Reference
Pokémon card grading glossary
Every term Grade Hunter uses on a card report, defined in plain English. Definitions match the calculations documented in the methodology.
- Raw card
- An ungraded card still in its original condition, bought and sold loose or in a sleeve. Raw price is the starting cost in every grading profit calculation.
- Slab
- A card that has been graded and sealed in a hard case by a grading company, with the grade printed on the label.
- PSA 10 (Gem Mint)
- The top PSA grade. On Grade Hunter, PSA 10 pricing is derived from recent public sold listings of PSA 10 copies, not asking prices.
- PSA 9 (Mint)
- One grade below PSA 10. PSA 9 usually sells for a fraction of the PSA 10 level, which is why it is shown as the realistic downside case.
- Grading cost
- Grade Hunter subtracts a flat USD $75 all-in cost per card, covering submission, shipping and handling, so every card is compared on the same basis.
- Profit potential (ROI)
- Estimated profit expressed against the money you put in: the graded sale level minus the raw price and the $75 grading cost. Very high percentages usually mean a cheap raw card, not a large dollar gain.
- Raw-to-PSA 10 spread
- The gap between a card's raw price and its PSA 10 sale level. A wide spread is the precondition for grading profit; the other signals decide whether it is realistic.
- Easy to sell (liquidity)
- How frequently graded copies actually change hands. A high-spread card that sells once a month is harder to exit than a smaller-spread card that sells daily.
- Price steady (stability)
- How much the sale level has moved recently. Steady levels make an estimate more dependable; volatile ones widen the range of outcomes.
- Data quality (confidence)
- How much sales evidence sits behind an estimate. Low data quality means few recent sales, so the number should be treated as indicative.
- Trend index
- A 0–100 momentum reading, labelled Rising, Peaking, Cooling or Dormant, based on recent price and volume direction.
- GradeHunter Score
- A single 0–100 score combining profit potential, ease of sale, price steadiness and data quality, used to rank grading opportunities.
- Gem rate
- The share of submitted copies of a card that received the top grade. A low gem rate means a PSA 10 outcome is less likely, even with a wide spread.
- Population report
- The published count of how many copies of a card exist at each grade. Large populations at the top grade cap the premium that grade can command.
- Smart market price
- A volume-weighted sale level preferred over a simple average, because it discounts one-off outlier sales.
- Sold comps
- Completed public sales of the same card and grade. Comps, not listings, are what a card is actually worth today.
- Sealed product
- Unopened product such as booster boxes, Elite Trainer Boxes and bundles, priced separately from singles.
- Centering
- How evenly the card's artwork sits inside its borders. Off-centre cards are one of the most common reasons a card misses the top grade.
See these terms applied to a live card in the card data, or read how each one is calculated in the methodology.