Grading Question PSA vs BGS

[quinnsryche]

Just wondering if there is a concensus or is it all a matter of opinion, for graded cards of current vintage (last 3-4 years), is a BGS 9.5 or PSA 10 more desireable? Prices seem to be in the same ballpark but which would the average collector rather have?
Any and all opinions welcome and appreciated.

[cubsfan-budman]

There are tons of opinions...not to be a jerk, but a search will find several good threads on this.

Maybe more exhaustive than what you'll get from your thread.

[quinnsryche]

I couldn't find anything, can anyone post a link to the better threads?
Thanks.

[chaddurbin]

bowman chromes, go with bgs as the penny sleeve will protect the card better. psa slabs might scratch it. imo for cards last 2-3 years most would prefer beckett. i like the beckett slab. sturdy, firm, and your card is protected on all sides.

[Brendan]

Go with BGS. Cheaper, chance of getting a perfect ten and having your card go for multiples of what it's really worth, and a better case.

[the 'stache]

For modern cards, I am inclined to agree with those that say go with Beckett. The lion's share of my collection are Bowman Chrome certified autograph cards, and when I look to buy a graded one, I always go with Beckett.

Two reasons:

1.) Resale value tends to be higher, as there is much more detail to the final grade with Beckett than there is with PSA. PSA gives you one grade for the card overall, as has SGC historically (though I see that they have started doing half grades. I'll have to look into the specifics). Beckett gives you four "sub grades" (centering, surface, corners and edges), and those 4 numbers are used in an algorithm to determine the final overall grade. They also give a separate grade for the autograph itself.

Most people consider a Beckett 9.5 and a PSA 10 the same, with a Beckett (BGS) 10 pretty much being the king of the hill in modern cards. If you find a ten, it's pretty much a flawless card, even under magnification.

2.) The slab. While PSA and SGC slabs are sonically sealed (the seams of the slab are welded shut), they can be popped without leaving any evidence of tampering (yes, it is possible. I have seen it). Beckett's slab can be popped, but if you do it, you're going to destroy the slab, and it's impossible to reuse it. If you get a card that's BGS slabbed, you can pretty much be sure that it's the original card. With PSA (and I'd assume for SGC), there is always a chance that it's been tampered with (how much of a chance, I am not sure. I would say it's low, unless the seller has a high level of sophistication with popping them). Additionally, as was mentioned earlier, the card itself is placed in a plastic sleeve which protects the card inside the hard case. PSA's card is free to move around slightly.

[quinnsryche]

Bill, thanks for the detailed explanation. That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.
Thanks again,
Tony

[the 'stache]

Welcome, Tony, from a fellow Queensryche fan. :)

[DetroitSquirreL]

Go with BGS. Cheaper, chance of getting a perfect ten and having your card go for multiples of what it's really worth, and a better case.

proof they dont grade the card as what it REALLY is....make mine PSA everyday of the week!

[the 'stache]

proof they dont grade the card as what it REALLY is....make mine PSA everyday of the week!

How would that be proof that they don't grade the card as what it really is? Beckett is a much tougher grader than PSA is when it comes to modern cards. That is why they command a premium over PSA.

[mybestbretts]

You know, I used to hear that Beckett was much tougher then PSA but
I really don't know. I have a friend that got a card back from PSA as
trimmed and guess what Beckett graded it. I know on OPC cards that
Beckett and SGC will grade cards that have been "smoothed" and PSA won't.
I think personally, its who you like best. I am in the PSA registry and so
I don't buy BGS or SGC anymore. Got burnt on buying to crossover on
some OPC cards.

[toledo_mudhen]

Just to add a bit of fuel to this fire - I have been burnt many times trying to cross PSA & BGS cards to SGC........

I only collect vintage and I feel like SGC does a great job with the best customer service in the industry AND they have the best looking slab - bar none - but if I were to slab anything modern - I would go with BGS.

Here again the main motivation would be to try and hit the elusive BGS 10 which is pretty much like winning the lottery.

(IMHO) :cool:

[t206blogcom]

SGC is the best all around in my opinion in terms of trust, consistency and protection vs aesthetics. With that said, I own slabs of all three.

My personal preference:

SGC: Pre-war and vintage

PSA: Modern

Beckett: Will accept on modern cards if the card is difficult to come by, but really prefer PSA for modern. Will accept on vintage and pre-war cards, but not my first choice.

My two cents.

[bcubs]

I do a mixture of collecting current as well as vintage issues. For current cards go BGS, especially with rookie cards, autographs, and Bowman issues. For older items you can't go wrong with PSA. Pre-war SGC is your choice. Having said all that, I recently graded some Mike Trout 2011 rookie cards with PSA, came back 10's, and realized some nice prices.

[CharleyBrown]

Has anybody attempted / had any success crossing PSA 10s to BGS 10s?

[Zach Wheat]

I think it would be PSA 10 to BGS 9.5. Beckett 10 is Pristine which is 1 step up from Gm Mint or the PSA equivalent