If you've got a collection of old baseball cards you'd like to sell, you'll save some frustration and disappointment if you understand baseball card grading. Card grading is a standard, although sometimes admittedly subjective, means to determine a card or collection's value.

Much like any other hobby that is part fun and part big business, it became necessary to develop a set of standards for worth and value of baseball cards. Condition is one of the biggest determinants of a card's value, right after scarcity. Even if a card is scarce, its condition can affect the value by as much as 95%. Let's take a look at how baseball cards are graded, and how condition plays a major role in value.

There are four major elements of the baseball card grading system. Each applies to how the card looks, and reflects any imperfections. Some of the factors are entirely beyond the control of the collector, while others are affected by storage and handling.

Surface: This refers to the front and back surface of the card. A dealer appraising the card looks for a shiny gloss on the front, and sharp defined printing on the back. Other surface deficiencies that commonly devalue a card are creases, holes, or scratches.

Edges: Typically, the grader will use a bright light or magnifying glass to evaluate the card's edges. A perfect card has sharp, clean edges, with no wear from handling. Another factor is how well the card was originally produced. Sometimes cards were cut awkwardly, which negatively affects value.

Centering: Centering refers to how evenly the image and content were stamped on to the card stock. A perfectly centered card is termed 50/50. Conversely, a card that was stamped poorly might be graded as low as 80/20. For example, if there's much more border space on the top of the card versus the bottom, it might grade out to 80/20.

Corners: As the name implies, this grading element refers to the four corners of the card. Corners are either sharp and clean, or dinged and fuzzy. This element is most in control of the collector and generally reflects how much the card has been handled.

All four of the factors are considered, and the card is usually graded on a 1 to 10 scale. Formerly, terms like Excellent, Very Good, Fair, and so on were used, but it was found these terms were too subjective. It is also worth noting there are several prominent professional card grading services which are considered authorities in baseball card grading. Expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $10 per card for such services.

Our best advice is to take a few of your less valued cards to a local dealer and have them graded. Then, compare their overall look to cards you feel have more value. This will give you a clearer idea of what your cards might be worth, and you're less likely to experience any disappointment with their value.