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The PSE Standardized Philatelic Grading Scale |
The PSE Standardized
Philatelic Grading Scale enables a consensus expert opinion about single
stamps and pairs to be expressed accurately and consistently using
well-established philatelic terminology and an overall numeric grade.
The following is a brief description of the overall guidelines. |
Centering - First, PSE experts
consider a stamp's appearance, or centering, and
indicate their opinion as follows: back to top
GEM
Superb
XF/S
XF
VF/XF
VF
F/VF
F
VG/F
VG- Perfectly-balanced jumbo margins Post Office fresh (POF)
- Perfectly-balanced normal sized margins, POF
- Not quite perfectly-centered, POF
- Extremely well-centered margins, POF
- Almost extremely well-centered, POF
- Very well-centered, POF
- Margins reasonably clear on all sides
- Margins just clear on one or more sides
- Perfs touch or cut stamp design slightly
- Perfs cut into stamp design
Condition
- Next, the stamp's
condition is considered, and the opinion indicated as follows:
back to top
og
nh
lh
pog
ng
ungai
- Original gum, hinged
- Original gum, never hinged
- Original gum, lightly hinged
- Part original gum
- No gum
- Unused, no gum as issued (special printing)mf - Minor fault
(tiny defect, e.g.; corner perf crease, thin spec, small toned spot, etc.)f - Faults, Creases
(tears, thins, facial scuffs, fake grill, pen cancel removed, regummed, fake cancels, repairs, etc.)RP
RG- Reperforated (R/L | T/B)
- Regummed
Overall Numeric Grade - Finally, PSE's experts consider the appearance and soundness of the stamp and assign an overall numeric grade. The scale ranges from 10 to 100, 100 representing a stamp in flawless Gem condition. Twenty-five points are deducted straightaway for minor defects and 50 points for significant defects. An "M" preceding the numeric grade indicates that the stamp is "unused", a "U" indicates "used".
The basis for the PSE Standardized Philatelic Grading Scale is a follows. back to top
GEM
Superb
XF/S
XF
VF/XF
VF
F/VF
F
VG/F
VGM or U
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"100
98
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
Examples of PSE Standardized Grading Scale back to top
Without defects (picture example here)
With defects