MBA Diamond Certification

Graded Trading Card Second Opinion

Mine For Diamonds with an MBA Second Opinion.

 
 
 

Have you ever questioned why values range so widely within the same grade and between grading companies? Each company sets their own grading standards and quality control, and the grades do not always reflect the eye appeal and unique characteristics of a trading card. The MBA Diamond Certification is statistically proven to identify cards which warrant special attention and realize higher market values, generally identifying those cards in the top 15% for the grade.

Professional grading needs a standardized and impartial second opinion. For those seeking the very best, MBA Diamond Certification reviews the assigned professional grade for superior qualities. MBA Diamond Certified trading cards represent the top ~15% of the market, highlighting those rare trading cards with superior attributes and thereby ensuring special cards get the attention they deserve.

Gold Diamond, 3.5 Very Good+
The MBA Heat Map comes with every submission. Condition flaws which govern the assigned MBA grade are shown, clearly explaining the reasons for the grade. The MBA second opinion equivalent grade is assigned to all Diamond Certification submissions.

The Diamond Certification service leverages the MBA 10-point grading process to assess every trading card for both technical condition and eye appeal, thereby providing a secondary opinion to accompany the current grade. Cards in the top 15% are awarded a tamper-proof Diamond Certified holographic label and prominently applied to the jewel case directly below the authenticator label. All Diamond Certified trading cards are included in the searchable MBA certification database.

Diamond Certification Award Levels

Cards that receive a Silver Diamond Certification possess Superior Eye Appeal to what's typical for the card in the assigned technical grade, generally consistent with being in the top 15% of the population, for that grade. The Silver Diamond designation asserts that the existing technical grade agrees with the MBA grading standard, but indeed possesses a look and visual appeal meaningfully superior to the assigned technical grade. A Silver Diamond Certified trading card can be crossed into the MBA slab, showcasing the same numerical grade and MBA Silver Certification sticker at the time of the Diamond Certification being performed, or at any time in the future.

Cards that receive a Gold Diamond Certification are determined worthy of a higher technical grade from MBA. These are truly exceptional examples within the assigned technical grade, generally representing the top 5% of the population, for that grade. A Diamond Certified trading card must achieve a 0.5 technical grade increase, or higher, to receive the Gold Diamond designation. The technical grading awarded can be viewed on the MBA report card, or found through MBA's searchable certification database. A Gold Diamond Certified trading card can be crossed into an MBA slab at the time of Diamond Certification, or at any time in the future.

Cards that receive a Black Diamond Certification are virtually flawless and worthy of the highest possible technical grade. The MBA Black Diamond Certification is the only certification that corresponds to a specific technical grade, above Pristine, representing the top 0.01% of the market. A Black Diamond Certified trading card can be crossed into an MBA Black Diamond slab at the time of the Diamond Certification, or at any time in the future.

Diamond Service Prices

Select a service level based on the desired turnaround time. If a card received a Diamond Certification, the final fee would adjust according to value using the tiers shown in the second table.


Pick Your Turnaround Time
Turnaround Time
Base Service Fees
Standard Diamond Service
20 business days
$20
Premium Diamond Service
10 business days
$50
Elite Diamond Service
5 business days
$100
Ultra Diamond Service
2 business days
$250
Final Rates, Diamond Certified Cards
Market Value, Est.
Total Fee
Tier I
$2,000
$20
Tier II
$5,000
$50
Tier III
$10,000
$100
Tier IV
$25,000
$250
Tier V
$50,000
$500
Tier VI
$100,000
$1,000
Tier VII
$200,000
$2,000
Tier VIII
$300,000
$3,000
Tier IX
$500,000
$5,000
Tier X
$10,000

Diamond Certified cards have their base fees credited towards the Total Fee. I.e, a Diamond Certified trading card submitted at the Standard turnaround service with an estimated market value of $1500 would receive $0 additional fee.