AI Pre-Grade

5-minute read · Collector+

AI Pre-Grade is the AI pre-submission gut check for cards and comics. You take five guided photos. AssetVault returns a grade range with a confidence score. Then the "Should I Grade?" tool tells you whether the resale math makes sense given live per-grade pricing — submit, borderline, or skip.

AI Pre-Grade capture screen with the five guided photo slots and run button highlighted — The guided capture flow. Phone-flat for front/back, macro for corners, angled for surface.

What it does NOT do

It is not a substitute for PSA / CGC / BGS / SGC. Real grading is done by humans with calibrated lighting, microscopes, and standardized rubrics. AI Pre-Grade is a phone-based pre-screen that helps you decide whether to spend $30+ on real grading.

Below 40% confidence, AssetVault refuses to estimate at all. We'd rather say "we can't tell" than mislead you into a submission.

How to run it

Open the item's Detail screen, or the AI Pre-Grade tab from the Scan menu.
Pick Card or Comic.
Take five photos following the on-screen guide:
1. Front — flat, phone directly above, even lighting
2. Back — same as front but flipped
3. Top-left corner — close-up to read corner sharpness
4. Top-right corner — same
5. Surface — angled to catch surface scratches in the light
Tap Run. Result appears in 8–12 seconds.

Add all 5 guided photos before running. The 5-photo capture is what's calibrated against the rubrics.

AI Pre-Grade result screen with grade range, confidence, and rubric notes highlighted — Grade range (never a single number) plus confidence and component breakdown.

Reading the result

Bucket — e.g. "PSA 7–8". The likely grade range, never a single number.
Confidence — 0–100. Bands: low (under 60), medium (60–80), high (80+).
Components — sub-scores for centering, corners, edges, surface. Per the PSA / CGC rubric.
Flags — specific issues that capped the estimate (whitening on left edge, surface scratch, off-center 60/40, etc.).
Why this confidence — transparency section. Photo quality, angle coverage, consistency between angles, type difficulty.

"Should I Grade?" decision tool

Tap "Should I grade?" from the result. Enter the item name (or it pulls from Detail). The tool:

Pulls live eBay active-listing medians for each grade in the predicted range.
Weights them by confidence — if AI Pre-Grade said PSA 7–8 at 70% confidence, that's a probability distribution across 7 and 8.
Computes expected value: EV = Σ (P(grade) × market price at grade).
Subtracts grading fee + shipping (default $30 + $15, editable).
Shows Submit / Borderline / Skip with the math behind it.

Calibration over time

Every AI Pre-Grade is saved to history. When you eventually get the real grade back, you can update the entry — over time, this is how we calibrate the model. (The data stays on your device. We use the aggregate to inform future prompt tuning, never your individual entries.)

Best practices

Lighting. Diffuse natural light is best. Direct flash hides surface defects.
Plain background. Black or grey, not patterned.
Fill the frame. Card / comic should occupy ~80% of the photo for the front/back shots.
Macro for corners. Get within 4 inches. Tap to focus.
Surface shot — angle the light. Hold the card just below your light source so scratches catch it.