Summit Trading Cards

Our Evaluation Process

Our Evaluation Process

We select, grade, seal, and sell only the highest quality trading cards. We use seven criteria in our evaluation of the grade of each card. Each card then gets its own permanent webpage to serve as its certificate of authenticity. The tamper-proof seal on the card identifies the card, and the card’s QR code takes the owner directly to the page where an image of the exact card is displayed and the following criteria are discussed.

  • Authenticity of the Supplier
  • Left-Right and Top-Bottom Centering
  • The Quality of the Corners
  • The Quality of the Edges
  • The Quality of the Surface
  • Overall Appeal of the Card
  • Comparisons to the Same Graded Card

Supplier

We never resell cards graded by other companies, and we only purchase cards from trusted sources and authenticators.

The certificate page will identify the supplier and purchase date.

The certificate page will identify any authenticators for elements like autographs and memorabilia.

Centering

We use trusted centering tools and best practices to measure the centering of the front and back of the card

The certificate will provide the Left-Right and Top-Bottom Centering Percentages for both the front and back of the card.

Corners and Edges

We use 10x magnification to examine the front and back corners and edges of the card for any imperfections. Any noticeable imperfections are then examined at 30x magnification to determine the structural significance of the defect.

The certificate describes the quality of the corners and edges that were used to determine the overall grade of the card.

Surface

We use the natural eye followed by 10x magnification to examine the surface of the card for staining and printing imperfections.

The certificate describes the quality of the surface of the card, noting any imperfections, that were considered in the overall grade of the card.

Appeal & Comparisons

The preceding evaluations are weighed against the overall appeal of the card, for instance its sharp focus and gloss.

Cards with slight imperfections are compared to the same card graded by other established evaluators to determine acceptable tolerance for printing imperfections.