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How to Understand the Wata grading scale

Grading collectibles isn’t a simple science. Many would say it is subjective, which is true.

Terms are often used along with grades to help describe a game’s condition, but these terms can be confusing and misleading. Since when is “good” the worst possible condition? Huh?!

Good condition on a low grade certified collectible coin or card	Like other collectibles, we have chosen the tried and true scale, and one that already exists in video games. Our grading scale goes from 0 to 10, with 0 being terrible and 10 being perfect. It’s easy to understand across all levels of collecting experience, especially for anyone who is new to collecting. Other grading scales go from 0-100 with big gaps between some scores. These are hard to follow and understand. Wata’s grading scale is way more intuitive! We eliminated the descriptions in favor of simple numerical clarity and added a photo guide of games which exemplify the grades. We think this is easier to understand and, if not, we are here to help.
0-10 scale grades chart, scrolling down	Grading doesn’t have to be confusing or tough. We’ve taken the advice of the community to create a simple scale that is easy to use and understand.   Here’s a quick overview of conditions that will affect grades and what you can expect to see when your game is Wata graded and certified.
Perfect specimen	(10.0) This is a perfect specimen with no flaws present and great eye appeal.   While extremely unlikely, this grade exists, but is reserved for the cream of the crop.
Some games in the 9s range with minute flaws present	(9.8,9.6, 9.4, 9.2, 9.0) Like other collectibles, we have broken the 9s into more degrees of separation, as this level of detail in condition is usually heavily tied to rarity and value.   For some items, the difference between a 9.2 and a 9.8 can be exceptional, so we want to distinguish it with separate grades, as condition heavily influences value.   The grades from 9.0 to 9.8 fall into the condition of what most people would call “mint”, ranging from borderline to nearly perfect. Flaws within this range are small and easily countable.
Mint game with flaw	(8.5, 8.0) These are above average with some notable detraction, close in condition to what most collectors would consider “near-mint.”   A small tear or crush on an otherwise beautiful box. A crease on a mint cart label.   These are nearly perfect, but with some noteworthy flaw.
Games with creases and stickers causing slight unsightly visual issues	(7.5, 7.0, 6.5, 6.0) These are all above average condition on a 10-point scale. These games have average, honest wear, but exhibit more signs of use.   With varying degrees of separation, these are likely the lowest grades for game conditions that would satisfy a collector, as the flaws are approaching unsightly, but are not quite there yet.
Rental cart/box/manual with stickers and graffiti	(5.5, 5.0, 4.5, 4.0) Here is where condition starts taking a turn for the worse. You may think 5 out of 10 sounds okay, but consider that the condition is less than half of what it could be. Life hasn’t been too kind to this game, overall.   That doesn’t mean it’s worthless, though. Maybe it’s an ex-rental copy of a rare issue that has been cut, stickered or written on. Stuff happens.
Heavy water damage, etc.	(3.5, 3.0, 2.5, 2.0) Things are getting pretty bad here. Something out of the ordinary has likely happened. Not nuclear annihilation, but defects like sun fading, water damage, mold, or very heavy wear and tear have occurred.
rr2 cart, nwc Mario, cut box rare game, etc.	(1.5, 1.0, 0.5) These grades are reserved for real cases of abuse; the worst of the worst. A crime of some sort has been committed, and these poor games were involved.   These will likely be high end items that hold value in any condition, and need grading to be authenticated as such.
Proto graded “PRO” or demo graded “GEN”	(PRO, GEN etc.) We don’t have a 0.0 grade, because we can’t assign a grade that is essentially no grade.   However, we do have grade alternatives for items that are outliers of the conventional grading practices. We have short abbreviations for these outliers that describe their state instead of a numerical grade.   For example, a prototype will display “PRO” for “prototype” and a demo will display “GEN” for “genuine” where the numerical grade is normally located. Items like these are necessary to authenticate, but don’t make sense to grade based on their unique and handmade nature.   When you see lettering in the place of our numerical grades, you are looking at an item that falls into this “no grade” category.
Seal rating on a game label	Sealed games also receive a separate letter grade for seal quality.   Instead of combining the two major elements of a sealed game – the box and the seal – we grade each separately.   First, the box is graded just as we would any other item we receive. Next, the seal is given a quality rating that will be displayed along with the numerical grade.
Crushed game with nice seal showing condition issues to consider	Seal rating are: A++, A+, A, B, & C with A++ being the best possible seal and C being the worst. Just like 4th grade.   With this system, a buyer is given an accurate understanding of the condition of both components, without having to guess which item had a more significant impact on the grade.
Collector proudly looking at Wata graded and certified game	Using this guide, you will be better equipped to understand and make educated grading decisions yourself.   While you may not be able to precisely predict the grade a game will achieve, being an educated buyer, seller or trader and having a good idea of how things will grade can only help you on your collecting adventure.

E.g. do we authenticate gamecube? Different kinds of seals and how they appear on the grade details, what LRB means e.g.

GSI, PSI, What Am I?

