Subgrades and Overall Grades

Video Game Authority (VGA) has recently added subgrades to its labels for sealed and complete-in-box items. These subgrades offer collectors a more thorough understanding of a graded item’s condition.

Regarding sealed items, the subgrades are used to determine the overall grade. However, there is no fixed mathematical formula that applies to all sealed items because the items VGA grades vary in construction and size. This is not to say that the subgrades are not weighted when determining an overall grade.

For instance, box and seal subgrades are weighted based on how much of the item they represent visually, and the type of material used to construct them.

• Large cardboard boxes, such as PC big boxes, carry more weight than a smaller Game Boy box.
• A plastic-wrap seal like Y-Folds that covers an entire case has more weight than a small sticker seal that just holds a flap down.
• Cardboard boxes are weighted more heavily than plastic cases because cardboard damages more easily than plastic.

Sealed Item Examples

Example 1:

If a sealed Xbox console with a small sticker seal has a seal subgrade of 90+ and a box subgrade of 80, the overall grade may be an 80 because the box represents a disproportionate amount of the surface area being evaluated.

Example 2:

If a sealed Xbox game with a Y-Folds seal has a seal subgrade of 90 and a box subgrade of 85, the overall grade may be an 85+ because the subgrades represent components that are similar in construction and size and are thus weighted more evenly.

There are also some general rules when determining an overall grade for sealed items:

• The overall grade will not exceed the highest subgrade.
• The overall grade will not be lower than the lowest subgrade.
• The overall grade will typically remain within a limited range above the lowest subgrade, depending on how each component contributes to the item’s overall presentation.
• When the subgrades are equal, the overall grade will be equal to the subgrades.

Complete-in-Box (CIB) Grading Formula

For CIB items, there is a mathematical formula for determining the overall grade. This is due to the common practice of swapping CIB components to achieve higher overall grades. The formula for CIB graded items is as follows:

• Box: 50%
• Cartridge: 25%
• Manual: 25%

Example:

A CIB copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 has an 80 Box, a 70 Cartridge, and a 90 Manual, so the overall grade would be 80.

In instances where the numerical average of the subgrades lies equally between two grades, the overall grade will be rounded up.

Example:

A CIB copy of Sonic the Hedgehog has a 90 Box, a 90+ Cartridge, and a 90+ Manual, so the overall grade would be 90+.