CGC ok to grade with?

[Krypteia]

Hello,

I have been involved with sports cards for a long time and have graded many time, I have just began to dabble in nonsports and have a pile that I would like to get graded. (Marvel/DC/Pokemon/Dune/MTG)

What grading places do you recommend for these cards? Is it still PSA is the best go to, or is CGC the go to for nonsports? Pros/Cons?

Thank you for your time.

[PrinceVegeta]

Cgc adds very little value to none. If you care about that

[finfangfan]

CGC is cheaper but I think PSA is the better way to go if you intend to resell.

However, there are some items that make sense to do via CGC. For example, PSA does not assign grades to printing plates, but CGC does.

[Bruin7]

PSA is the standard. CGC if you want a cheap slab & don’t plan on reselling.

[John91C]

PSA if you ever want to resell

[orion9578]

The "correct" answer would be it depends.

PSA if it's mid to high end. 100% the best resell value, assuming you get 10's. I personally wouldn't even bother sending anything modern that you don't think would 10, unless it's something "special"(low numbered, highly collected set etc.).

Any of the others(CGC/SGC/BGS) I'd say are just as good as PSA if you're talking $50-$100 and under cards. While you might get another $10, $20 or $30 on a PSA 10 vs CGC 10, you're also paying quite a bit more to grade the card(and waiting a lot longer in most cases).

PC I'd tend to follow the same guidelines as above, personally. Perhaps go with which case you like the best. The overwhelming bulk of my PC are in magnetics...which is what I prefer. No thanks to all the fees, waiting and worrying about stuff getting stolen, damaged, under-graded or basically anything else you can think of to worry about :)

If you do choose PSA, be prepared to pay a lot and wait forever. Also note that they changed their centering standards for 10's...so it makes it a bit easier to weed out any 9's(which are great/fine/perfect for PC, but not exactly what you're trying to get for resell...raw and 9's aren't to awful far apart).

[meandsharon11]

PSA if you are looking to increase the value, although if it’s not a 10 it probably won’t increase the card value.

BGS is is similar to PSA except a 9.5 will increase the value.

CGC has a black and white label that helps the cards stand out more, and the case is ultra clear since they use different plastic from the other graders. It won’t increase the value much if any unless it’s a pristine 10, and even then it won’t be worth near as much as PSA or even BGS.


In summary….

For value use PSA/BGS better value, but longer wait and greater cost.

For better appearance, less cost to grade, and usually faster service use CGC

[DynaEtch]

Agree with everything just said. When selling cards I don’t notice much a bump at all in prices with CGC even when a 10. PSA 10s get a much bigger bump. But I do prefer the CGC slab quality, cheaper grading, and faster turnaround times.

I made the decision to slab entire parallel sets of 92MM platinum with CGC because of the above factors. And since I don’t intend to sell them in the foreseeable future, the negligible bump in resale value doesnt really matter to me.

[LOTG1968]

PSA if you ever intend to ever sell - your wallet will thank you!

SGC if you are pure collector - great pricing and faster turn-around than ALL the other majors. Slabs look great especially, cards truly pop against the black matting. Resales are comparable (Modern and TCG) and on 20th Century stuff Higher than CGC

[Rictor]

People say if you EVER want to resell, but who knows who the dominant grader will be 10 years or 20 years from now. Originally, Beckett was the only grader in town. PSA gets the best prices NOW, but I don't think that will always be true. The next dominant grader might not even exist yet. Or it might end up being CGC as they've made a lot of inroads with the Pokemon collectors, and I would argue that Pokemon slabs get more mainstream attention than sports slabs, so that's good name recognition for CGC.

[orion9578]

People say if you EVER want to resell, but who knows who the dominant grader will be 10 years or 20 years from now. Originally, Beckett was the only grader in town. PSA gets the best prices NOW, but I don't think that will always be true. The next dominant grader might not even exist yet. Or it might end up being CGC as they've made a lot of inroads with the Pokemon collectors, and I would argue that Pokemon slabs get more mainstream attention than sports slabs, so that's good name recognition for CGC.

