KTC Grading Scale
| KTC Graded (regular grading) | KTC Graded (regular grading, with or without subgrades) | KTC Lite | KTC Lite |
| 10 x ????? | Corners perfectly square under magnification Edges perfectly straight and smooth under magnification Centering 50/50 both front and back Surface devoid of imperfections | ||
| 10 + GEM+ | Corners perfectly sharp to the naked eye, but may not appear perfect under magnification Edges perfectly straight and smooth to the naked eye but may exhibit minor wear under magnification Centering near 50/50 both front and back Surface retains full original gloss, may have a minor imperfection visible under magnification but otherwise appears sharp and flawless to the naked eye. Devoid of print lines or any “specking” | ||
| 10 o GEM MINT | Corners perfectly sharp to naked eye, but under magnification corners may show only the slightest rounding. Loss of ink limited to a minor speck. Edges straight and smooth, only very minor wear allowed under magnification Centering approx. 55/45 or better on both front and back Surface appears perfect, or nearly so, to the naked eye. A minor print line or dimple may be visible under magnification but does not diminish the overall appearance of the card | ||
| 10 – MINT | Corners appear sharp to the naked eye, but under magnification may show evidence of very minor rounding or slight loss of ink. Edges straight and smooth with only minor wear allowed visible to the naked eye Centering approx 60/40 on front and 65/35 on reverse Surface nearly perfect, with only minor print lines or dimples allowed, visible under magnification but nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. Imperfections do not significantly diminish the overall appearance of the card | 10 Mint or better | Meets criteria of Mint (10-) or better on KTC scale |
| 9 NM-MT | Corners still fairly sharp to naked eye, but may exhibit slight rounding or minor fraying and loss of ink Edges still appear to be mint, but may have a small place or two where minor damage occurred, yet slight enough to not significantly diminish the overall appearance of the card Centering approx 65/35 on front and 75/25 on back or better Surface may have several slight print lines or dimples visible to the naked eye that may begin to diminish overall appearance of the card on closer inspection | 9 | Meets criteria of 9 on KTC scale |
| 8 NM | Corners may display slight fraying but are largely intact Edges may display a tiny chip or two or be slightly worn in a small area, but no major damage visible to naked eye Centering approx 70/30 on front and 80/20 on back Surface may display slight wear upon close inspection, with minor print spots acceptable or a slight scratch that isn’t deep, and card still retains nearly all original gloss. | 8 | Meets criteria of 8 on KTC scale |
| 7 EX-NM | Corners may show a bit more fraying Edges must be smooth, with the exception for a couple notches or chips only, and still minor in size. Centering approx 80/20 on front, 90/10 on back Surface may show a little wear upon close inspection but not so much as to diminish overall appeal. A scratch or two may be present, but still small and not too deep. Surface may show a little loss of gloss. | 7 | Meets criteria of 7 on KTC scale |
| 6 EX | Corners may have minor rounding visible to naked eye Edges may display more chipping or notches, with a small area of “roughness” Centering approx 80/20 on front, 90/10 on back Surface wear and print defects more readily visible to the naked eye. Gloss loss becoming more evident, and several light scratches may exist, but card still appealing to naked eye. | 6 | Meets criteria of 6 on KTC scale |
| 5 VG-EX | Corners may be slightly rounded or “dented” Edges may contain a couple areas of roughness, but chipping and notching still minor with little detraction to aesthetics of the card Centering 85/15 on front, 90/10 on back Surface wear evident but not detracting, with scuffing and scratches more common. Some gloss remains, or a light crease may be visible. | 5 | Meets criteria of 5 on KTC scale |
| 4 VG | Corners rounded, but not to an extreme amount. Edges may have multiple rough areas and chipping/notching becoming more common, but still in decent shape. Centering 90/10 Surface shows visible wear with fair amount of gloss loss with scratches or scuffing evident | 4 | Meets criteria of 4 on KTC scale |
| 3 GOOD | Corners have additional rounding or outright damage. Edges may be a bit more ragged Centering 90/10 Surface shows a lot of wear with only a little original gloss remaining. Scratching a scuffing obvious and plentiful. | 3 | Meets criteria of 3 on KTC scale |
| 2 FAIR | Corners show extreme wear and outright damage. Edges ragged, rough and a good deal of chipping likely Centering 90/10 Surface shows extreme wear (scratches/scuffing). May have a slight crease, but not to the extent of having been folded. Original gloss virtually nonexistent | 2 | Meets criteria of 2 on KTC scale |
| 1 SCAT | Still Counts As a Trading card Pretty much sums it up… | 1 | Meets criteria of 1 on KTC scale |
Please note, the above specifications are for individual qualities on a card and do not absolutely determine the final grade of a card. For example, it is possible for a card to be centered approximately 55/45 on the front and/or back and still be given a final grade of Gem Mint…assuming the other qualities of the card can “pull up” the final grade and the overall centering doesn’t diminish the overall appearance of the card. Rarely a card may receive a final grade 2 grades higher, if the lowest grade does not impair overall quality of card (usually this will be due to a card being off-centered and typically without a full border). Additionally, the worst flaw is the most heavily weighted in determining the final grade, hence two cards may have the same subgrades but different final grades, especially if the worst flaw is on the front of one card and the back of the other–more consideration is given to the front of the card. Likewise, 3 higher subgrades may not be sufficient to “pull up” a lower subgrade if the lower subgrade is prominent/severe (e.g. subgrades 10.o, 10.o, 10-, 9 with a final grade of 9). Finally, KTC Regular grading WITH subgrades and KTC Lite are services not currently offered.