Editor's Note: As part of a paid partnership with Certified Collectibles Group, cllct is publishing a series of stories highlighting the company's growth and future initiatives.
Perfect isn’t always perfect, at least when it comes to card grading.
Certified Guaranty Company has tinkered with its grading scale for cards since first launching CGC Trading Cards in 2020 and Certified Sports Guaranty in 2021, and after years of research, customer feedback and a major update, the scale is finally right where it needs to be.
CGC consolidated those two divisions into CGC Cards in July 2023, and with it created a new chase atop its grading hierarchy. Though the term “perfect” has a nice ring to it, the Perfect 10 exited the scale to make room for the Pristine 10.
Two years later, the Pristine 10 remains the scale’s apex and appears positioned to be the elite grade that sticks.
CGC’s earliest grading scales made sense based on where the market was at the time. The basic 10-point scale had been used by the hobby for decades, and sub-grades were believed to be highly desired. A Perfect 10 grade, which required four 10 sub-grades, could directly compete with Beckett’s highly coveted Black Label.
While CGC’s Perfect 10 grade was popular, sub-grades weren’t. They caused longer turnaround times, dealers found them difficult to inventory and price, and many collectors couldn’t build complete, grade-matched sets around them.
CGC came to realize there was a gap in the marketplace. Collectors wanted a chase grade — something better than a Gem Mint 10 — but also something simple with fast turnaround times.
Enter the Pristine 10 — less than perfect, but better than gem mint.
The small nuance at the top of the grading scale might seem trivial to novice collectors, but the difference to savvy hobbyists is critical. The secondary market backs up the sentiment when analyzing key cards, including the iconic Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat as a popular example.
Created in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in 2023, the card has been one of the most important and popular Pokémon cards of the ultra-modern era.
Of the examples graded by CGC, the 119 highest sales, according to Card Ladder data, all featured CGC Pristine 10 grades. To date, the most expensive Pristine 10 example fetched $1,500, while the most expensive Gem Mint 10 copy sold for $800.
It also doesn’t take long to find major wins for the Pristine 10 against grades such as the PSA 10, especially when looking at sales in 2025.
So far this year, the highest sale for the ultra-popular 2024 Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Paldean Fates Mew ex No. 232 is the $2,085 paid for a Pristine 10 example. The most paid for a PSA 10 copy at public auction in 2025 is $1,600.
The Pristine 10 has performed well in the Disney Lorcana market as well. The most paid for any Disney Lorcana Mickey Mouse 5/C1 Top 4 Challenge to date is the $20,770 a CGC Pristine 10 example fetched in May. The highest price recorded for a PSA 10 example, according to Card Ladder’s records, is the $18,000 paid in September 2024.
Then, of course, there’s the all-time record for any Magic: The Gathering Card that arrived when a Black Lotus CGC Pristine 10 fetched $3 million in a private sale in 2024.
The differences on the card might be small, but the delta in dollars can be significant.
According to Andy Broome, CGC Cards’ VP for sports cards, capturing the small differences in card quality at the top of the scale was important because the market recognizes small differences at the bottom. Though there might be more variation for CGC 1s and 2s, not all 10s are created equal, and having a grade to illustrate that is paramount to the hobby’s most hardcore collectors.
Contrary to popular belief, graders are aiming to give cards the best grade possible — as long as they meet the standards for the grade.
Under CGC’s guidelines, CGC Gem Mint 10s reach that threshold with corners that appear perfect to the naked eye and Mint+ under 10x magnification. The centering doesn’t have to be perfect, but can’t exceed 55/45.
A Pristine 10 grade, however, is described as “virtually flawless to the naked eye,” the centering must be 50/50, and the card must feature flawless color and registration.
“We felt like we needed a marque, top-of-the-product label that not only identifies that there’s a wide range at the 10, this one’s even better, let’s celebrate that,” Broome said. “We wanted something different. We wanted something that truly celebrated the fact that this card is better than a Gem Mint 10.”
CGC’s journey toward the Pristine 10 started when it recognized community sentiment had heavily shifted.
For years, Beckett’s Gem Mint 9.5 grade had been highly coveted by collectors, but new hobbyists entering the category, largely during the COVID-19 pandemic, heavily preferred a simpler scale. For novices, 10 is better than 9 or 9.5, and that’s all that matters.
The desire for sub-grades was misjudged, too. Fewer than 5% of collectors were requesting them in their submissions.
CGC’s first grading scales featured a Gem Mint 9.5 grade, but that changed with the consolidation into CGC Cards. The Gem Mint 10 was introduced, and the 9.5 was downgraded to Mint+.
“The industry really shifted away from Gem Mint 9.5. It was now not the norm,” Broome said. “So we were doing this merger and making these changes, and that was really one of the big focuses.
“It was time to change the scale, we’ve got to go with it. The Gem Mint 10 is the standard everybody wants.”
So far, the Pristine 10 has accomplished what CGC was hoping for.
“I think the Pristine grade is the real winner for us, especially for modern collecting, that Pristine grade really separates us,” Matt Quinn, CGC Cards’ VP for TCGs and non-sports cards, told cllct.
It’s a clear step above the Gem Mint 10 and provides a grade that a competitor, such as PSA, can’t — or won’t — deliver. No, it’s not quite perfect, but Quinn also believes operating in the space below perfect but above Gem Mint is more achievable for the everyday collector.
“I think it becomes a more inclusive grade than the Black Label,” Quinn said. “I think, if you have an average collector working a 9-to-5 job making an average salary, they can still pick up a CGC Pristine 10 to bolster their collection. It’s not realistic or practical for the average collector to be collecting perfect cards.”
How the Pristine 10 performs long-term is still to be determined, but if nothing else, it represents the company’s willingness to pivot to meet its community's desires. CGC’s trading card business entered as a significant underdog in 2020, but has risen to become the clear No. 2 in total volume while other major authenticators have stagnated or even slipped backward.
For now, the Pristine 10 fills a definitive role in the industry, and likely stands to benefit as interest in TCG and non-sports — the company’s specialty — continues to expand rapidly.
“I think it’s a testament to listening to your customer base ...” Broome said. “It’s part of innovation. I can’t go and innovate and come up with new things if I’m blind to my audience. Listen to what they want.”
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.