Wata Games is changing the way video games are certified. Wata does not just certify sealed games, but also cartridges and CIBs. No other certification company certifies CIBs because of the immense expertise it takes to evaluate the contents of a CIB. CIBs include the box, cart and manual, but sometimes there are other items within the CIB. That is what this article is about.

When a game publisher manufactured a game, they often included inserts within the sealed box. These inserts can be a postcard size advertisement, a huge fold out poster or even something necessary to finish playing the game. For the purposes of certification and to make buying, selling and collecting video games easier, the way Wata Games deals with these different types of inserts must be defined.

The first type of insert is a Standard Insert (SI). A Standard Insert is an insert that is within multiple games, but not in every game of a specific title or publisher. An example is a subscription card to Nintendo Power. Often times there is an image of the newest issue of Nintendo Power on the card, which dates when the insert was made. Many games came with this insert and many games did not. What is important to note is that a game is still complete even if it lacks this kind of insert, as it is possible that it was factory sealed without it to begin with.

The addition during manufacturing of these inserts was haphazard, undocumented and unreliable. You could open several sealed copies of the same game and find that some have no Standard inserts while others have 3. It is not possible to predict. Any SI could be put into any other CIB from the same time period and it would be acceptable. That is why this kind of insert is not listed on the Wata label, but instead is incorporated into the Matrix scanable technology on each holder. If you want to know which Standard Inserts are inside, just scan the Matrix and the information will appear on your phone.

The second type of insert is a Publisher Specific Insert (PSI). A PSI is an insert that is within multiple games of the same publisher, but not within every copy of a title. An example would be a fold out poster that advertises 10 games being produced by Capcom. A non-Capcom game would never have this. The Capcom games that do have it may have been produced over the course of several years. This means some copies were manufactured with the PSI and other copies of the same game were manufactured without it. The CIB is still considered complete if it is missing a PSI because it is possible that it was manufactured without it.

There are a few exceptions where every copy of a title includes a PSI, but that is relatively rare. All PSIs are listed on the back of the label. Because some PSIs have a great deal of value to collectors, in some cases, at Wata’s sole discretion, Wata will include a grade of the PSI on the label. Wata Games will be transparent about which PSIs are eligible to be assigned a grade. This is included in the price of certification for CIBs at no additional charge. Please note that the condition of a PSI will not be integrated into the overall grade of a CIB. It has no affect.

The third type of insert is a Game Specific Insert (GSI). A GSI is an insert that is in every copy of a specific title. An example would be the Maps and Strategies insert for The Legend of Zelda. Every copy of The Legend of Zelda has this insert. No other game came with this insert. Some games can have several GSIs. An example of this is Dragon Warrior. Each GSI in Dragon Warrior can not be found in any other game. If a game has a GSI, it is listed on the Wata label with a grade assigned to it. Please note that the condition of a GSI will not be integrated into the overall grade of a CIB. It has no affect.

The GSIs described above are integral to the playing and completion of the game itself. However, there is another class of GSIs that meet the above definition. Some games came with postcard size inserts that are warranties, advertisements, warnings or serve other purposes that have the name of the game printed on it. An example of this is Popful Mail for Sega CD, which includes a warning dealing with formatting of the backup RAM. The insert has “Popful Mail” printed on it making it a GSI since it is not possible to find it in any other game. On the other hand, the inclusion of this insert is not imperative to the game play of the game. Even this type of GSI will be listed on the Wata label with a grade assigned. All at the same price for certification.

If any insert is submitted in a CIB, but is not compatible with the box, it will be returned without being included in the CIB. An illustration of this is The Legend of Zelda with the circle seal, No Rev-A, TM (Trademark). This is the very first The Legend of Zelda that came out in 1987. Another version that was circle seal, No Rev-A, R (Registered) came out shortly thereafter. If a submitter sent in the one from 1987 with a Nintendo Power insert from 1991, it is not compatible and the 1991 Nintendo Power insert will be returned separately. The insert will not be included in the Wata CIB holder.

There is a tremendous amount of detail that is necessary to offer a value added certification service to the video game collecting public. We know that most collectors have been disappointed by the offerings of previous grading companies. Wata aspires to be as transparent as possible as to our policies and procedures. Wata Games is dedicated to reaching the high bar that we think it takes to move video game collecting from behind a curtain onto the center stage of collecting. We hope that you will join us on that adventure.

What is an IMP?

IMP stands for Incorrect Married Part. Married Parts and Incorrect Married Parts are different, but to fully understand what an Incorrect Married Part is, we must first explore what is a married part to begin with.

It may surprise you that the below examples happen, but at WATA, we are all about transparency and we want you to know what you are buying when you buy a WATA certified game.

Lets look at some specific collectables and see how “married” parts are used and dealt with.

Let’s say you have a Monopoly board game from 1940 and the contents of the box are in near perfect condition, but the box is in horrible condition. You have another 1940 Monopoly board game where the box is in perfect condition, but it is missing several pieces. Collectors and dealers “marry” these two together to make a higher grade 1940 Monopoly game that will be more desirable to a collector. Sometimes the “leftovers” can be used to complete more than one incomplete game.

