News
Guides and updates on physics-based card grading.
40 articles total
A new label, shaped by you
You sent us feedback in the comments and DMs — bigger grade, clearer cert, full subgrades at a glance. Here is the new CALIBRE label, live on every slab now.
Why your card scored lower than you expected
“But it looked mint to me.” Cards often score a notch below what their owner expected. Here are the quiet grade-killers — centering, surface marks, soft corners — and why measurement catches…
The same card should always get the same grade
Crack a CALIBRE card out of its slab, send it back unchanged, and the grade won't budge — because a grade should be a measurement you can repeat, not an opinion that…
Population reports and scarcity: what really drives a card’s value
Two copies of the same card at the same grade can be worth very different amounts. Here's what a population report is, why scarcity at a grade drives value, and how to…
Disney Lorcana grading: how it differs from Pokémon
Grading Disney Lorcana is mostly the same as Pokémon — same four factors, same scale — with a few quirks worth knowing. Here's what's the same, what's different, and how to submit.
Grade your card at home: a quick condition check before you submit
You can't grade a card at the kitchen table, but a careful ten-minute check tells you whether it's worth submitting. Here's how to assess centering, corners, edges and surface yourself.
The fine line between Mint and Gem Mint
On the 1–10 scale a 9 and a 10 look identical across the room. Here's what actually separates Mint from Gem Mint, where the point usually goes, and why so few cards…
Check your card before you send it — free, from one photo
Our new free pre-check gives you an instant estimate of your card's centring and corners from a single phone photo — a quick, honest guide before you commit to a full grade.
Subgrades explained: why one number hides half the story
A single grade is really four separate measurements combined. Subgrades show you which factor held a card back — and why two cards with the same number can be in noticeably different…
Encapsulation, without the grade
Not every card needs a number. Our new encapsulation-only service seals your card in the same tamper-evident CALIBRE slab — archival protection, no grade. £8 a card.
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