PSA Registry. /End

You've tried talking up CGC before, several times. They'll never be PSA, and neither will any of the other companies. The people with the money invested, and I mean actual money...not $10k, $100k...but millions in a lot of cases...almost all have their money in PSA and the PSA registries.

Controversies likely won't matter. There have been many and people still flock to PSA. Anything new and shiny won't matter. There have been many new graders, touting better tech, more consistent grading blah blah blah. Didn't matter.

If to big to fail was a grading company, it'd be PSA. Big pockets won't let them fail, be 2nd best, whatever. Not while they've got millions and millions invested.

[newhobbygeek]

Bad attempt at humor inbound... PSA for sure :flex:

https://ebay.us/m/NjrR3R $70.12 PSA - 10
https://ebay.us/m/A17FUc $69.99 PSA - 10

CGC is trash :rolleyes:... unless sold by PSA consignment... then CGC is totally awesome :flex:
https://ebay.us/m/UytJlI $69.99 CGC - 10 Pristine

Just make sure PSA is involved, pay PSA tax and you will be RICH! End of humor.

TCG cards are more mainstream and consistent pricing because of higher volumes graded and demand. My comments below are for Nonsports(Marvel/DC/Dune) and not TCG.

If you have experience profiting/selling sports cards, then I would use the same tools/research to determine card by card which company you should grade with or keep raw. I would definitely research individual cards sale histories and review raw card carefully before submitting for grading. Selling card raw is fine most time Nonsports.

[PurplesaurusRex]

PSA Registry. /End

You've tried talking up CGC before, several times. They'll never be PSA, and neither will any of the other companies. The people with the money invested, and I mean actual money...not $10k, $100k...but millions in a lot of cases...almost all have their money in PSA and the PSA registries.

Controversies likely won't matter. There have been many and people still flock to PSA. Anything new and shiny won't matter. There have been many new graders, touting better tech, more consistent grading blah blah blah. Didn't matter.

If to big to fail was a grading company, it'd be PSA. Big pockets won't let them fail, be 2nd best, whatever. Not while they've got millions and millions invested.


Thanks for explaining this. I was wondering how PSA became the top grading company, since I've heard people say other companies have better prices and better looking slabs. Are any of the grading companies using science-based methods for grades or is it more personal opinions?

[LOTG1968]

People say if you EVER want to resell, but who knows who the dominant grader will be 10 years or 20 years from now. Originally, Beckett was the only grader in town. PSA gets the best prices NOW, but I don't think that will always be true. The next dominant grader might not even exist yet. Or it might end up being CGC as they've made a lot of inroads with the Pokemon collectors, and I would argue that Pokemon slabs get more mainstream attention than sports slabs, so that's good name recognition for CGC.

PSA WAS AROUND 12 YEARS BEFORE BECKETT/BGS!

Yes there was a time roughly from 2005 - 2008 that BGS commanded slightly higher prices on modern cards. Then BGS put on clinic of what not to do.

CGC and their Pokemon scandal has caused so much business to go to PSA that PSA expanded to an East Coast location and still in a hiring mode. They are being flooded with TCG cards.

Folks make your choices with the available data. Don't look at a single sale look at the full history and trending. You wallet will eventually thank you!

P.S. if you are dealing with under $100 cards then IMHO better to sell them raw. After all grading related expenses factored, selling raw is usually its the more fiscally responsible choice. Or consign with Four Sharp Corners if more than $500 total in raw cards. They get much faster PSA TAT's, preferred pricing and the benefit of any doubt when a grade could go either in either direction.

[glorbgorb]

This need some minor updates, but I think it's still pretty much spot on:
https://czech-it-cards.blogspot.com/2022/05/grading-which-grading-company-should-i.html

[DynaEtch]

This need some minor updates, but I think it's still pretty much spot on:
https://czech-it-cards.blogspot.com/2022/05/grading-which-grading-company-should-i.html

Good write up. To the point that PSA gives out more 10s than BGS…BGS 10 isn’t the equivalent grade to PSA 10 with 9.5 being BGS’s gem mint, so naturally we’ll see a ton more PSA 10s than BGS 10s. Now is PSA more liberal with 10s than BGS 9.5s? Not sure- maybe, maybe not. PSA does seem a bit more stringent of late with centering etc for 10s, but maybe that’s a myth.

