PSA or SGC?

[del033]

I have a '51 Bowman Ted Williams that I would like to have graded. I've used BVG in the past but was not impressed, so I'm thinking of sending it to PSA or SGC? Any preference?

[aliceinpains]

SGC or BVG would be my choice.

[Texans81]

I'm not a fan of BVG either, I think Beckett is more for modern stuff. Between the other two, I think value wise it's about a wash...both are well recognized. I personally like the eye appeal of the SGC slabs better. So for my $0.02 I'd go with SGC.

[Leon]

I have all of my personal collection, which I send in for grading, done by SGC. I think both SGC and BVG are very good and PSA is decent. To me SGC has the best looking holders.

http://luckeycards.com/pdunc1921tiptopbread.jpg

[ElonU]

I like SGC's slabs too. The black matting/framing really makes the colors on the old cards pop. It puts the attention on where it should be, the subject, which is the card.

[aliceinpains]

No doubt SGC holders are the most attractive. BVG holders are made the best.

[geor952]

I collect pre World War I, but only send my cards to SGC. I like their consistency and customer service. I own PSA, see avatar, but prefer SGC.

[kyle1707]

I like sgc holders

But love or hate them

psa is king

[aliceinpains]

I like sgc holders

But love or hate them

psa is king

King based on what? Their holders are garbage.

[dherm360]

I'm also a fan of SGC

[Whodey14]

Pre war sgc, post war psa, modern bgs

[del033]

Great feedback - thanks, everyone.

[blackbears86]

I love PSA for resale value, but I am scared to buy any of their cards on the secondary market because of the potential for fakes....

Looks wise it's BVG

[GC1980]

I am not a fan of PSA as a company and I think they have by far the worst holder of all three major grading companies.

That said, if you are looking to resell at any time, they are the cards that fetch the highest price in open auction.

I always say, buy the card, not the flip. I tend to hunt down the best looking card I can find in the best grade I can afford for my vintage, either PSA or SGC. Often times you can find a nicer SGC example for a lower price than the PSA counterpart. When that is the case that is the way I go.

[itsjustcardboar]

I've been getting a lot of cards graded recently and have had some interesting experiences with each company.

BVG/BGS - I think they are the best for modern cards, From the 1993 SP Jeter and on. They are a bit different in terms of grading as they display the subgrades for each card. I like that they give the transparency of the grades so you can judge how they did. This also allows you to educate yourself on grading and give you an edge on how to judge new cards.

PSA - They are definitely the best in terms of resale, and they are the largest player in the grading market. However, they have the worst customer service and they charge the most for each card. Their prices are a lot more.... almost 5-15 dollars per card depending on the level of each service you want. However, if you have a marquee card, I still think that it's worth getting it done by PSA only because the resale value will be higher and less volitile with it.

SGC - I live on the East coast, so dealing with this company is very easy. They are easy to work with and their turnaround times are much better than PSA. They are also very affordable at only $7 a card with their monthly special. I like the black matte border.

Overall, if you have a super high grade vintage card, I think you should go with PSA. If your 1951 Ted Williams is a solid grade and you plan on keeping it, I would go with SGC.

[BigDan502]

Pre war sgc, post war psa, modern bgs

+1"..............

[aliceinpains]

sgc and bgs have great holders and fast service.

PSA - Only reason why they get good prices is because of the registry. They were the first, so they have compiled the most customers.

PSA- Holders are cheap garbage
Poor service -could be 2 months until you get your cards back.
Up front fee of $100 just to have the option of getting a card graded.
Another $100 fee after a year and every year after.
crack and re-submit fraudulent company. They want you to send the same card in 2-3 times before it finally lands in one of their junk holders. More $ in their pocket and less in yours.

Why people still continue to give them business is beyond me. I learnt my lesson years ago. SGC or BGS is the way to go.

[sjim8660]

sgc and bgs have great holders and fast service.

PSA - Only reason why they get good prices is because of the registry. They were the first, so they have compiled the most customers.

