SIGIL™CARD GRADING Get in touchContact

Sigil™ Card Grading

Card grading on site, in minutes.

Sigil Card Grading is an AI grading station for collectible trading cards. A raw card goes in and comes out graded, authenticated and sealed in a labelled slab, with every image and measurement in a public report. No shipping, no weeks of waiting.

Get in touch Request a pilot
  • First unit in prototyping
  • Pilots at European card events, 2027
  • Built in Poland
3D render of the Sigil Card Grading station: dark aluminium body, smoked glass top, a display showing grade 9, the input drawer open with a card in its cradle, and a sealed slab standing in the lit bay on the right
3D render of the Sigil Card Grading station

Inside the station 01 / 08

From raw card to sealed slab.

  1. 01
    Held by its edges

    The drawer opens. The card drops into an edge-held cradle and two PTFE-tipped clamps close on its long edges. Nothing touches the face.

  2. 02
    A light-tight chamber

    The drawer closes. Room light, dust and fingers stay outside, so every card is photographed under the same light.

  3. 03
    Six cameras around one card

    A telecentric camera above, a back camera below, four corner cameras at 45°, a ring of raking lights, UV-A, IR and a laser profiler.

  4. 04
    Both faces, fully

    Diffuse white, eight raking directions, UV-A 365 nm, IR 850 nm and a laser sweep on the face that's up. Then the cradle rolls the card over and the other face gets exactly the same. 28 images in about two minutes.

  5. 05
    Measured, then reasoned

    Computer vision measures centering, corners, edges and surface. AI identifies the card, weighs authenticity and writes the report.

  6. 06
    Into its slab

    The cradle carries the card out of the chamber, still by its edges and face up after its second pass, turns it a quarter over a fresh back shell and sets it in.

  7. 07
    Labelled and welded

    A label with the grade, certificate and QR is printed and slid in, the front shell folds down from the cartridge, and an ultrasonic press welds the slab shut. Opening it breaks the weld.

  8. 08
    Out of its own bay

    The back wall of the bay swings up and presents the slab, apart from the input drawer, ready to take away.

Scroll to run the station

Every grade is measured.

Four steps, a few minutes, in front of the collector.

Capture

Each face in turn under diffuse white, eight raking directions, UV-A and IR, plus a laser profile, with the card rolled over in between. Twenty-eight calibrated images per card.

Measure

Computer vision measures what graders estimate by eye: border ratios for centering, corner geometry, edge chipping and surface defects.

Reason

AI identifies the card, weighs the authenticity signals into a probability with a written rationale, and writes the report. Borderline cases go to a person.

Seal

Ultrasonically sealed in a tamper-evident slab with a printed label and a QR code to the full report.

Done while you wait

No shipping to a lab abroad. The collector watches the whole process and leaves with the sealed card.

Close-up 3D render of the cradle in the open drawer: a card held by its edges in an open black anodized frame, with two white PTFE-tipped clamps and round reliefs at all four corners
CRADLE · 63 × 88 MM

Card holder

Held by its edges.

The cradle touches the card only at its edges. Both faces stay open to the cameras, and the corners never carry load.

  • Edge frameCard held at mid-thickness, open both sidesThe card sits in a fine groove round its edges, not on a bed. Both faces stay fully open, so the cradle can be rolled over and either face turned to the cameras.
  • Corner reliefsØ 9 mm cut-outs at each cornerCorners float free. They take no load and are photographed in full.
  • Two clampsSpring-loaded, PTFE tips, long edgesLow friction and a few grams of force. They centre the card without leaving a mark.
  • Black anodized metalMatte, non-reflectiveNo stray reflections under raking light, and a fixed reference for every measurement.

Imaging chamber

Built to measure.

Six cameras, eight raking lights, UV, IR and a laser around one card. The result depends on calibrated optics, not on room light or on the operator.

Section through the imaging chamber The card lies in an edge-held cradle. A telecentric camera looks straight down at it and a second one looks up through the open cradle. Raking lights sit just above the card plane on both sides, with UV-A and infrared emitters above them. Corner cameras look in at 45 degrees and a laser line sweeps across the card. TELECENTRIC CAMERANO PERSPECTIVE ERROR BACK CAMERASAME OPTICS, FROM BELOW CORNER CAMERA ×445° · MACRO UV-A365 nm RAKING ×8LOW ANGLE IR850 nm LASERPROFILER EDGE FRAME · OPEN BOTH SIDES SECTION A–A · SCHEMATIC
  • Telecentric camera, topTelecentric lens · no perspective errorA border measures the same at the centre and at the edge of the card, so centering is read in hundredths of a millimetre.
  • Both faces, same toolsTwo passes · rolled over between themAfter the first pass the cradle rolls the card over, and the second face gets exactly the same light, cameras and laser. Nobody flips the card by hand.
  • Back cameraA second view, from belowLooks up through the open frame during both passes, for warp, thickness and the edges seen from the other side.
  • Raking light8 directions · low angleLight skims the surface from eight sides. Photometric stereo turns the images into a surface map where scratches, dents and print lines stand out.
  • Corner cameras4 × macro · 45°One camera per corner for whitening, dings and edge wear.
  • UV-A and infrared365 nm · 850 nmFluorescence and infrared response reveal repairs, recolouring and card stock that does not match the print run.
  • Laser profilerLine laser · warp and thicknessMeasures bend, thickness and edge height across the whole card.

