First Time Grading Experience (BGS)

kingofsnake · 05-20-2026, 01:54 PM

I want to share a recent experience I had with BGS. Some background: I have been collecting cards for over 40 years and this was my first time grading. I am a collector and not a dealer or business owner. I have four Fleer Masterpiece 1/1 cards that have been in my collection for many years. I wanted to get them authenticated should my family need to sell them in the future. Due to the glut of fakes in the hobby, I thought this would be a prudent thing to do.

I chose BGS over PSA as I did not want to face some arbitrary upcharge. When trying to do online BGS submission, I did not see any option to only authenticate cards, so I chose Standard Grading option (25 Business Days). In addition, I decided to grade three non-Masterpiece cards in the same order. I noticed that BGS was going to be at a card show in Las Vegas and accepting in person submissions so I decided it might be safer to do that instead of going through FedEx.

On January 10th I attended the Front Row show in Las Vegas. I submitted the seven cards to the BGS representative (Mike Gardner) and paid for 7 Standard Grading ($34.95 each), return shipping ($28.00) and I purchased $360.00 for insurance (which was supposed to cover $24,000). The rep seemed incredulous that I wanted so much insurance, but with the seemingly rampant mail theft these days, I thought this was sensible.

On February 4th I received an e-mail that my order was invoiced and in the queue for verification.

On February 11th I received an e-mail that the order was verified and in the queue for grading.

On February 24th I received an e-mail that my order was graded and in the queue for encapsulation.

On May 14th I received an e-mail that the order was shipped via FedEx. The package was actually shipped USPS Priority. I did not realize this until yesterday and finally picked up the package on May 20th.

I opened the package today and discovered that the 4 Masterpiece cards were not graded. They came with a slip of paper that said: "We can't grade 1/1 Masterpieces." The 3 non-Masterpiece cards were graded normally. A few days ago I received a refund of $104.95 to my credit card. I see now that it was a refund for 3 ungraded cards at $34.95 each (it should have been 4).

So my feeling today was part relief at finally getting the cards back, but also of disappointment as I did not accomplish my goal of authenticating those 4 cards. In total, I paid $527.80 and waited 4 months to grade 3 cards. I am frustrated because, when I submitted the orders online, I did not see anything in their Terms of Service where they say they don't grade 1/1 Masterpiece cards. When the rep processed my order, he did not say anything about BGS not grading 1/1 Masterpiece cards. In fact, a quick eBay search will show many examples of BGS graded Fleer 1/1 Masterpiece cards, some from the exact same sets.

I would have never submitted these cards had I known this, let alone pay $360 for extra insurance. I sent them an e-mail today voicing my displeasure, but I am not hopeful of getting a reply. During these past four months, I have sent them several e-mails - during the month that the order did not show as received and during the past 3 months waiting for encapsulation - and I think I only received one human reply. BGS customer service is abysmal but, as noted on the BGS tracker thread, it seems all the grading companies have horrible CS ratings.

I made this post to share my experience. Aside from those 3 recently graded cards, I do not own any graded cards and I do not intend on grading cards ever again. I will chalk this up to a learning experience. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts.

RKH916 · 05-20-2026, 06:53 PM

Their reason was legitimately "We can't grade 1/1 Masterpieces"? Noting further?

That's very weird. I know for sure I've seen a 1997 Fleer Ultra Rodman Masterpieces in a BGS 8 slab.

I just don't understand this, it doesn't make sense. I'd be reaching out to one of the higher ups to get a proper explanation.

kingofsnake · 05-20-2026, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RKH916

Their reason was legitimately "We can't grade 1/1 Masterpieces"? Noting further?

That's very weird. I know for sure I've seen a 1997 Fleer Ultra Rodman Masterpieces in a BGS 8 slab.

I just don't understand this, it doesn't make sense. I'd be reaching out to one of the higher ups to get a proper explanation.

Yes, exactly. Just on a little slip of paper: "We can't grade 1/1 Masterpieces."

mjohnatgt · 05-20-2026, 09:36 PM

BGS owned by PSA parent company. Rules changed.

RKH916 · 05-20-2026, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjohnatgt

BGS owned by PSA parent company. Rules changed.

Collectors aren't letting Beckett grade 90s-2000s 1/1 cards now? If so, just lol

RKH916 · 05-20-2026, 10:22 PM

I've started a Twitter/X thread @ GM Colin Hudson and Nat Turner.

Hopefully they can give us some answers here. But if this is a recent change it would seem apparent to me that Collectors is cock-blocking Beckett.

https://x.com/RKH916/status/2057300133101142398

I encourage you to reply to that thread so that it gains some traction and they can't ignore it

Donkaylove · 05-20-2026, 10:36 PM

They are trying to misdirect and steer you to the psa, upcharge,vault, and end product visibility.

kingofsnake · 05-20-2026, 10:51 PM

Thanks for that, RKH916. I did post a reply on X.

I think what Donkaylove posted makes a lot of sense.

kingofsnake · 05-23-2026, 02:25 PM

This is the information I got, by the way:

CaptSpaulding · 05-23-2026, 04:02 PM

As a result of Collectors having bought both SGC and Beckett, there are endless changes at both companies that you do not get to find out about until after you submit or worse, after your grades are posted. My theory is that Collectors is keeping both companies around to not completely alienate those who use those services but making both companies less and less attractive as a grading option.

Everyone needs to make sure to not forget to send Nat Turner a Christmas gift for all the great things he is doing for the hobby.