PSA- Holders are cheap garbage
Poor service -could be 2 months until you get your cards back.
Up front fee of $100 just to have the option of getting a card graded.
Another $100 fee after a year and every year after.
crack and re-submit fraudulent company. They want you to send the same card in 2-3 times before it finally lands in one of their junk holders. More $ in their pocket and less in yours.

Why people still continue to give them business is beyond me. I learnt my lesson years ago. SGC or BGS is the way to go.
Just because their holders are thinner does not make them "Junk". People would not spend literally millions of dollars on cards that were graded by a "junk" company. PSA is the cheapest company in regards to price, it does take longer to get your cards back just because everyone uses them and they a get a lot of business. When you pay the $100.00 to become a member, you get access to grading specials and you get free grades and a subscription to their magazine. At the end of the day you get your money back. the free grades you get are a 7 day turnaround, you know how much BGS charges to get 6 cards graded at a 7 day turnaround? the closest they have is a 5 day grade at a whoping $25.00 a card, that's $150.00 compared to PSA's membership fee of $100.00 and the 6 free submissions. So....ya.

[aliceinpains]

it does take longer to get your cards back just because everyone uses them and they a get a lot of business.

I'm sorry, but this is no excuse for poor service. If i walk into a fast food place and have to wait an hour to get a cheeseburger("because everyone else is using them"), they wont be in business very long.

[itsjustcardboar]

Psa does have the absolutely worst service. I have 40 cards currently with them for their monthly special and it's only been... 55 days. They were submitted at a card show on 8/21 and was logged into their system on 8/28 and when I call the lady said it could take up to another month. Absolutely terrible service. So when they say 45 days, it really does not mean anything.

Sgc on the other hand has great customer service and they always finish their orders when they expect to,

[sjim8660]

Psa does have the absolutely worst service. I have 40 cards currently with them for their monthly special and it's only been... 55 days. They were submitted at a card show on 8/21 and was logged into their system on 8/28 and when I call the lady said it could take up to another month. Absolutely terrible service. So when they say 45 days, it really does not mean anything.

Sgc on the other hand has great customer service and they always finish their orders when they expect to,

That is a downside to PSA, I agree I have submitted lots of cards to them and sometimes you get them back on time and sometimes its way past the time frame. Hopefully you get your grades back soon and you do good on them.

[aliceinpains]

Psa does have the absolutely worst service. I have 40 cards currently with them for their monthly special and it's only been... 55 days. They were submitted at a card show on 8/21 and was logged into their system on 8/28 and when I call the lady said it could take up to another month. Absolutely terrible service. So when they say 45 days, it really does not mean anything.

Sgc on the other hand has great customer service and they always finish their orders when they expect to,

That is horrible. There have been times i have sent cards to SGC, and got them back 7 days later. I would not tolerate a 2 month wait.

[AndyE89]

I would have to say for resale value, PSA will trump SGC.

PSA has the reputation built up as an authority in vintage grading.

Personally, I prefer SGC, but when it comes to the overall investment, I would have to say PSA.

I know PSA has changed their slabs numerous times, and each time it is done to cut costs. I do not agree with their cheap slabs, but I do understand why the change had occured.

In short, the market seems to like PSA better, but SGC is much more quality for Personal collections.

I also think SGC will eventually surpass PSA in the grading field for ALL vintage. They already have gone outside of the standard card market in their grading. It is only a matter of time before they begin to gain more popularity and trust from collectors.

[mgugs46]

I like SGC's case better, but PSA will outsell any post war vintage card IMO

Simple solution - sell it to me :)!

[alifaxwa2]

PSA announced today they have upgraded the security of there slabs, and modified them sufficiently that certain oversized card won't go straight into a pack slab. The new slabs now are similarly sealed to BGS; Top over bottom instead of sandwiched and, these new slabs stack neatly with the old slabs.
PSA Introduces Safety and Security Improvements to Its Holders (http://www.psacard.com/Articles/ArticleView/7946/psa-introduces-safety-and-security-improvements-to-its-holders)
http://images.collectors.com/articles/psa-new-holders-side-by-side-2013nov12.jpg

[AndyE89]

We now have a winner, pretty much all around ^^^

[sjim8660]

I am glad they upgraded their cases. It is the only logical thing to do, that is if you want to stay on top. The upgrade was also not a drastic change that would affect the value of the "older" holders. Sounds good to me.

