Trust signal • Clear standards
Grading Scale
Story Slabs uses 0.5 increments for overall and subgrades. The overall grade is a holistic result based on centering, corners, edges, surface, and eye appeal.
Subgrades
- Centering — borders, image registration, and print alignment.
- Corners — sharpness, fraying, bends, and dings.
- Edges — chipping, whitening, rough cuts.
- Surface — scratches, print lines, stains, roller marks, dents, gloss wear.
Important
A single major flaw can cap the final grade even if other areas are strong. Eye appeal can raise or lower the overall when defects are borderline.
Overall grade guide
10 (Gem)
Virtually flawless. Strong centering, clean surface, sharp corners/edges.
9.5 (Gem/Mint+)
Near-perfect with only the faintest minor tolerance.
9 (Mint)
Minor imperfections visible under scrutiny (tiny corner/edge, faint surface).
8.5 (NM/Mint+)
Small but noticeable defects; still high-end eye appeal.
8 (NM/Mint)
Noticeable wear (light chipping/whitening, light surface issues).
7.5–7
Moderate wear; multiple visible flaws.
6 and below
Heavy wear, creases, stains, or significant surface damage.
Why this builds trust
Collectors trust graders who publish standards and show subgrades. Pair this with public certificate verification and a population report and you’ve got a real grading-company trust stack.