← Glossary

Condition & flaws

Whitening

Also called: chipping

Whitening is white showing along a card's edges or corners where the ink or coating has worn away. On dark-bordered cards it is especially visible and lowers the grade.

Edges and corners take the most handling, and when the colored layer wears through, the white core beneath shows, this is whitening, sometimes called chipping on dark borders. It ranges from tiny specks at the corners to visible wear along an edge.

Dark-bordered cards and glossy stocks reveal whitening most, which is why some designs are notoriously tough to grade high.

Why it matters: whitening directly hurts corner and edge grades, so even a sharp-looking card can miss gem mint if the edges show white. It is one of the first things to check on a used or raw card.

This glossary is a plain-language reference for collectors, not financial or purchasing advice. Card values move, so always check recent sales before you buy or sell.

Related terms

SurfaceSurface refers to the condition of a card's front and back finish: scratches, scuffs, print defects, and gloss. It is one of the four areas graders assess.CenteringCentering is how evenly a card's image sits within its borders, measured as a ratio like 60/40. Poor centering, or being off-center, is one of the most common reasons a card grades low.Card gradingGrading is sending a card to a company that authenticates it and assigns a condition grade, usually 1 to 10, then seals it in a protective holder called a slab.Gem MintGem Mint is the top everyday condition grade, a PSA 10 or a BGS 9.5. It means a card is essentially flawless to the naked eye, with sharp corners and clean surfaces.