Built by collectors, for collectors.
Adaptive Card Authentication was founded on a simple belief: professional card grading shouldn't be reserved for high-end dealers. Every collector deserves access to transparent, rigorous authentication — at a price that makes sense.
Our mission
We started ACA because we experienced firsthand how inaccessible professional grading could be. Long wait times, opaque pricing, and inconsistent standards left collectors — especially newer ones — without a reliable way to protect and certify their cards.
Our goal is to change that. We apply the same rigorous standards used by the industry's best, but with a transparent process, accessible pricing, and a genuine passion for the hobby that shows in every slab we produce.
Transparency
Every grade we assign is documented and explained. You'll always know exactly why your card received its score — no black boxes, no guesswork.
Precision
Our multi-point inspection process evaluates centering, corners, edges, and surface under controlled lighting. Consistency is non-negotiable.
Accessibility
Professional grading shouldn't require a dealer's budget. Our tiered pricing is designed to serve collectors at every level of the hobby.
Integrity
We treat every card as if it were our own. Secure handling, tamper-evident encapsulation, and insured return shipping — always.
Our grading standards
We use a 1–10 numeric grading scale aligned with industry best practices. Each grade reflects a holistic assessment of four key attributes.
Centering
Measured front and back. We assess the ratio of border widths on all four sides against accepted tolerances for each grade tier.
Corners
Examined under magnification. We look for wear, fraying, nicks, or rounding that indicate handling or storage damage.
Edges
Checked for roughness, chips, or indentations along all four card edges. Even minor edge wear can affect the final grade.
Surface
Evaluated for scratches, print defects, staining, creases, or loss of gloss. Both front and back surfaces are assessed independently.
Grade scale reference
Presents with exceptional overall eye appeal and virtually flawless preservation. Any manufacturing or handling imperfections must be microscopic or extremely difficult to detect under normal viewing conditions and must not take away from the card's aesthetic or structural integrity.
Exhibits outstanding preservation with only negligible evidence of handling or production imperfections. Minor edge wear, slight centering deviation, or a limited number of faint surface or print defects may be present but remain minimally distracting.
Displays strong overall eye appeal with light evidence of handling. Minor corner softening, edge whitening, light surface scratching, or subtle print imperfections are permissible, provided the card maintains an attractive presentation.
Shows clear evidence of repeated handling and moderate overall wear. Surface scratching, edge chipping or whitening, corner wear, and other cosmetic imperfections are expected and collectively diminish eye appeal while preserving the card's overall structure.
Shows clear evidence of repeated handling and moderate overall wear. Surface scratching, edge chipping or whitening, corner wear, and other cosmetic imperfections are expected and collectively diminish eye appeal while preserving the card's overall structure.
Displays substantial wear across multiple grading attributes. Surface damage, pronounced edge and corner wear, small creases, indentations, or other significant flaws are acceptable, provided the card remains complete, identifiable, and structurally intact.
Exhibits extensive wear with multiple major condition deficiencies. Heavy whitening, larger creases, stains, pressure marks, surface indentations, or additional defects are commonly present and significantly impact both appearance and desirability.
Characterized by severe cosmetic deterioration and extensive wear affecting several grading categories. The card remains identifiable as the original issue but displays substantial damage that markedly reduces visual appeal and collectible quality.
Suffers from severe structural and cosmetic defects that materially affect the card's condition. Tears, water exposure, peeling, delamination, missing material, extensive creasing, writing, or comparable damage may be present.
Verified as an authentic, original card regardless of condition. Extreme wear or damage may preclude conventional numerical assessment, with authentication serving as the primary basis for encapsulation rather than overall preservation.
Secure encapsulation
Every graded card is sealed in a tamper-evident, UV-resistant polycarbonate slab. Our cases are designed to protect your card from environmental damage, handling wear, and tampering — for decades.
Each slab includes a printed label displaying the card name, set, grade, and a unique certification number that can be verified in our population report database.
- Tamper-evident seal
- UV-resistant polycarbonate
- Unique certification number
- Archival-grade materials
Ready to get your cards graded?
See our full pricing breakdown or start your submission today.