What does graded cards mean?

Answer 1

There is no set price for graded cards, but in most cases collectors will pay more for a card that is graded than for a card that is not. Highly sought after cards if graded can sell for as much as twice the market value or more. A card that has a low demand could just bring market value even if graded.

Grade is always a big component of price. The higher the grade, the more desirable, and consequently, the more valuable the card will have. Nowadays nearly all valuable sports cards are graded using the 10 Point Grading Scale established by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) in 1991.

Answer 2

A graded card means the card's been authenticated; physical condition has been evaluated and assigned a respective grading. Grading increases the value of the card, while grading, the cards are either slabbed or placed inside a protective case. Popular companies that Grade cards include PSA, BGS SGC and GAI

For example After a PSA graded card is graded each card is sonically sealed inside a protective, tamper-evident PSA holder with a tagged label that shows its certification number, manufacturer, grade, date, unique bar code and player's name. This label appears above the card that is graded.

While, BGS provides an identifiable premium-colored label, a gold label on the front of the unique cardholder signifies the highest graded cards (9.5-10) and so on.