Idolca Grading · IDG
Every photocard gets an ID
IDG is Idolca's grading for photocards in our vault. Each card is authenticated by hand, scored on four criteria and given a public record anyone can check.
Why photocards need their own grading
Big graders aren't built for photocards
Mainstream grading costs tens of dollars a card and can take months, more than most photocards are worth.
Most grades can't be checked
Outside a few large graders, a grade is a label on a sleeve. A buyer on another platform has no way to look it up.
Fakes travel
Without a shared record, the same card can be relisted anywhere with any story attached.
How IDG works
- 1
Authenticated in the vault
The card is mailed into the Idolca vault and checked by hand. Only authentic cards are graded.
- 2
Scored on four criteria
Centering, corners, edges and surface, from 1 to 10 in half-point steps.
- 3
The vault serial is the cert number
Each graded card keeps its IC- serial for life, printed on its sleeve label.
- 4
Recorded publicly
The grade is written into the card's digital collectible and shown on its card page, next to its photos and its public record.
The scale
Half points sit between the steps below, for example IDG 9.5.
- IDG 10
- Gem Mint: flawless to the eye
- IDG 9
- Mint: one tiny flaw under close look
- IDG 8
- Near Mint–Mint: light wear on one corner or edge
- IDG 7
- Near Mint: slight wear on corners or edges
- IDG 6
- Excellent–Mint: visible wear or a small print flaw
- IDG 5
- Excellent: wear on several corners
- IDG 4
- Very Good–Excellent: noticeable rounding or scuffs
- IDG 3
- Very Good: heavy wear
- IDG 2
- Good: creases or stains
- IDG 1
- Poor: major damage
Already graded elsewhere?
We record PSA, CGC, BRG, and Pocagrades grades too, with the grader and cert number. PSA and CGC certs link straight to their public lookup.
Our own grade, clearly labeled
IDG is Idolca's in-house grading, and Idolca also sells cards. So every IDG grade is marked as our own on the card page, kept apart from third-party grades, and backed by photos anyone can compare.
Get your card an IDG grade
Send a card into the vault from your binder. Once it's authenticated it can be graded, and it trades without shipping again.
Send a card to the vault