05-20-2026, 01:54 PM	#1
kingofsnake Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Napa Valley Posts: 4,764	First Time Grading Experience (BGS) I want to share a recent experience I had with BGS. Some background: I have been collecting cards for over 40 years and this was my first time grading. I am a collector and not a dealer or business owner. I have four Fleer Masterpiece 1/1 cards that have been in my collection for many years. I wanted to get them authenticated should my family need to sell them in the future. Due to the glut of fakes in the hobby, I thought this would be a prudent thing to do. I chose BGS over PSA as I did not want to face some arbitrary upcharge. When trying to do online BGS submission, I did not see any option to only authenticate cards, so I chose Standard Grading option (25 Business Days). In addition, I decided to grade three non-Masterpiece cards in the same order. I noticed that BGS was going to be at a card show in Las Vegas and accepting in person submissions so I decided it might be safer to do that instead of going through FedEx. On January 10th I attended the Front Row show in Las Vegas. I submitted the seven cards to the BGS representative (Mike Gardner) and paid for 7 Standard Grading ($34.95 each), return shipping ($28.00) and I purchased $360.00 for insurance (which was supposed to cover $24,000). The rep seemed incredulous that I wanted so much insurance, but with the seemingly rampant mail theft these days, I thought this was sensible. On February 4th I received an e-mail that my order was invoiced and in the queue for verification. On February 11th I received an e-mail that the order was verified and in the queue for grading. On February 24th I received an e-mail that my order was graded and in the queue for encapsulation. On May 14th I received an e-mail that the order was shipped via FedEx. The package was actually shipped USPS Priority. I did not realize this until yesterday and finally picked up the package on May 20th. I opened the package today and discovered that the 4 Masterpiece cards were not graded. They came with a slip of paper that said: "We can't grade 1/1 Masterpieces." The 3 non-Masterpiece cards were graded normally. A few days ago I received a refund of $104.95 to my credit card. I see now that it was a refund for 3 ungraded cards at $34.95 each (it should have been 4). So my feeling today was part relief at finally getting the cards back, but also of disappointment as I did not accomplish my goal of authenticating those 4 cards. In total, I paid $527.80 and waited 4 months to grade 3 cards. I am frustrated because, when I submitted the orders online, I did not see anything in their Terms of Service where they say they don't grade 1/1 Masterpiece cards. When the rep processed my order, he did not say anything about BGS not grading 1/1 Masterpiece cards. In fact, a quick eBay search will show many examples of BGS graded Fleer 1/1 Masterpiece cards, some from the exact same sets. I would have never submitted these cards had I known this, let alone pay $360 for extra insurance. I sent them an e-mail today voicing my displeasure, but I am not hopeful of getting a reply. During these past four months, I have sent them several e-mails - during the month that the order did not show as received and during the past 3 months waiting for encapsulation - and I think I only received one human reply. BGS customer service is abysmal but, as noted on the BGS tracker thread, it seems all the grading companies have horrible CS ratings. I made this post to share my experience. Aside from those 3 recently graded cards, I do not own any graded cards and I do not intend on grading cards ever again. I will chalk this up to a learning experience. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts. __________________ I collect Joe Johnson - 2,846 different cards, 531 1/1's. www.ilocust.com/hobby.htm

05-20-2026, 10:51 PM	#8
kingofsnake Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Napa Valley Posts: 4,764	Thanks for that, RKH916. I did post a reply on X. I think what Donkaylove posted makes a lot of sense. __________________ I collect Joe Johnson - 2,846 different cards, 531 1/1's. www.ilocust.com/hobby.htm

05-23-2026, 02:25 PM	#9
kingofsnake Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Napa Valley Posts: 4,764	This is the information I got, by the way: __________________ I collect Joe Johnson - 2,846 different cards, 531 1/1's. www.ilocust.com/hobby.htm

05-20-2026, 06:53 PM	#2
RKH916 Member Join Date: Oct 2024 Posts: 568	Their reason was legitimately "We can't grade 1/1 Masterpieces"? Noting further? That's very weird. I know for sure I've seen a 1997 Fleer Ultra Rodman Masterpieces in a BGS 8 slab. I just don't understand this, it doesn't make sense. I'd be reaching out to one of the higher ups to get a proper explanation.

05-20-2026, 09:36 PM	#4
mjohnatgt Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Niceville, FL Posts: 14,937 mjohnatgt mjohnatgt	BGS owned by PSA parent company. Rules changed.

05-20-2026, 10:22 PM	#6
RKH916 Member Join Date: Oct 2024 Posts: 568	I've started a Twitter/X thread @ GM Colin Hudson and Nat Turner. Hopefully they can give us some answers here. But if this is a recent change it would seem apparent to me that Collectors is cock-blocking Beckett. https://x.com/RKH916/status/2057300133101142398 I encourage you to reply to that thread so that it gains some traction and they can't ignore it

05-20-2026, 10:36 PM	#7
Donkaylove Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: PNW Posts: 3,258	They are trying to misdirect and steer you to the psa, upcharge,vault, and end product visibility.

05-23-2026, 04:02 PM	#10
CaptSpaulding Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: So Cal Posts: 1,472	As a result of Collectors having bought both SGC and Beckett, there are endless changes at both companies that you do not get to find out about until after you submit or worse, after your grades are posted. My theory is that Collectors is keeping both companies around to not completely alienate those who use those services but making both companies less and less attractive as a grading option. Everyone needs to make sure to not forget to send Nat Turner a Christmas gift for all the great things he is doing for the hobby.