[AndyE89]

If I am correct and not seeing things, their old slabs used to be of pretty good quality. It was more recently that they seemed to have changed. I noticed a flimsy-er feeling to them. Almost like they changed the plastic. Either way I am happy they are going with more rigid and better sealing slabs. Hopefully will give better aesthetics as well.

[MeteoriteGuy]

"PSA - Only reason why they get good prices is because of the registry. They were the first, so they have compiled the most customers."

I never understood why people repeat this so much. Yes, PSA has been around longer, but not much. Didn't they start 1998 and the other two 2000? So how is a 15 year old company a vet, and 13-year old companies the young guys?

All three have a registry.

[duwal]

sgc and bgs have great holders and fast service.

PSA - Only reason why they get good prices is because of the registry. They were the first, so they have compiled the most customers.

PSA- Holders are cheap garbage
Poor service -could be 2 months until you get your cards back.
Up front fee of $100 just to have the option of getting a card graded.
Another $100 fee after a year and every year after.
crack and re-submit fraudulent company. They want you to send the same card in 2-3 times before it finally lands in one of their junk holders. More $ in their pocket and less in yours.

Why people still continue to give them business is beyond me. I learnt my lesson years ago. SGC or BGS is the way to go.


Its all about personal collector preference. I, for one, really only care to pick up vintage cards graded by PSA (except for the rare pre-1948 which I go SGC). I absolutely love the look and the lightness of the PSA case over other, think BGS is way too bulky of a case for my liking. My PSA cases have never had any issue with breaking or cracking or anything else so not really sure what you're doing to yours in order to say that they are garbage

[Sean1125]

When it comes to low value cards PSA and SGC are fairly even. In higher grades on broadly collected registries PSA commands a superior price. SGC has a better look and typically more value for pre-war than PSA. Beckett really isn't a contender and I do not think they want to be, they are #1 for modern and should remain that way as long as they don't mess something up.

[aliceinpains]

"PSA - Only reason why they get good prices is because of the registry. They were the first, so they have compiled the most customers."

I never understood why people repeat this so much. Yes, PSA has been around longer, but not much. Didn't they start 1998 and the other two 2000? So how is a 15 year old company a vet, and 13-year old companies the young guys?

All three have a registry.

PSA started in 1991.

[MeteoriteGuy]

PSA started in 1991.

Okay, but still, 14 (not 13) year old companies are hardly new guys. At what point are they no longer rcs?

[AndyE89]

With any grading company, in any collectible market, EVERYTHING is subjective.

Just as well, even the grades can be considered subjective.

PSA has built a reputation because it is consistent, and can gain solid ground on registry sets based on that fact alone. They have however, cut many corners with their service.

SGC is knowledgeable and has great grading practices, but has shown many inconsistencies throughtout its time. They also have an excellent service with them. There reputation has been gaining a lot of ground.

BGS Has excellent reputation, well known in terms of valuation. Mainly for modern era cards. Great service, with good grading practices. However, they have many inconsistencies and many are evident throughout the marketplace.

You have pros, and cons with ANY company. No matter how long they have been around. These are the 3 big dogs in the sports card grading business today. Possibly the only 3 we will ever have. It is still all subjective. There are known downfalls with all 3, and known positive outcomes as well.

[Goudey]

I'm a big fan of SGC but if you're going to sell the card I think buyers would lean more towards it being PSA graded.

[adkos9]

PSA does have good rates if you're a member, and the turnaround you can wait forever sometimes. I have found that if you send smaller orders ( 25-40 cards) the turnaround can be a few weeks. What is brutal though is if you email them or call them with any concerns they can take forever to get back to you.

[callou2131]

For vintage I like SGC. They look really good in that holder, they custom the inserts to fit all the non standard sized vintage cards like Num Nums, exhibits etc. and right now they have a GREAT special going on for lesser vintage cards. December Grading Specials
20-Day Special:
$5 per card valued at $100 or less. 20 bus. day turnaround time.

I am going to be sending a bunch. You just cant beat that.

[patsfan52]

psa for sure