CGC Pristine 10 vs Gem Mint 10: what's the difference?
CGC has two 10s. A Pristine 10 is a virtually flawless card to the naked eye with 50/50 centering and flawless colour and registration, and gets its own label. A Gem Mint 10 is a card where one of those criteria falls short of Pristine — for example, centering up to about 55/45 on the front. Below them, CGC also gives a 9.5 (Mint+), a grade PSA doesn't have.
Updated 2026-10-18 · Standards from cgccards.com · Prices from the Cardinal catalog as of 2026-10-16
Pristine 10, Gem Mint 10 and Mint+ 9.5.
| Pristine 10 | Gem Mint 10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | Virtually flawless to the naked eye | One criterion doesn't meet Pristine |
| Centering | 50/50 | About 55/45 front; back not to exceed 75/25 |
| Corners | Flawless | Perfect to the naked eye; Mint+ under 10× magnification |
| Surface | Flawless colour and registration | Free of print spots |
| Label | Special Pristine label | Standard label |
CGC's older "Perfect 10" is retired; cards that earned it keep it.
The value of each step.
Across the most valuable Pokémon cards in the Cardinal catalog, a CGC Gem Mint 10 typically sells for 2.1× a CGC 9.5 (530 cards), while a 9.5 sells for 1.1× a 9 (541 cards). Pristine 10 prices are not part of this data, which compares Gem Mint 10s.
Against PSA, a CGC Gem Mint 10 typically sells for 21% of a PSA 10 on the same cards (690 cards). See PSA vs CGC for the full comparison.
- CGC grading scale: cgccards.com
- CGC holder and label: cgccards.com
Is yours a 10?
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