The article has PSA and BGS alone in top tier. CGC and SGC a tier below. I think CGC is probably almost at BGS level if not above when it comes to some card genres. For one thing- COMC having CGC grading but not BGS is huge…getting that influx of CGC vs BGS that way.

I kinda look at it simpler- there are mainly 4 “considered legit” grading companies- PSA, CGC, BGS, SGC (the only ones I’m pretty sure eBay authencity will authenticate as a graded card)…then there’s the rest, which largely function as a card holder. Of the four major companies…PSA obviously top dog for value boosts.

[orion9578]

Good write up. To the point that PSA gives out more 10s than BGS…BGS 10 isn’t the equivalent grade to PSA 10 with 9.5 being BGS’s gem mint, so naturally we’ll see a ton more PSA 10s than BGS 10s. Now is PSA more liberal with 10s than BGS 9.5s? Not sure- maybe, maybe not. PSA does seem a bit more stringent of late with centering etc for 10s, but maybe that’s a myth.

The article has PSA and BGS alone in top tier. CGC and SGC a tier below. I think CGC is probably almost at BGS level if not above when it comes to some card genres. For one thing- COMC having CGC grading but not BGS is huge…getting that influx of CGC vs BGS that way.

I kinda look at it simpler- there are mainly 4 “considered legit” grading companies- PSA, CGC, BGS, SGC (the only ones I’m pretty sure eBay authencity will authenticate as a graded card)…then there’s the rest, which largely function as a card holder. Of the four major companies…PSA obviously top dog for value boosts.

COMC ONLY used BGS for many years...I graded MANY MANY McDavid/Matthews etc. YG's via COMC to BGS :)

As far as the article goes, while I don't care for graded cards myself...there is no doubt that 10's make it worth attempting, specifically on low POP type cards and/or popular in the moment type cards. With that said...the article writer must not follow stuff overly closely.

The list goes:

PSA

And then a massive chasm

BGS probably > SGC/CSG(CGC, whatever)

I'm not even sure why they list the other companies. They're a total waste of money, unless you're selling a card to someone who has no clue what they're doing(buying).

But...Will a random BGS Black Label outsell a PSA 10? Yup. Should it? I seriously have no idea. I do grade(have graded thousands of cards over the decades...) but I don't all that often anymore. I own a FEW PC graded cards(I prefer magnetics, as stated above) but if you like money...you use PSA and I'm not sure why anyone would even have to ask if they spend 10~ minutes looking at eBay ended items.

I think it's gotten mostly ridiculous. Does EVERYTHING have to be a Gem Mint card to fit in your collection? I guess my recent dislike for graded is mostly centered on inconsistency in grades by all the companies...favoritism/bias to bulk submitters and the nail in the coffin for me...I hate that they can't be displayed/stored very easily.

The older I get, the more I'm on the raw > graded...but, if I was going to buy for PC(save I guess "investment" cards), I'd 1000% be buying 9's instead of 10's.

It's also ridiculous that cards I bought as graded PSA 10's would now cost more to just grade($2k per $50k, $3k per $100k) than I paid for the PSA 10's(by a LOT). Unsustainable and a market slump/crash wouldn't surprise me in the slightest...thus the "PC only, I don't care what it's worth" stance I've taken over the last several years.

[Chrominator]

I love when the same 10 ppl say the exact thing over and over... :cry:

I've sold a good amount of CGC slabs (non) for a pretty dollar...

Don't buy the hype.

:cool:

[lahmejoon1]

CGC is cheaper but I think PSA is the better way to go if you intend to resell.

However, there are some items that make sense to do via CGC. For example, PSA does not assign grades to printing plates, but CGC does.

Do you know if CGC authenticates/grades printing plates from 60's nonsport?

[orion9578]

I love when the same 10 ppl say the exact thing over and over... :cry:

I've sold a good amount of CGC slabs (non) for a pretty dollar...

Don't buy the hype.

