Four points, not one vague impression
Start at the upper left and work around the card. Look at the tip, the color around it and the transition into each adjacent edge. A corner can read differently because of whitening, a softened outline or a bent-looking area. Don't stop after finding the first obvious mark.
Physical grading recognizes corners as a separate condition category. Beckett's criteria discuss corner defects independently of edge and surface condition. Lockbox uses that familiar separation, while the marks you inspect in Smash & Grab are generated digital treatments.
The corner score is one number for the category. It isn't four separate scores hidden behind the label, and it doesn't tell you that every corner must show exactly the same mark.
Follow a mark to learn what you're seeing
A patch of whitening at the very point draws your eye differently from a pale strip running halfway down a side. The first makes you examine the corner. The second makes you follow the edge. Both can be visible on one copy, but the distinction helps you describe it accurately.
| Observation | Useful description | Next place to look |
|---|---|---|
| A pale tip | Whitening concentrated at a corner | The other three corners |
| A folded-looking patch near a point | A bent-corner treatment | Where the fold meets the printed face |
| A pale line extending down a side | Wear along the edge | The length of that side between corners |
| A bright area that changes as the slab tilts | Possibly a reflection rather than a printed mark | The same area from a steadier angle |
Why one weak category can dominate
Corners contribute 25% to Lockbox's weighted average. The final grade also cannot exceed the weakest subgrade by more than half a point.
For a deliberately obvious example, set Corners to 4 and Centering, Edges and Surface to 8. The weighted average is 7. The cap is only 4.5. The overall grade is therefore 4.5 Good, even though three of the four categories read 8.
This is why an otherwise tidy card can have a grade that surprises you. The condition summary is supposed to acknowledge the serious weakness. Averaging it into near-invisibility would make the corner score hard to take seriously.
The marks are part of the copy
Smash & Grab's wear model chooses corner placement consistently for a copy. Its current rules can vary which corners whiten and how much of that effect appears. More dramatic incidents, including a bent-corner treatment, are constrained by the copy's overall condition.
A high grade isn't given a dramatic crease simply to make the artwork more colorful. A lower grade isn't obliged to damage all four points in an identical pattern. Those limits help the condition number and the appearance tell a compatible story.
These are visual rules, not damage accumulated while you play. Opening the Stash repeatedly doesn't handle the card more roughly, and using the character in a Job doesn't wear down the tips. You can inspect a favorite without preserving it by refusing to play.
What would you actually keep?
Try comparing two copies of the same art variant with similar overall grades. If one has stronger corners but weaker centering, which catches your eye first? The answer is useful precisely because collectors can disagree.
Someone who loves the symmetry of a clean frame may accept a little corner whitening. Someone who notices every pale point against a dark border may care much more about the corners. Neither preference needs to become a prediction about price.
Describe your choice in visible terms: “I prefer the cleaner lower corners” says more than “this one is nicer.” Once you can name the detail, the four-number condition breakdown starts to feel less like bookkeeping and more like a way to read the card.