In the trading card world, grading helps determine the condition and authenticity of cards. Trading card authenticators will examine a card and rate it on a predetermined scale so that everyone is on the same page when talking about bets and, therefore, value. Non-graded cards may not be able to attract the same kind of value, simply because buyers may not have the same amount of certainty as they can with a graded card.
PSA, SGC, and Beckett are three independent trading card authenticators that have developed and published defined categories for card status. When you receive a card grade, you send it to the authenticator, and they use a number of tools to check the card to make sure it’s not counterfeit, hasn’t been tampered with, and How accurate is the position of the card.
Collectors may have a preference for a particular authenticator. PSA has the longest lifespan in the industry, while SGC specializes in cards from the 19th century, and Beckett specializes in cards from the “modern” era to the 1980s.