:cool:

I bares repeating when you get a post like...your post :)

The only people buying CGC slabs are people buying for PC(good for them!) and people buying CGC slabs to break them out to send to PSA.

It's not hype when the numbers are sitting right there in front of everyone...and very easy to look up... If anything, threads like this should only best started by people who joined Blowout very recently and/or very recently started collecting. :)!

[finfangfan]

Do you know if CGC authenticates/grades printing plates from 60's nonsport?

I have no first hand experience. Can they fit in a normal CGC slab like modern plates? If they are the same size, I don’t see why not. But if they are odd sized then that could be an issue if they don’t fit in the standard holders.

[Chrominator]

I bares repeating when you get a post like...your post :)

The only people buying CGC slabs are people buying for PC(good for them!) and people buying CGC slabs to break them out to send to PSA.

It's not hype when the numbers are sitting right there in front of everyone...and very easy to look up... If anything, threads like this should only best started by people who joined Blowout very recently and/or very recently started collecting. :)!

I do both PSA & CGC, but I prefer my non-sports in CGC.

Sports, I'll send hi-end to PSA & low-end to my binders.

The world is ever-changing and I'm just not sure the high price to grade w/ PSA and the having to wait 3 months to get it back align w/ most collectors right now.

[orion9578]

I do both PSA & CGC, but I prefer my non-sports in CGC.

Sports, I'll send hi-end to PSA & low-end to my binders.

The world is ever-changing and I'm just not sure the high price to grade w/ PSA and the having to wait 3 months to get it back align w/ most collectors right now.

Hrm.

PSA graded 1.8M-2M cards last month. CGC, the 2nd highest volume grader last month, did 425k. So, by definition, PSA is grading MOST of the cards being sent in. The numbers don't lie... and aligning with what people want or not... PSA dominates the scene and that likely won't change.

A few things I'd be surprised by over the next few years/decade:

I'd be surprised if PSA doesn't at least double it's next closest competitor on a month-to-month basis.

I'd be surprised if CGC prices catch up with even BGS, let alone PSA.

Things that wouldn't surprise in the near term:

CGC cards ending up in piles right next to BCCG, because nobody cares for them. The only reason their grading numbers are up is because of their affiliation with COMC.

Like was stated earlier in the thread, ALL of the grading companies, even the fly by night ones that no one has heard of can sell similarly when you're talking about $20-$100 cards. But if you start diving into the numbers on cards that "matter", it is PSA every single time. You'll get a stray BGS 10 or a low number card in "X" slab that'll sell well. But overall, PSA has a stranglehold on grading, like it or not. And even the example of a BGS 10 Black Label vs a generic PSA 10 is a matter of what the card is. If it's a very low POP PSA 10 of a HOF'er/highly collected set...it'll sell for more. The people with the money, trying to outdo each other and get the highest set GPA/highest player GPA/highest character GPA etc., make sure of it

And just for clarification, for the 10th time, I prefer my cards in magnetics. Entombed cards are far from my favorite.

[meandsharon11]

At the end of the day a BGS pristine 10 or black label will bring more than anything else.

[lahmejoon1]

I have no first hand experience. Can they fit in a normal CGC slab like modern plates? If they are the same size, I don’t see why not. But if they are odd sized then that could be an issue if they don’t fit in the standard holders.

Yes - they are standard size, so they would fit in a standard slab. I think I'll contact them to see. I always presumed that nobody would authenticate vintage printing plates, but it would be really cool to get them slabbed.

[BlowoutBuzz]

I think CGC does a better job than all of them -- faster and better cost-wise, too. I don't slab to sell and sub exclusively via CGC.

[Chrominator]

I think CGC does a better job than all of them -- faster and better cost-wise, too. I don't slab to sell and sub exclusively via CGC.

https://media.tenor.com/Sq5_bY-IHW8AAAAM/cheers-dwight-the-general-manfredi.gif

[cmixer]

For what it's worth ...
a CGC slab allows for four lines of text
PSA is usually three lines of text.
So if you have a "complicated" card that needs to be well-described (like a sketch card that has a set, a character, an artist, and a rarity-tier) you may like the extra character space on a CGC label.

https://img.comc.com/i/Marvel/1994/Fleer-Marvel-Universe-Series-V---Suspended-Animation/6/Spider-Man.jpg?id=5441abc8-4958-4e1c-a101-92a0942f1d28&size=zoom

https://img.comc.com/i/Marvel/2023/Upper-Deck-Marvel-Platinum---Base---Purple-Pixels/46/Jean-Grey.jpg?id=c3127f67-becc-4320-84c1-64911406d2df&size=zoom

[LOTG1968]

At the end of the day a BGS pristine 10 or black label will bring more than anything else.

