Trace the line between the corners
Inspect the top, right, bottom and left edges separately. Corners mark the turns; edges are the stretches between them. A card can have tidy points and a worn-looking side, so don't let a quick corner check stand in for a full perimeter check.
Beckett's published edge criteria identify defects such as chipping and fraying. Those are physical-card terms. Smash & Grab uses a digital treatment to suggest condition, with an Edges subgrade that belongs to the collectible copy.
Look for interruption rather than simply brightness. A clean border can have a deliberate highlight in the artwork. Wear usually changes the continuity or texture you expect from that border. The useful comparison is with the intended card design or another copy of the same variant.
A dark border makes a tiny mark loud
Picture two equally small pale chips: one against a light gray frame, one against a near-black frame. The high-contrast chip grabs attention sooner. That doesn't prove it is a larger defect; it changes how easily you notice it.
The same issue comes up when comparing art variants. A busier image can distract from its perimeter, while a clean graphic portrait leaves nowhere for an edge mark to hide. If you want to compare condition, use the same variant where possible.
| Pass | What to do | What it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Follow each side from one corner to the next. | Missing a worn stretch between clean points |
| Color | Notice pale interruptions against the printed border. | Calling every bright border detail damage |
| View | Change the slab angle, then return to a steady view. | Confusing a plastic reflection with a mark on the card |
| Numbers | Read Edges alongside the other subgrades. | Guessing the entire condition from one conspicuous chip |
Read the edge score in the whole calculation
Edges carry 25% of the weighted Lockbox grade. Suppose an illustrative copy has Edges 6.5 and all three other subgrades at 9. Its weighted total is 8.375, rounded down to 8. The lowest-subgrade rule then limits the result to 7.
The final 7 Near Mint can look surprisingly low if you read only the three 9s. Read the edge score and the calculation becomes clear. A major weakness stays visible in the summary instead of being averaged away.
The reverse lesson is just as useful: strong edges don't rescue a heavily affected surface. Each subgrade describes its own category, and any one of them can become the limiting score.
What edge wear adds to Sable City's cards
Smash & Grab's cards are presented as objects within the city's paper trail: files, images and records that have been handled. An interrupted border helps sell that material quality. It gives the print an outside, rather than letting the artwork feel like an image that happens to stop at a rectangle.
The digital wear model uses the edge subgrade to help determine visible intensity. Its style and incident rules can add different kinds of treatment, constrained by overall grade. A worn copy doesn't need every possible mark applied at once.
That restraint matters. If every lower-grade card were equally covered in grime, the edge number would tell you little about the thing you could see. The interesting part is finding the specific difference.
Make the comparison personal
Choose two copies with art you like and look only at their perimeters for a moment. Which border lets your eye settle on the portrait? Which has a mark you find interesting rather than distracting?
You aren't required to prefer the cleaner one. You are better equipped to explain the choice after you've actually looked. None of it changes Haul, Heat or role; the crew still plays the same. Edges belong to the story of the copy you're keeping in the Stash.