SANDMAN's methodology for classifying pragmaclasts (sometimes called "reality shards" or "anomalous objects") originates with the Duncorne Foundation in the late nineteenth century. Though modified somewhat over the past several decades, the general "structure" of the system remains the same.

Pragmaclasts are, first, sorted into three broad categories – minor, significant, and major. Each category corresponds with the Ionian base-10 numbering system. That is, minor pragmaclasts are classified on a scale of 1 to 9; significant pragmaclasts are classified on a scale of 10 to 90; and major pragmaclasts are classified on a scale of 100 to 900. Obviously, what distinguishes minor pragmaclasts from significant pragmaclasts, and significant pragmaclasts from major pragmaclasts, is often a contentious issue among the researchers, librarians, archivists, and historians who staff SANDMAN's reality archaeology teams.

Once sorted by category, pragmaclasts are then "ranked" on a scale of 1 to 9 (or 10 to 90, or 100 to 900) based on their historical and cultural qualities and perceived age as dated backward from the present day, as follows:

1, 10, 100 ... A pragmaclast that looks like it came from present-day (or future!) History A.

2, 20, 200 ... A pragmaclast that looks like it came from the past 10-100 years of History A.

3, 30, 300 ... A pragmaclast that looks like it came from the past 100-500 years of History A.

4, 40, 400 ... A pragmaclast that looks like it came from the past 500-1000 years of History A.

5, 50, 500 ... A pragmaclast that looks like it came from within 500 years of the Ontoclysm.

6, 60, 600 ... A pragmaclast that looks like it came from before the Ontoclysm in History B but with mostly History A features.

7, 70, 700 ... A pragmaclast that looks like it came from before the Ontoclysm in History B but with some History A features.

8, 80, 800 ... A pragmaclast that looks like it came from before the Ontoclysm in History B but with few History A features.

9, 90, 900 ... A pragmaclast that looks like it came from before the Ontoclysm in History B but with no History A features.

These categorizations and rankings result in each pragmaclast receiving a "classification" corresponding with the appropriate letter of the Greek alphabet, using the alpha-numerical chart provided below. Thus, a minor pragmaclast that is approximately 90 years old in History A would be classified and catalogued as beta (β). A truly ancient and major pragmaclast might be classified as sampi (ϡ). Excalibur would be a phi (Φ).

Suffice to say the assessment on the y-axis – i.e., age-provenance rankings – is far more subjective than the x-axis – the minor, significant, major categorization – which has resulted in near-constant arguments and re-orderings over the past century, especially with respect to the transition from Duncorne to SANDMAN. Whole papers have been written on the subject of pragmaclast classification.

Over time, this has given rise to "heretical" cataloguing systems unique to particular regions of the world and interdepartmental rivalries so opaque almost no one understands them anymore. There is one school at Granite Peak, for example, that does things strictly using a modified version of the 1-9 scale, which they invented in the '30s or '40s right when Duncorne became SANDMAN and things started getting standardized. Another school of thought from the reality archeologist department has a 200-point assessment based on artistic features, materials analysis, historical influences, etc. that they use to determine whether something is an alpha or a theta. And, naturally, there are rumors of pragmaclasts so bizarre, so strange and other-worldly, that they defy all attempts as classification ...