Yes the black label is truly the brass ring!

Those who who use CGC today may very well be sorry in the future. Again if the cards are sub $100 FMV in 9.5 or 10, then juice simply ain't worth the squeeze to submit anywhere.

[DynaEtch]

Yes the black label is truly the brass ring!

Those who who use CGC today may very well be sorry in the future. Again if the cards are sub $100 FMV in 9.5 or 10, then juice simply ain't worth the squeeze to submit anywhere.

Why are they gonna be sorry?

PSA is no question the best for increasing value…even current CGC submitters can agree to that I think. I submit to CGC for my collection lately but I realize if I did PSA it would make more sense to make the cards more valuable. I’m slabbing PC sets for the collection mostly. And even if it doesn’t increase the resale value that much, it’s still good to have them “official” in cgc slabs with info on each card etc. I think with only PSA on CGC on comc now, that is not good for BGS slabbing going into the future…I almost view BGS as more of a relic of the past, and CGC as a more current alternative. But I collect marvel and the number of BGS slabs in marvel seems pretty small. BGS probably does have some of the most accurate actual grading of the 4 big ones…but the market seems to barely care about that. It’s just about the number they assign the card…to heck about whats actually going on with the card. Kinda sad, but true.

The PSA timelines are brutal right now. I agree with whoever above mentioned about that is not gonna be a very sustainable model going forward, especially if it gets worse. I have some PSA bulk’s I’m waiting on with comc. As if the 16-week wait isn’t already long enough…they’re all…surprise!…past due. COMC’s due date was back in November, weeks ago. The one I did value plus for $42 to submit just to get it faster…is also past due and was supposed to get it early Dec. I just submitted a few new ones to PSA the other day. Due date…3/27/25…sheesh. And based on everything I’m seeing, won’t have them by the end of March either. I may get them by April or May. Wonder how bad it’ll get before at least the more causal submitters like me start looking into alternatives.

[meandsharon11]

Why are they gonna be sorry?

PSA is no question the best for increasing value…even current CGC submitters can agree to that I think. I submit to CGC for my collection lately but I realize if I did PSA it would make more sense to make the cards more valuable. I’m slabbing PC sets for the collection mostly. And even if it doesn’t increase the resale value that much, it’s still good to have them “official” in cgc slabs with info on each card etc. I think with only PSA on CGC on comc now, that is not good for BGS slabbing going into the future…I almost view BGS as more of a relic of the past, and CGC as a more current alternative. But I collect marvel and the number of BGS slabs in marvel seems pretty small. BGS probably does have some of the most accurate actual grading of the 4 big ones…but the market seems to barely care about that. It’s just about the number they assign the card…to heck about whats actually going on with the card. Kinda sad, but true.

The PSA timelines are brutal right now. I agree with whoever above mentioned about that is not gonna be a very sustainable model going forward, especially if it gets worse. I have some PSA bulk’s I’m waiting on with comc. As if the 16-week wait isn’t already long enough…they’re all…surprise!…past due. COMC’s due date was back in November, weeks ago. The one I did value plus for $42 to submit just to get it faster…is also past due and was supposed to get it early Dec. I just submitted a few new ones to PSA the other day. Due date…3/27/25…sheesh. And based on everything I’m seeing, won’t have them by the end of March either. I may get them by April or May. Wonder how bad it’ll get before at least the more causal submitters like me start looking into alternatives.



PSA is a more universal grader. BGS is heavy into sports and not too much into non sports, although from what I have seen BGS retains value like PSA. I whole heartedly agree that people won’t be sorry for using CGC. I don’t know where that idea came from. People will continue to look for other grading companies, and eventually the top 2 will turn into the top 4 or 5. CGC will keep growing and may very well supplant SGC due to their recent issues.

