What is
community pre-grading?
Community pre-grading is a method of grading trading cards where 20+ independent collectors evaluate each card via photos and HD video, without the card ever leaving the owner's home. Invented by Mint Your Card in 2025.
Definition: community pre-grading
Community pre-grading is a system for grading trading cards (Pokemon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh, Lorcana) where a group of 20 to 30 independent collectors evaluates the physical condition of each card using high-definition photos and a flash scan video. Each grader votes blindly, without seeing anyone else's grades. The final grade is the median of all individual votes, on a scale from 1 to 10+G. The owner never parts with their card: everything is done from home, through the Mint Your Card app.
Unlike professional grading (PSA, CGC, BGS), which costs $30 to $300 and requires shipping your card by mail for several months, community pre-grading on Mint Your Card is free, requires no shipping, and delivers results in 48 to 72 hours.
Comparing grading methods
| Method | Who grades | Cost | Turnaround | Reliability | Shipping required |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community pre-grading (MYC) | 20-30 collectors | Free | 48-72h | High (wisdom of crowds) | No |
| Professional grading (PSA, CGC, BGS) | 1 certified expert | $30 - $300 | 3 - 12 months | High (international standard) | Yes (mail) |
| AI pre-grading | Algorithm | Varies | Instant | Medium (no human consensus) | No |
| Self-assessment | The owner | Free | Instant | Low (owner bias) | No |
How does pre-grading work?
Pre-grading on Mint Your Card follows a 6-step process designed to be simple, fast, and tamper-proof. You do everything from your phone, and your card never leaves your hands.
Take a clear photo of the front of your card. The Mint Your Card app guides you to frame it correctly. AI automatically enhances the image quality in the background.
Same process for the back. Graders need to see both sides to evaluate the overall condition: centering, edges, surface, and corners.
You film your card continuously under a light source. The front under the light, then the back. The video reveals micro-scratches, creases, and defects invisible in photos. This is the cornerstone of Mint Your Card pre-grading.
If you own a MYC protection (sleeve or cardsaver), you seal your card on camera at the end of the video. This step creates video proof that the card filmed is the same card inside the protection. A unique serial number is linked to your card.
Your card appears in the Mint Your Card grading feed. Graders discover it randomly and grade it independently, without seeing anyone else's votes. It is the blind voting system that guarantees the objectivity of the pre-grade.
Once enough votes are collected (typically 48 to 72 hours), the final grade is calculated. You receive a complete report accessible via QR code: grade, vote distribution, photos, video, and card information.
Why 20 opinions are better than one expert
The reliability of community pre-grading rests on a proven mathematical principle: the wisdom of crowds. When a group of independent people estimates something, individual errors cancel each other out — and the median converges toward the true value.
This is not theory. Here are three real-world examples where the wisdom of crowds works every day:
Millions of anonymous contributors create an encyclopedia as reliable as Britannica. No single expert could do it better alone.
A stock price reflects the estimates of millions of investors. It consistently outperforms the predictions of the best individual analysts.
Prediction platforms (Polymarket, Metaculus) produce more accurate forecasts than traditional polls by aggregating thousands of independent bets.
On Mint Your Card, the same principle applies. Each grader has their own biases: some are more lenient, others more strict. But when 20+ people grade independently, those biases cancel out. The resulting median is remarkably stable and representative.
The wisdom of crowds principle is mathematically proven: when 20+ people evaluate something independently, the median of their estimates is remarkably accurate. It is the same principle that makes Wikipedia reliable, financial markets efficient, and election polls close to the actual results. Applied to pre-grading, this principle produces reliable and reproducible grades.
The Mint Your Card grading scale: 1 to 10+G
The Mint Your Card grading scale includes 12 levels, from 1 (catastrophic) to 10+G (absolute excellence). Each grader votes independently on a scale from 1 to 10+. Voting is blind: no one can see what others have submitted.
| Grade | Description | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 10+G | Absolute excellence | Median of 10 with 50%+ of voters at 10+. The holy grail. Highest possible grade. |
| 10+ | Near-perfect | Median of 10 with 35-49% of voters at 10+. Exceptional card. |
| 10 | Perfect | Card in perfect condition, with no visible defects. |
| 9 | Excellent | Tiny imperfections, invisible at first glance. |
| 8 | Very good | A few minor defects (slight whitening, centering). |
| 7 | Good | Visible defects but overall good condition. |
| 6 | Fair | Several noticeable defects. |
| 5 | Average | Average condition, clear defects. |
| 4 | Below average | Noticeable wear, visible creases or scratches. |
| 3 | Poor | Heavily worn card. |
| 2 | Very poor | Significant damage. |
| 1 | Catastrophic | Severely damaged card (tears, stains, heavy creases). |
The 10+G: the ultimate pre-grade
The 10+G (G for Gold) is the highest grade achievable on Mint Your Card. It means that the median of all votes is 10 and that more than half of the graders voted 10+. It is the equivalent of a PSA 10 Gem Mint in the professional grading world. Earning a 10+G through community pre-grading is a rare achievement that reflects a card in absolutely flawless condition.
