SGC vs. PSA vs. GAI

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Posted By: bigfish

How would folks rate these companies?

1 SGC
2 PSA
3 GAI

SGC gets tons of props for their quality and holders. The black color contrast makes the cards look better. Whoever designed this type of holder was very smart.
In my opinion, most SGC cards would grade higher at psa or gai. What do other folks think?

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Posted By: Brian

This will be fun -- over/under on responses is 115.5

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Posted By: JimB

I predict 150+ responses and at least two good battles of words.
JimB

P.S. I think SPG is the best.

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Posted By: Sean Coe

What I look for in a grading company is consistency and fairness. Strict for the sake of being strict imho is not much better than being ridiculously lenient. I like SGC's holders and I prefer GAI's scale.

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Posted By: JudgeDred (Fred)

The over/under is a good idea, now what about the spread/ratio?

In order of preference:

SGC - more consist, nice holders, seem to understand vintage market the best.

PSA - well, they are PSA and even if they do boneheaded things. I'd call it pretty close between PSA and GAI.

GAI - I like there little tabs on the top of the holders which provide card information. That in itself almost makes them equal to PSA (in my book). GAI does have a few lienient standards with which I don't agree. If PSA doesn't watch out GAI will pass them (at least in my opinion).

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Posted By: Charlie O'Neal

IMO

I like SGC the most b/c of the black background and the consistency in grading. It does seem that SGC will grade cards better that might be potentially be miscut though. When given the chance I will buy cards graded by SGC over all others with PSA a fairly close second. I have a pretty good idea of what the card will look like when I buy an SGC card and most of the time the same goes for PSA (lower grades).

The really only problem that I have with PSA is that they give favor grades for high end cards to high volume dealers. My evidence for this is some of the T206's in the mastro auction. If I remember correctly there is a Ty Cobb (Red) PSA 7 or 8 that has a major defect on the card that any other day would make the card a 2, 3, or 4. This defect is pointed out in the auction. Until PSA treates everyone on a level playing field they will probably continue to get a bad rap which they deserve if they are unwilling to change the way they do business and treat everyone equal.

As far as GAI goes they are in the same boat as PRO or any other fly by night grading company. They are the most inconsistent grading company of the 3 big names. While GAI does have it's own grading system it seems as though it's comes from another planet. The lower grade cards that I have seen on ebay leaves me to wonder if the only way to get a 1 grade on a card is if the card is not 100% whole and even then some of the cards get a 1.5 with some of the card missing. I have seen some beater cards grade anywhere from a 1.5 to a 2. That would get the Poor grade from PSA or SGC.
Of the GAI cards that I own I will not try to cross them over b/c it looks as though all of them are over graded compared to PSA and SGC by a grade.

Sorry no spell check on this computer.

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Posted By: Paul Griggs

I dont have a big preference between those 3. Slight edge to SGC. I know I'm gonna get beat up for this, but I think BVG is closing in on them. I believe they have or are going to do away with the sub-grading scale, that seemingly caused many of thier cards to be under graded. They do seem to be consistent & accurate.

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Posted By: Tony Andrea

All 3 are fine with me. Dont favor one more than the other.
If I want a card, and it's in any one of the three companies holder mentioned, and looks accurately graded, wouldn't hesitate for one second.
These are also the only three authenticators I choose to purchase product from and to send raw material into.

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Posted By: Anonymous

SGC- by far, more skills in pre-war cards
PSA- to me dumb founded to pre-war, and PSA/DNA is a joke to me
GAI- To generious for grading pre-war.
Beckett- Nothing against them really

I really dont care who grades the card, i just care about the card!!!!! values really shouldnt go up and down due to different grading companies...

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Posted By: Charlie O'Neal

Paul,

BVG has gotten rid of the sub grades on it's holders. It will interesting to know if they still use the same formula though to grade the cards.

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Posted By: scott ingold

Every BVG card i've cracked (t206) has come back trimmed. Needless to say i would not buy from them. My favorite by a small margine is gai over sgc. Other than some ?'s with the lower grade stuff i have nothing but positive things to say about them. As i said in another post most if not all of my gai 3 - 7's would move up one or 1 and a 1/2. + WAY to many BS issue's with psa in general.