Concept specification for the first unit. Final components are chosen during prototyping.

Concept image inside the station: a card held by its corners in the inspection cradle, under the main camera's ring light and a second angled camera, with a low light bar raking across it and a red laser line

Every mark found.

Low-angle light turns a scratch into a bright line and a soft corner into a shadow. Sigil finds what the eye misses, measures it in millimetres and writes it into the report.

Sealing cell

Built to seal.

From cradle to sealed slab without leaving the station. Nobody lifts, flips or labels the card by hand, and nothing but its edge clamps ever touches it.

SEALING CELL · BEHIND THE BAY
  • Edge-held all the waySame cradle · PTFE clampsThe cradle that held the card for the cameras carries it into the slab. Its two clamps are the only thing that touches the card.
  • Turned into the slabGantry yoke · lift and quarter turnThe card leaves the chamber face up after its second pass. A yoke lifts the cradle, turns it a quarter over an open slab and lowers the card into the shell's well.
  • Slab cartridgeBlank two-part slabs · top hatchBlank shells stand on edge behind the bay and tip down one at a time. Refills go in through a hatch in the top cover.
  • Printed labelThermal transfer · grade, cert, QRPrinted for this card and slid into the label pocket before the slab closes, so the label is sealed in with it.
  • Ultrasonic weldFull perimeter · no glue, no screwsThe press melts the two shells together round the edge in under a second. The slab can't be opened without breaking the weld.
  • Presented, not droppedHinged back wall · its own bayThe bay's back wall swings up with the slab. Raw cards go in through the drawer and slabs come out of the bay, so the two never share a path.

Concept specification for the first unit. Final components are chosen during prototyping.

The sealed Sigil slab, front: the card Rin, Ink of the Lantern Sky under clear acrylic, with a label showing the certificate number, card details, sub-grades, MINT 9.5 and score 957 The sealed Sigil slab, back: the card back and a label with the holographic seal, station number and a QR code to the report
DRAG TO TURN

The slab

Every slab carries its data.

A number alone says little. The label carries what a buyer needs to know, and the QR code on the back opens the full report.

Front label

CERT 0001 8432
Certificate number, unique to this card
2026 FIRST LIGHT
RIN, INK OF THE LANTERN SKY
Year, set, card name and rarity
#017/150 · ENGLISH
Card number and language
MINT 9.5 · SCORE 957
Grade with its descriptor, and a score out of 1000 that ranks cards within a grade
CEN 9.5 · COR 9.5
EDG 9.5 · SUR 9.0
Sub-grades for centering, corners, edges and surface

Back label and holder

QR · SCAN TO VERIFY
Opens the public report with every image and measurement
STATION S1-0007
Where the card was graded and sealed
HOLOGRAPHIC SEAL
Ultrasonically welded holder. Opening it breaks the seal

Grading drawing Demo card

Every grade shows its work.

Every Sigil grade comes with a grading drawing: the card measured like a machined part, with a score from 0 to 1000 for every corner, every edge and both faces, and every mark pinned where it was found.

GRADING DRAWING · CERT 0001 8432RIN, INK OF THE LANTERN SKY · FIRST LIGHT · #017/150 · EN
SHEET 1 / 5 · SCALE 1 : 1STATION S1-0007 · BOTH FACES · 14 IMAGES
Grading drawing of the cardA technical drawing of the graded card: the overall score broken into front and back, then centering, corners, edges, surface and dimensions; the card outline with its dimensions and centering ratios; a score for each corner and each edge on both faces; and the marks found, numbered on the drawing.957SIGIL SCORE952FRONT963BACKCENTERINGF 952B 962CORNERSF 948B 968EDGESF 946B 958SURFACEF 931B 963DIMENSIONSF 998B 998957L 48 · R 52T 47 · B 53BACK L 49 · R 51 · T 48 · B 52W 63.1 MMH 88.0 MMR 3.0 MMT 0.31 MM · WARP 0.08 MMTOP L CORNERFRONT962BACK958TOP R CORNERFRONT951BACK967BOTTOM L CORNERFRONT921BACK968MARK 2 · WHITENINGBOTTOM R CORNERFRONT956BACK972LEFT EDGEFRONT944BACK958RIGHT EDGEFRONT932BACK961MARK 3 · CHIPTOP EDGEFRONT951BACK955BOTTOM EDGEFRONT958BACK96011 · SCRATCH · 0.8 MM23CARD OUTLINEPRINT BORDERCORNER WINDOWFRONTBACKMARK FOUNDSCORES 0 – 1000 · MM

SCROLL SIDEWAYS TO READ THE WHOLE SHEET →

The evidence

Slide between the photograph and the surface map, then read the scores the drawing is built from.