Sealing: video-proven anti-substitution
Video sealing is what makes Mint Your Card pre-grading unique and tamper-proof. During the flash scan video recording, the owner seals their card inside a MYC protection (sleeve or cardsaver) directly on camera, in a single continuous shot. It is impossible to substitute the card: the video proves that the card presented is the one that was sealed.
Each MYC protection carries a unique serial number (format CS0000001 or SL009680) linked to the card's digital record.
A QR code printed on the protection links directly to the full card report on Mint Your Card: grade, photos, video, and history.
The flash scan video shows the card front, back, then the sealing — all in one continuous recording. No cuts possible.
Once the grade is assigned, you apply a MYC sticker on the designated area of the protection. Your card is sealed, graded, and verifiable via QR code.
Sealing is optional. You can submit a card for free pre-grading on Mint Your Card without any physical protection. However, sealing adds an extra layer of trust for resale: the buyer can verify that the card matches exactly what was filmed and graded.
Frequently asked questions about pre-grading
Find below the answers to the most common questions about Mint Your Card community pre-grading. If your question is not listed, join our Discord.
Community pre-grading is a method of grading trading cards where 20 to 30 independent collectors evaluate your card via photos and HD video. You film your card from home, the community grades it blindly, and you receive a final grade based on the median of all votes. Your card never leaves your home. The concept was invented by Mint Your Card in 2025.
Yes, community pre-grading is 100% free on Mint Your Card. You submit your card via the app (photos + video), the community grades it, and you receive your final grade at no cost. The only paid products are the optional physical protections (sleeves and cardsavers) that let you seal your card with a unique serial number and a QR code.
Professional grading (PSA, CGC, BGS) costs $30 to $300, requires shipping your card by mail for 3 to 12 months, and a single expert grades it. Community pre-grading by Mint Your Card is free, requires no shipping, takes 48 to 72 hours, and 20+ collectors grade it independently. Both methods are complementary: pre-grading is ideal for 95% of cards, professional grading for very high-value pieces.
Download the Mint Your Card app, create your account, then tap "Submit a Card." Take a photo of the front, a photo of the back, then record a flash scan video where you present your card under a light source. If you have a MYC protection, seal your card on camera. Add the card name and details, then submit. The community receives your card to grade within a few hours.
On average, a card submitted on Mint Your Card receives its final grade within 48 to 72 hours. The turnaround time depends on the number of active graders. Popular cards (Pokemon, One Piece) are graded faster. By comparison, professional grading from PSA takes 3 to 12 months.
Community pre-grading does not replace professional grading — it complements it. For high-value cards (over $200), professional grading remains relevant as it provides a physical slab recognized internationally. But for 95% of cards in a typical collection, Mint Your Card pre-grading offers a reliable, free, and fast evaluation. Many collectors use pre-grading to decide which cards deserve professional grading.
On Mint Your Card, each grader evaluates the card independently, without seeing other people's votes. This is the blind voting principle. Each person assigns a grade from 1 to 10+ based on the photos and video. The final grade is the median of all votes. This system prevents any groupthink effect and ensures objective evaluations.
Mint Your Card accepts all trading cards from major TCGs: Pokemon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh, Lorcana, and Dragon Ball. Whether it is a common, a rare, an ultra rare, or a vintage card, you can submit it for community pre-grading. The only requirement is to provide clear photos and a quality video.
Yes. Community pre-grading relies on the proven mathematical principle of the wisdom of crowds: when 20+ people evaluate something independently, individual biases cancel each other out. Across 5,000+ cards graded on Mint Your Card, the community median grade converges to a reliable consensus thanks to this principle. It is the same mechanism that makes Wikipedia reliable and financial markets efficient.
The concept of community pre-grading was invented and developed by Mint Your Card in 2025. The idea was born from the realization that professional grading is too expensive and too slow for the vast majority of collectors. By combining the wisdom of crowds, video proof, and traceable physical protections, Mint Your Card created a grading method accessible to everyone.
Yes. A card pre-graded on Mint Your Card can be sold on the built-in marketplace, on eBay, or on any other platform. Every card sealed in a MYC protection carries a unique QR code. The buyer can scan the QR code and instantly access the full report: photos, video, community grade, and history. It is verifiable proof of the card's condition.
No. Mint Your Card offers a free pre-grade without any physical protection. You film your card and the community grades it. However, to benefit from video-proven sealing (which guarantees that the filmed card is the one inside the protection), you can use MYC sleeves or cardsavers. Each protection carries a unique serial number and a QR code that links to the card's digital report.
Ready to get your card graded?
Download the Mint Your Card app, submit your first card,
and experience community pre-grading in action.