The Significance of Autograph Location
The location of the autograph may have either a positive or negative effect on the autograph grade. For example, if you had a signed card where the signature was poorly placed (perhaps in a dark area on the card, causing little to no contrast in the autograph/card), that factor might prevent the autograph from reaching higher grades. It really comes down to the eye appeal of the autograph; the presentation quality of the piece. While the approach to grading autographs is intended to be as objective as possible, determining the eye-appeal quality might be the most subjective part of the grading process.
GEM-MT 10: Gem Mint. A PSA Gem Mint 10 autograph is a virtually perfect autograph. Attributes include bold writing with the absence of skipping or retracing by the original signer or otherwise. In addition, the autograph must be strong and clear for that particular signer. For example, if a genuine Mitsuhiro Artita autograph is bold but seems rushed or slightly uncharacteristic in formation (though genuine) it may not receive a Gem Mint 10 grade. A PSA Gem Mint 10 autograph must not only be aesthetically beautiful in terms of placement but it must also be representative of the common/traditional autograph patterns of that person.
MINT 9: Mint. A PSA Mint 9 is a superb condition autograph that exhibits only one of the following minor flaws: A very light skip (almost unrecognizable to the naked eye), a slight acceptable variance in boldness of the autograph (still very bold and clearly readable - even at arms length - but perhaps not quite as bold as an autograph that would qualify for a PSA Gem Mint 10) or a some other aesthetic issue such as undesirable location if the location of the autograph hinders the eye appeal of the autograph, slightly, in some way.
Source: PSACard
