A boxed item is valued solely on the shape and appearance of the box. A loose action figure is valued on the actual condition of the figure and its accessories. Since both these types have only one value-deciding factor, there is no need for sub-grades. However, carded action figures, loose action figure with coins and shadow-box packaging are valued by a combination of three condition factors, so sub-grades are assigned to each. A carded action figure receives grades for card back (C), blister (B) and figure (F), a shadow-box item receives grades on box (B), window (W) and figure (F) and loose action figures submitting with collector coins receive grades on figure (F) and coin (C).
 
These sub grades pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of each of your items. While CAS never averages an item’s subgrades to determine the overall grade of the item, sub grades provide you with more clarity about how we determined each overall grade. For example, if your carded figure received an overall condition value of an 80+ with a C80 card back, B90 blister and F90 figure, then the sub-grades have directed you to the most defective area, in this case the cardback.