PSA 9 vs PSA 10: What Actually Decides the Grade (and How to Tell Before You Submit)

A PSA 9 (Mint) and a PSA 10 (Gem Mint) sit one point apart on a ten-point scale, yet that single point is the most expensive gap in the hobby. For a sought-after modern card, the 10 can be worth several times the 9 — sometimes an order of magnitude more. So the real question before you mail anything is not "is this card mint?" It is: which of the four grading factors is weakest, and is it good enough for a 10?

This guide breaks down exactly what separates the two grades, how PSA combines the factors into a single number, and how to check your specific copy before you pay to submit.

Why the 9-vs-10 gap is worth real money

Graded-card pricing is not linear. As you climb the scale, each step gets rarer and pricier, and the jump from 9 to 10 is the steepest because a 10 certifies that a card cleared every checkpoint with effectively no flaws. A population report will usually show far more 9s than 10s for the same card, and scarcity drives the premium.

That pricing reality is why pre-screening matters. If three factors are gem-worthy and one is a clear 9, you are paying 10-level submission fees, shipping, and weeks of waiting for a 9-level outcome. Sorting your stack before you submit is the single highest-leverage habit a collector can build.

The four factors PSA actually grades

PSA assigns one overall grade, but that grade is built from four physical attributes. A card is effectively capped by its worst factor — a flawless card with poor centering is not a 10, and a perfectly centered card with one surface scratch is not a 10 either.

Centering

Centering is the most common 10-killer because it is measurable and unforgiving. For a Gem Mint 10, PSA generally wants roughly (and more tolerance on the back). That is tighter than most collectors eyeball. It is also the one factor you can measure exactly at home with a ruler or a digital tool. If you want the precise tolerances by grade, our lays them out with visual examples.