New SGC Grading scale updates!!

[Leon]

I was asked to post this on behalf of SGC. I know nothing more than what is being posted here....best regards..LL

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With the National two weeks away now, we wanted to inform the collecting community of an important update to our grading system. Effective immediately, four new half grades will be available as part of the grading scale. The new grades are as follows:

• SGC 35 – 2.5 GOOD+
• SGC 45 – 3.5 VG+
• SGC 55 – 4.5 VG/EX+
• SGC 82 – 6.5 EX/NM+

For years, collectors have been asking for more options at the lower end of the scale where condition can vary greatly. These new half grades will serve to reward cards that are high-end for their grade with special attention paid to eye appeal. All cards submitted for grading will be eligible for half grades—there is no special process. Cards that are already graded by SGC may be submitted for review under any of the applicable grading fee tiers.

These grades are being added to round out the options available when it comes to assessing trading cards. They are not being added to complicate things for collectors. As such, the labels will remain the same so that consistency within a collection can be maintained and the 100 point scale will be preserved to avoid difficulties with the registry, the population reports, and other established areas.

We’ll be set up in the corporate area in Baltimore and encourage anyone attending to stop by and see how the new half grades present. As usual, on-site grading will be offered all week for raw cards, crossovers and reviews. Please feel free to call or e-mail us with any questions.

Thank you,

Sportscard Guaranty
800-742-9212




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[E93]

Seems like a great idea. There is a much wider range between grades at the lower ends. Makes sense. I am happy to hear they are doing this!

Personally, I think this would be a good time to drop the 100 point scale and just do 1-10 with the half grades. I know they put those on anyway. Why not just keep it simple and in line with what has become an industry standard for grading scales.
JimB

[glchen]

Sounds like a great idea also. Will there be any way to determine if a card has been graded before these new half grades came out or after? For example, for PSA, you could tell the pre-half grades since the grade and number were on the same line, but after-half grades, they were on separate lines.

[travrosty]

just like psa, just another opportunity to make more money by sending in cards you already had sent into them the first time, hoping to get a half grade bump, they will have 3/4 grades soon when they need more money.

[carrigansghost]

Just keep bitching about things that you do not have to do. Don't like a show on TV....Don't watch it. Don't like a new business in town...Don't go. If the collectors want this service, then OK use it. I find my time is better suited to trying to get people back to reality, than complaining about a new service.

Just for general info, I don't get things graded by anyone but me.

Rawn

[HRBAKER]

Is there a Net54 SGC Grading Special @ the National this year?
Maybe Half Price in honor of Half Grades?

[christopher.herman]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

Is there a Net54 SGC Grading Special @ the National this year?
Maybe Half Price in honor of Half Grades?

+1

[V117collector]

Originally Posted by travrosty

just like psa, just another opportunity to make more money by sending in cards you already had sent into them the first time, hoping to get a half grade bump, they will have 3/4 grades soon when they need more money.

+1

[t206hound]

Gonna make it tougher to get all forties

[AndyG09]

Originally Posted by carrigansghost

Just keep bitching about things that you do not have to do. Don't like a show on TV....Don't watch it. Don't like a new business in town...Don't go. If the collectors want this service, then OK use it. I find my time is better suited to trying to get people back to reality, than complaining about a new service.

Well put, Rawn. I dig it.

Best,

Andy

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by t206hound

Gonna make it tougher to get all forties

You're already sitting on a bunch of 45s, so you're actually going backward.

[Ronnie73]

Originally Posted by t206hound

Gonna make it tougher to get all forties

You might have to get all your 40's bumped up to 45's and finish off with all SGC 45's. I like 50's but since i buy only high end 50's, i probably have alot of 55's

[Bicem]

more false precision in my humble opinion.

[T206Collector]

I love SGC, but I agree there is no reason for this change. They started with a proverbial 100-point scale -- obviously they knew there was more room for detail from the get go. Why in 2012 does it suddenly make sense?

This is a rare move without substance that we seldom see from SGC. Hopefully it is not a portent of things to come.

