Skip to content
Beta Release: JK Index is in active development. Data coverage is expanding and you may see gaps or inconsistencies as we iterate. Feedback is welcome.
DocsFlagship primitive

Before the Slab

Before the Slab gives collectors a market surface for raw-to-graded uncertainty before the official grading result exists.

Updated 2026-06-03

Collectors already speculate on grades before the card comes back. They study centering, corners, surface, eye appeal, grader tendencies, PSA 9 versus PSA 10 risk, crack-and-resubmit potential, and downside.

That behavior already exists. Before the Slab gives it a surface.

Before the Slab is not just a prediction UI. It is market structure around grading uncertainty.

The core idea

A raw card enters a grading window. The event defines possible grading outcomes. The community forms expectations around those outcomes before the slab comes back.

Participants take positions based on what they believe the grade will be. When the card receives its official grading result, the event resolves based on the verified outcome. The market leaves behind a record of what collectors believed before the result existed.

  • A PSA 10 outcome captures conviction that the card clears the highest practical threshold.
  • A PSA 9 outcome captures the market view that the card is strong, but not clean enough for a 10.
  • A PSA 8 or lower outcome captures downside risk, hidden flaws, or weaker raw confidence.

Why it matters

Pre-grade conviction is usually trapped in group chats, card show conversations, social posts, and private notes. After the slab comes back, that memory disappears. People remember who was right, but the market does not.

Before the Slab turns that invisible behavior into a durable product surface. It does not need to replace grading. It surrounds the grading window with market structure.

Current and future grading support

The current product direction is PSA-first where supported. That matches liquidity, collector familiarity, and the clearest PSA 9 versus PSA 10 spread in many Pokémon categories.

Over time, the infrastructure can expand to TAG, CGC, Beckett/BGS, SGC, and other grading or authentication paths when the data, event design, and settlement mechanics support it. JK Index does not claim official endorsement or partnership with those graders.