Surface map of the card from the raking-light images, with three marks circled Colour photograph of the card Rin, Ink of the Lantern Sky
Surface mapPhoto

Hover the card to magnify it 2.5×. Hover or tap a mark to read what was found.

9.5
MINTRin, Ink of the Lantern Sky · First Light #017/150 · cert 0001 8432
957 / 1000Sigil score

Sub-grades

Centering
9.5
Corners
9.5
Edges
9.5
Surface
9.0

Authenticity, 99.2% genuine

  • Print rosette pattern matches reference
  • UV response matches print run
  • Stock thickness within tolerance
  • Holofoil pattern matches reference
  • No trimming or layering detected

Marks found

1 · SurfaceLight scratch, upper right, 0.8 mm
2 · CornerWhitening, bottom left, 0.1 mm
3 · EdgeChip, right edge, 0.2 mm

Measurements

Centering48/52 · 47/53
Size63.1 × 88.0 mm
Thickness0.31 mm
Open the full sample report

Cross-grading

Grade here first. Then decide where it goes.

Sigil works as a pre-grade. In a few minutes you know which cards are worth sending to PSA, CGC, Beckett or TAG, and the app shows how cards with the same Sigil grade came back when collectors sent them on.

  1. 01
    Pre-grade on siteGrade, score and the full report while you wait, at the event or in the shop.
  2. 02
    Check the cross-grade oddsFor your Sigil grade, the app shows how the same grade fared at each grading company, from results reported by collectors.
  3. 03
    Send it on or keep it sealedSubmit the cards with real upside to the grader you choose. Keep the rest in the Sigil slab.
  4. 04
    Log the resultWhen the other grade comes back, add it in the app. Every result sharpens the odds for the next collector.
Graded by Sigil
Then sent to
PSA 10
34%
PSA 9
55%
PSA 8 to 8.5
9%
Below 8
2%

Of 241 cards graded Sigil 9.5 that collectors later sent to PSA, 34% came back a 10 and 55% a 9.

EXAMPLE DATAReal figures will come from results collectors report in the Sigil app after launch.

The Sigil app Example data01 / 06

Find a station. Keep the report. Trade the slab.

  1. 01
    Find a station, pay in the app

    Every Sigil station on a map, at card events and shops. Pick a time and pay when you book.

  2. 02
    Follow it live

    Capture, measure, grade, seal. Each step shows up as it happens, and you get a ping when the slab is in the bay.

  3. 03
    Saved to your cards

    Every card the station grades lands in your collection, with its grade, the day and the station it came from.

  4. 04
    The full report, kept

    Grade, score, sub-grades, every mark found and the 28 images behind them, yours to open any time.

  5. 05
    Sell or trade

    List a slab or take swap offers with its report attached. You're paid when the buyer scans the slab.

  6. 06
    Verify any slab

    Point the camera at the QR code on a Sigil slab to open its certificate and report.

Scroll to use the app

For organisers

Put a station on the map.

The same app runs the other side. Book a Sigil station for your event or your shop, and collectors find it on the map, take a slot and pay before they arrive.

  • Book a station for your datesEvents · weekends · pop-upsChoose the days and the hours. The station comes calibrated and ready for the floor, and its slab cartridge is topped up through the hatch on top as the day goes on.
  • On the collectors' mapListed with its free timesYour event shows up on the map in the app with its open slots, so collectors plan their visit before they set off.
  • Slots, queue and walk-upsLive wait timesBooked slots and a walk-up queue share the stations. Everyone sees their turn and their wait on their phone, not in a line at the table.
  • Payments in the app€15 a card · 20% to you · no hosting feeCollectors pay when they book or join the queue, so there is no till at the table. You keep €3 of every card graded at your event, paid out within a week of it.
  • Shops can lease a station€290 a month · 30% of card fees · your own hoursA station on the counter, on the map every day you're open. The lease covers service, calibration and slab blanks; customers book and pay in the app, and the shop keeps €4.50 of every card.
Bring a station to your event

One station, one report, one standard.

Where Sigil Card Grading goes first, and what it is built with.

3D render of the station from the right: the input drawer open with a card in its cradle, the display showing grade 9, and the sealed slab standing in its lit bay

Events, shops, then graders

€15 a card at events, with 20% to the organiser; €290 a month leases for shops; and a pre-grading lane for established graders.

AI at the core

Language models identify the card, weigh authenticity and write reports in the collector's language, from the measured data.

Own models by phase three

Vision models trained on pilot data, with language models kept for orchestration and explanation.

Public reports

Every image and measurement online, so a buyer can verify a slab without trusting a stranger.

Europe first

The big graders are in the US. Sigil starts where the cards are: card events and shops across the EU.

See the station run.

A card goes in, gets captured, measured, graded and sealed, and comes out in the bay.

Contact

Grading, collectibles, industrial AI or hardware: write to me.

contact@zygmuntbuszyk.com
GitHubLinkedIn

Run a pilot

Tell me where and when you would run a station, and I will reply with dates and terms.

What is it about

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