[Jaybird]

Originally Posted by carrigansghost

Just keep bitching about things that you do not have to do. Don't like a show on TV....Don't watch it. Don't like a new business in town...Don't go. If the collectors want this service, then OK use it. I find my time is better suited to trying to get people back to reality, than complaining about a new service.

Just for general info, I don't get things graded by anyone but me.

Rawn

I find it slightly ironic that you bitch about people bitching about things.

[Bicem]

It actually does make sense to have them if they have them at the higher end scale, may as well be consistent across the entire grade scale.

Still false precision to me, but that's really any grading scale.

[Davy_Kangaroo_Jones]

Originally Posted by travrosty

just like psa, just another opportunity to make more money by sending in cards you already had sent into them the first time, hoping to get a half grade bump, they will have 3/4 grades soon when they need more money.

This.

[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by Bicem

more false precision in my humble opinion.

+1

[E93]

Originally Posted by travrosty

just like psa, just another opportunity to make more money by sending in cards you already had sent into them the first time, hoping to get a half grade bump, they will have 3/4 grades soon when they need more money.

Other than cards where the difference in value between a 2 and 2.5 or 3 and 3.5 is substantial, I doubt there will be a whole lot of resubmits for half grades. I believe they were responding to collector requests.
JimB

[carrigansghost]

Well, Jason, I tend to comment on people that bitch about things constantly. I again state that I have not sent things to be graded and have no choice in grading companies.

Rawn

[sox1903wschamp]

Greeeeeat! In reference to the original topic.

[Bicem]

Originally Posted by carrigansghost

Well, Jason, I tend to comment on people that bitch about things constantly. I again state that I have not sent things to be graded and have no choice in grading companies.

Rawn

bitching on an internet message board?! now I've seen it all.

[3-2-count]

I personally could care less about the half grade system. Eye appeal trumps all regardless of the number that's typed on the flip by some monkey.

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by Bicem

more false precision in my humble opinion.

+1

[Ronnie73]

I believe the half grades are needed but should have been started when the TPG'ers decided to go into business. Hopefully they never follow their coin grading standards. Coins are graded on a 70 point scale and both PCGS(PSA) and NGC(SGC) use single points from 60 to 70. Imagine ten different grades for a PSA 9 (9.0 to 9.9).

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by E93

Other than cards where the difference in value between a 2 and 2.5 or 3 and 3.5 is substantial, I doubt there will be a whole lot of resubmits for half grades. I believe they were responding to collector requests.
JimB

Agreed with this. This change mainly affects cards at the lower end of the grading scale and I think most people aren't going to pay money to have their lower end cards re-evaluated. Assuming you get the bump, a half point grade probably won't make that much of a difference in the value of most cards (obviously there will be exceptions) in that grade range.

Yes, this was a response to customer requests. This is different than PSA's half grade implementation. PSA's half point change was profit driven. Their review special that immediately followed their new change proved that.

[Bocabirdman]

Show 100 people, who do not suffer from color-blindness, either an example of blue or an example of green and they likely will be able to identify the color correctly. Show the same 100 people a card starting with blue on the left side and morphing to green on the right. Ask them to pinpoint exactly where blue becomes green and you will get many different answers. The answers will be skewed by subjectivity. The extra grade options will offer the same results.

[tbob]

Originally Posted by 3-2-count

I personally could care less about the half grade system. Eye appeal trumps all regardless of the number that's typed on the flip by some monkey.

+1

I think it's long over due. PSA grades like crap anyways so its pointless to have 1/2 points when it really don't matter. SGC on the other hand is more accurate and thus 1/2 points will allow even better grading accuracy. This is JMO

[Robextend]

Originally Posted by 3-2-count

I personally could care less about the half grade system. Eye appeal trumps all regardless of the number that's typed on the flip by some monkey.

+2

[e107collector]

Originally Posted by Pup6913

SGC on the other hand is more accurate and thus 1/2 points will allow even better grading accuracy. This is JMO

Andrew, I also like the half grade point system for lower to mid grade cards. I have a few I will resubmit.