With Vinyl records, you could have a perfect specimen, but then the record itself gets damaged. Dropped, Chipped or cracked. It happens. Collectors don’t just put a damaged record with a perfect sleeve back together. They will find a sleeve that is in worse condition, but the record is flawless and switch them. The end result is a perfect specimen of what could have been bought at the record store at time of release.

With vintage cars, collectors don’t just junk the car if there is a part that needs to be replaced. They go out and find the exact same part to put in their classic car to make sure it has all original parts.

With comic books, there are comic books missing pages and people find a coverless copy and switch the pages to make it complete. Or they find a cover missing the interior and marry it to a coverless copy.

Vintage toys are just like the board games. They have multiple parts and any could be missing. Marrying or even upgrading missing parts is part of what many collectors and dealers do to improve the condition of their collectable vintage toys.

Not every collectable can have a married part. For example, coins, baseball cards and paper currency cannot have married parts as they are only one item.

In all of the above cases, except comic books, marrying parts cannot be determined by a layman, a dealer or an expert if it is done with care. It is important to point out that no one is doing anything fraudulent by doing this. As long as the collectable is intact in the same way it could have bought at time of release, dealers and collectors look at them with the same desirability as any other complete collectable. They are indistinguishable.

In the case of comic books, there are ways experts can definitively tell since the entire comic book is manufactured together at one time. Many dealers can tell and the certification companies disclose it on the label when it is detected. It does affect its value in the case of comic books. It is not detectable in other collectables, as board games for example are not manufactured as one piece. The board game company makes thousands of the same part and then assembles them together resulting in each piece in the game being totally independent of any other piece. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but that’s the difference in a nutshell.

Now what is an Incorrect Married Part?

This would be when a 1950 piece of the monopoly game is married into the 1940 monopoly game AND there is a discernable difference between the 1940 and 1950 version.

It is when the original vinyl record is from 1966 and has a copyright date of 1966, but the record used to replace it states 1970, even though it is otherwise identical.

It is when a part from a 1963 Ford is replaced with the exact same part, but the replacement part says Chrysler on it. Or the part is from a 1960 Ford and there is a difference between the two even though the functionality is the same.

For vintage toys, it is when the married part of the toy has a discernable difference with the original part it was manufactured with. A 1972 toy with a married part from the 1979 version where there is a discernable difference.

In comics, it can be a replaced back cover that is not for that comic book. All the back covers for Action Comics #1 are the same, but if someone replaces a missing back cover with the back cover for Action Comics #30, that is an incorrect married part.

Now onto what this article is about: CIB video games.

When a store buys thousands of used video games per year, they end up with hundreds of extra parts. Extra manuals, but the cart and box are missing. Carts are there, but no box or manual. Many rental places would rent out the cart and manual, but keep the boxes in storage. Oftentimes these boxes are in high grade and then sold to collectors. Many collectors and dealers ended up with near perfect boxes, but no carts or manuals.

Over the years, they found carts and manuals to complete these games. Not everyone is aware of the subtle differences between box variations, cart variants or manual variants. There might be a CIB where the box is from the 2^nd edition of the game, the manual is from the 5^th and the cart is from the 3^rd. These things can and do happen. No one did it maliciously, it’s just the way the dice fell.

With some games, it is inconsequential because the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th edition have the same exact manual. Or maybe there are 3 different manual variations, but any of them can be found in any of the editions. If the parts are correct for the CIB, the WATA label will not state anything is married, because there is no way to tell, and certainly no way to be sure.   If WATA discovers through our good faith examination that there are parts present that are incompatible with the remaining parts, that information will be disclosed on the WATA label.

These are the kinds of issues that the WATA graders have expertise in. This is the level of detail WATA certification offers.

Since the box is the only part visible in the holder, the WATA label will always show the cart, manual or cart/manual as being IMP, not the box.

Collectors might ask themselves whether or not a WATA certified game that says IMP on the label is worth collecting. The answer depends on what is within the holder and the grade of the components. Just because a part is married in, doesn’t mean that it is a common part. It could be a rarer cart or manual or box married onto something very common. A collector might own a CIB where the box is a 9.2, the cart is a 9.4 and the manual is a 3.0, bringing the overall grade down. He can find an IMP with the correct manual in 9.0 and marry it into his CIB he already owns. He will probably be actively looking for it. Maybe a Rad Racer CIB has the rare “Daytime” Variant box, but has a cart and manual from the 5^th edition of the game, making it incompatible. A savy collector would buy that and marry the correct cart and manual into it, making it a truly desirable item.

Collectors and dealers will use this information to match and complete rarer CIBs and also to upgrade the components of the CIBs. This is the nature of collecting something of great value and historical importance. And WATA wants to be transparent with you, the collector whom we hope will become our customer.

Replacing clamshells, pressing, etc