[meandsharon11]

Yes the black label is truly the brass ring!

Those who who use CGC today may very well be sorry in the future. Again if the cards are sub $100 FMV in 9.5 or 10, then juice simply ain't worth the squeeze to submit anywhere.



CGC may not be at the top, but I have no reason to believe why anyone would be sorry for using CGC now or in the future.

[DynaEtch]

PSA is a more universal grader. BGS is heavy into sports and not too much into non sports, although from what I have seen BGS retains value like PSA. I whole heartedly agree that people won’t be sorry for using CGC. I don’t know where that idea came from. People will continue to look for other grading companies, and eventually the top 2 will turn into the top 4 or 5. CGC will keep growing and may very well supplant SGC due to their recent issues.

Yea I think BGS does retain value a but better than CGC particularly in sports. It’s a sort of non factor in marvel cards though since I barely see BGS slabs. And the COMC exclusion of BGS now isn’t helping that. CGC’s strengths are mostly in Pokémon and nonsports I think. But for sure, there are better alternatives for increasing value.

Also a couple things which CGC does better than competition is 1)existence of signature series slabs and 2)they grade misprint errors.

[anusinha]

CGC is great for new release Pokemon since the TAT is fast and you can sell before the market is flooded with PSA junk

[finfangfan]

I wish CGC would have kept their initial blue label. I thought those looked great for Marvel cards given the blue label’s association with comics. But they changed to their current label to try to get more of the sports market… I think. That doesn’t seem to have worked out too well for them.

I wonder why PSA doesn’t note errors on their slabs?

[Scottish Punk]

I wish CGC would have kept their initial blue label. I thought those looked great for Marvel cards given the blue label’s association with comics. But they changed to their current label to try to get more of the sports market… I think. That doesn’t seem to have worked out too well for them.

I wonder why PSA doesn’t note errors on their slabs?

Yes, the black label is a push for more of the sports card market. I don't think it is a coincidence that it mirrors SGC in that regard. I agree, even though I don't own any comics, that CGC should have kept the blue labels for stuff that ties into Comics. It is cool to see the style label on an Amazing Spiderman comic next to Spiderman card. I though CGC should have just stuck with the blue labels and subgrades from the get go, but they wanted to make a big splash I guess.

[DynaEtch]

I wish CGC would have kept their initial blue label. I thought those looked great for Marvel cards given the blue label’s association with comics. But they changed to their current label to try to get more of the sports market… I think. That doesn’t seem to have worked out too well for them.

I wonder why PSA doesn’t note errors on their slabs?

I do like that CGC denotes the errors, although had some issues with recent subs where they incorrectly denoted the wrong kind of error…e.g. called it a “partial crimp error” when it had nothing to do with a crimp and was actually an over foil. Not sure how much I trust their error designation…but at least they say error under the grade.

PSA I’m pretty sure doesnt grade random misprint errors and returns them No Grade, outside known errors in their pop report (Thomas NNOF etc).

[finfangfan]

I do like that CGC denotes the errors, although had some issues with recent subs where they incorrectly denoted the wrong kind of error…e.g. called it a “partial crimp error” when it had nothing to do with a crimp and was actually an over foil. Not sure how much I trust their error designation…but at least they say error under the grade.

PSA I’m pretty sure doesnt grade random misprint errors and returns them No Grade, outside known errors in their pop report (Thomas NNOF etc).

I submitted this one to CGC today through COMC. In the 2022 Goodwin set, it appears that at least one of each subject had a Sky parallel (numbered to 99) that has the word Sky stamped on top of Cosmic (a separate parallel) on back. It was mentioned over on the baseball forum and I ended up finding a couple of these errors on COMC.

https://img.comc.com/i/MultiSport/2022/Upper-Deck-Goodwin-Champions---Goudey-Platinum---Sky/GP24/Brandon-Mayea.jpg?id=5fb5534a-0574-4d00-96e4-0aa22cbc52a8&size=zoom&side=back