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Previously, we scratched the surface of the card grading world with a rough overview of why grading matters, what to expect when you grade, and some of the major players involved.
In just a few short years, TAG (or Technical Authentication & Grading) has already garnered a lot of attention for its unique attempt to disrupt the card grading industry. Their pitch? Unlike other legacy card grading services that rely on individual experts to evaluate their submissions, TAG uses their own patented system that’s completely automated—and, so they claim, completely free of human error.
Although they’re relatively new to the world of card grading, TAG was first founded in 2010, with the goal of creating a technology that could better standardize the process of card grading.
A longtime hobbyist collector, Steve Kass originally knew little about grading and selling cards before diving headfirst into his own research. He even conducted several of his own studies, which involved sending out the same several hundred cards to determine whether they’d receive the same score from several grading services (according to Kass, they did not).
After working for years with a team of programmers and engineers, Kass developed what he now calls a “100% automated grading system.” One hundred and thirty four approved patent claims later (plus four that were actually awarded), the company officially began grading cards in 2022, and is quickly growing a reputation for consistent, accurate card scoring.
Since then, TAG has already graded over 100,000 cards, including over 60,000 Pokémon cards — and even one pristine (TAG 10) Pikachu Illustrator card.
What TAG Offers
Here’s some of what separates TAG from its competitors:
The biggest appeal to TAG is that its grading is done via an automated process rather than human (and thus, in TAG’s view, fallible) grading experts. This includes machine-learning (which the company prefers over “AI”) image capture software that can analyze cards for defects—including ones that aren’t used for grading, but are recorded as a sort of “digital fingerprint” for each card.
Unlike most other grading services, TAG has three different tiers of card submissions that all fall along different price ranges. There’s TAG V, which verifies the card as authentic ($8–$12 per card); TAG X, which provides a standard industry grade from 1 to 10 ($12–$15); and TAG S, which also provides a 1000 point score and card ranking ($24–$30).
TAG X and S also include a “Digital Imaging & Grading” (DIG) report, which is accessible via the QR code on the card’s slab and includes an exact breakdown of why each card got the score they did, including metrics, photos, and a summary of “DINGS” — ”Defects Identified with Notable Grade Significance.”
TAG is also one of the only names in the industry that also sells its own merch, including sling bags, deck boxes, and even custom “prism portraits,” where you send in an image and get back a printed card in a holographic slab.
The certification database doesn’t just offer base details about each card, but also shows the full grading report and last known location of the card.
Similarly, TAG’s population report features statistics about all the cards graded so far across various sports and non-sports categories, year and set.
The slabs TAG uses are directly inscribed onto the plastic rather than labeled, making counterfeiting them much more difficult.
TAG has its own free-to-join Discord server with card type-specific forums, giveaways, a dedicated marketplace for trading/selling, and more.
The TAG Grading Scale
TAG’s grading rubric operates on a 1 to 1000 point scale, which is then translated over to the typical 1 to 10 scale that other grading services use, including half points.
Also interesting to note with TAG’s scale: the margins for allowable centering tolerance, or the amount that the card’s image can be over the center lines and of the cards itself, are reported in a much more precise way than many other services.
TAG 10 (990–1000) / Pristine: Given to cards that “exceed the industry standard for a Gem Mint 10,” which TAG figures is less than 1% of the cards they tag. Pristine cards are “virtually flawless” across edges, corners and surfaces, and centering can be 51/49 on the front. On the back, it’s 54.45/45.5 for sports and 52/48 for trading cards.
TAG 10 (950–989) / Gem Mint: Gem Mint cards have four sharp corners, an “extremely attractive surface,” and little to no edge wear. Imperfections may be present, but should only be visible when magnified. Centering can be 55/45 or better on the front, and 70/30 (sports) or 65/35 (TCG) on the back. Based on scoring, it essentially takes the place of a 9.5 on a typical scale.
TAG 9 (900–949) / Mint: Sharp corners with up to two very light touches or wear. This card may also have a few small pits or scratches, so long as they aren’t disrupting the gloss on the front. Minor print imperfections may also be visible, as well as minor surface wear on one or two edges.
TAG 8.5 (850–899) and 8 (800–849) / NM MT+ and NM MT: For cards in this point range, edges and corners will still be sharp but there may be some touches and fray artifacts. Multiple surface effects might be visible, such as minor scuffing or print lines. For 8.5s, centering should be 62.5/37.5 or better on the front and 95/5 (Sports) or 85/15 (TCG) on the back. For straight 8s, it’s more like 65/35 on the front and 95/5 on the back, for both sports and TCG.
TAG 7.5 (750-799) and 7 (700–749) / NM+ and NM: Corners on 7.5s and 7s will be a little more worn, and might even start to lose their sharpness. All four corners may have touches or fraying, and edges may start to chip and fray as well. A very minor dent to the front or even back of the cards might be visible, especially around the “facial region” (AKA, where the main image of the card is – literally the player’s face, in the case of sports cards!). Centering should be within a tolerance of 67.5/32.5 on 7.5s and 70/30 for 7s.
TAG 6.5 (650–699) and 6 (600–649) / EX MT+ and EX MT: Three or more corners might show more significant fraying on this grade level, and might even start losing their shape. Minor notches, or one severe notch, are present on the edges. Short wrinkles or light stains could be present on the surface, and the focus of the card may be off. Centering can be within 72.5/27.5 for 6.5s and 75/25 for 6s.
TAG 5.5 (550–599) and 5 (500–549) / EX+ and EX: Like you’d expect, 5s exhibit much of the same issues that plague slightly higher-graded cards, but with more wear. That includes larger areas of surface wear, multiple small wrinkles or larger stains, scuffs, loss of original gloss , shipping and notches, and excessive fray artifacts. Centering can be 77.5/22.5 on the front for 5.5s and 80/20 on 5s.
TAG 4.5 (450–499) and 4 (400–449) / VG EX+ and VG EX: Corners are rounded and might even be getting dirty, along with edges. Heavier wrinkles may be present. Bends, dings, surface wear, minor creases, and larger spots of water damage can also appear. Centering can be 82.5/17.5 or better on the front for 4.5s and 85/15 for 4s.
TAG 3.5 (350–399) and 3 (300–349) / VG+ and VG: At this point, all four corners are rounded. Scuffing is more severe, and minor creases may be visible. You might not even be able to read parts of the text on the card anymore.Centering can be 87.5/12.5 or better on the front of 3.5s, and 90/10 on the front of 3s.
TAG 2.5 (250–299) and 2 (200–249) / Good+ and Good: All four corners are starting to show rounding and dirtiness, and multiple wrinkles and heavy creases are present, including a potential full-length wrinkle across the length of the card. There may be a pinhole puncture or minor glue on the reverse side of the card, but not both. Some words or numbers may be scuffed away, all four corners are rounded. One edge of the card may have a minor tear. On the front, centering should be 95/5 or better for 2s and 92.5/7.5 or better for 2.5s.
TAG 1.5 (150–199) / Fair: The centering on the image can be within a tolerance of 98.33/1.67. Rounded corners which may be falling apart, possible staple holes or scotch tape residue (but not both!), and more significant tears to one edge or minor tears on multiple edges.
TAG 1 (100–149) / Poor: Multiple defects are present, including misshaped corners, excessive wear, tpae or glue, larger tears, and image obstructions. Unlike some card authentication services, however, TAG does not grade miscuts or printing errors.
What to Look for When Buying TAG Cards
