Methodology

1. Preserve the official figure

The grading-company population is reproduced as a dated official basis. It is never silently replaced by an archive estimate.

2. Record evidence before adjusting

A suspected mislabel or inconsistent print configuration first receives a submission record identifying the card, grader, grade, certification, visible label, observation and review status.

3. Accept or reject through review

An example becomes a documented exclusion only after the visible evidence supports the classification under the published variant standard. Ambiguous examples remain pending.

4. Calculate the archive-adjusted estimate

The result is an independent research estimate. It must not be described as an official grading-company population.

5. Keep one canonical current record

Each tracked subject has one current record. Digests, social posts and evidence entries point back to it rather than creating competing live figures.

6. Record revisions

When a figure changes, the archive records the previous value, new value, date and reason.

7. Separate market evidence

Completed sales, ended listings and active asking prices are distinct evidence types. An asking price is never represented as a completed sale.

8. Treat combined populations carefully

Combined grading-company totals are described as tracked grading entries rather than unique physical cards. Duplicate PSA label rows are not added twice, and Beckett’s combined Premium Foil population is not treated as a Wave 1-only figure.

Current revision