caused (in most cases). Also, I really dislike seeing silvering on my cards.

  2. Centering - Whilst not damage indeed, and I know there’s certainly collectors loving their off-centers, this to me can make a card’s appeal drop quite a bit. Especially when just displaying cards on stands, I look at them from the front, and the imperfections to centering are quite clear at first glance as opposed to some other categories where closer inspection is needed.

  3. Surface - I mainly have it on 3 because one of the most common surface problems for Pokemon are holo scratches and factory lines. When inspecting my cards from the front and enjoying some of their beautiful holo patterns, this sometimes shows and disturbs me more than corner damage.

  4. Corners - Almost always just visible from the back, and in many cases just caused by factory cuts. Hence my 4th place :blush:.

Edit: I didn’t particular apply it to the 9.5s and 9 as in your example, because I personally own no BGS graded cards and have too little experience with seeing them to really identify what a 9.5 and 9 in each category would look like. So I just ranked the subcategories to how much they bug me.

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My order would be similar, but I would put centering last. I like a well centered card, but 9 is usually totally fine. (55/45 or better both ways while 9.5 is 50/50 one way and 55/45 the other).

Surface is different. There could be a huge difference between a 9-9.5, so it’s a tough call for me.

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Great thread idea! My order of least desirable:

  1. Surface. Chosen because I focus way more on the front of a card than the back. I don’t like scratches or dents.

  2. Edges. I want my edges crisp and clean.

  3. Corners. A funny one, because I’ve only just started dabbling in sports cards so I can see the real difference between sharp corners and rounded (non-sports) corners now. These don’t bother me too much.

  4. Centering. As long as it’s not ridiculous (75/25 or worse) it doesn’t bother me.

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It’s good to see how different people’s views are :blush:

My main concern is centering and edges. Not overly concerned at corners

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Pretty much agree with this fully!

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  1. Edges 2. Surface 3. Corners 4. Centering
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