Tony

[HercDriver]

There should be an 11, for like when a 10 isn't good enough and you need just a little more...

Cheers,
Geno

[Jay Wolt]

Gino, actually SGC sorta has an "11" the Pristine grade.
The Pristine grade is a SGC-100, while there SGC-98 is a Gem Mint grade
A PSA-10 is Gem Mint, so for PSA to have a higher grade then Gem Mint
they would have to incorporate an "11" to equal SGC's Pristine grade.

[markf31]

Originally Posted by 3-2-count

I personally could care less about the half grade system. Eye appeal trumps all regardless of the number that's typed on the flip by some monkey.

+1.5

[Matthew H]

Wow this is really exciting! I can't wait to spend good money trying to increase the value of my cards by upgrading the plastic!

[barrysloate]

It's funny how whenever we have a thread about grading, people have strong opinions and always take sides. I guess there will always be the pro-slabbers and those who don't care for it.

[RGold]

My 1954 Red Heart Musial run of all grades just got much harder to complete.

http://imageevent.com/rgold/rgoldsco...redheartmusial

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

It's funny how whenever we have a thread about grading, people have strong opinions and always take sides. I guess there will always be the pro-slabbers and those who don't care for it.

I'm hugely pro-slab, and really don't care for this move.

[barrysloate]

It's a move that helps SGC stay more competitive with PSA, and also adds to their bottom line as collectors resubmit cards for a second look. Does the hobby really need it? Probably not. But SGC is a good company and I understand it's a business decision.

[Peter_Spaeth]

The addition of an "82" makes their grading scale even more confusing and, really, nonsensical. 55-60-70-80-82-84??? I agree with the poster who said they should now just go to 1-10, with .5s representing the half grades. As for the "100" they could just label the card "pristine" without need for a numerical grade.

[GasHouseGang]

I'm all for SGC adding the half grades. Hopefully all of the big players will spend all their money on getting their cards bumped a half grade and not be able to afford that card I've had my eye on!

[travrosty]

so if i had a card that was almost a 5, but not quite, it gets a 4, i sell it to somebody for $300. now that sgc decides they want to give out half grades, he sends it in and it gets a 4.5, he can now sell it to someone else and make more than i did because half grades werent "invented" yet.

when they say that the customer demands it, they mean that a few, well-heeled customers with huge collections demanded it. its all about $$$$.

if sgc were to lose money by implementing half grades, they wouldnt just do it because the customer demands it. they knew they could make more $$$ by doing it, so they did it.

getting a company to do something that make sense even though it wont make them money is hard and almost impossible, look at psa/dna autographs. they know what the right thing to do with autograph authentication, for many years, but they wont implement any changes that are a money loser, even if it is for the betterment of the hobby. they only implement changes that $$$$ and $$$$, for better or worse, and most times worse in my view.

if you agreed with me, then i wouldnt be bitching, its only bitching because we disagree. let's all agree on everything from now on. shake.

[barrysloate]

What happens if you send a card to SGC for a half grade bump, and the grader discovers it was altered and they missed it the first time around? Does the card get downsized, or does it have immunity?

[peterose4hof]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

What happens if you send a card to SGC for a half grade bump, and the grader discovers it was altered and they missed it the first time around? Does the card get downsized, or does it have immunity?

Excellent question! PSA, has a guarantee that if you resubmit a card, it has the possibility of being upgraded, but not downgraded. SGC would be wise to offer a similar guarantee, but I haven't seen anything suggesting this.

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

What happens if you send a card to SGC for a half grade bump, and the grader discovers it was altered and they missed it the first time around? Does the card get downsized, or does it have immunity?

Don't think that scenerio would come up very often. If a card was overgraded to begin with,
the submitter probably wouldn't spend money thinking it would bump.
I'd imagine submitters would be sending in cards that looked high end for the grade.

[ullmandds]

"SGC would be wise to offer a similar guarantee, but I haven't seen anything suggesting this. "

I couldn't disagree more with this policy...talk about being all about the money for PSA/SGC?

How many people would resubmit their cards if there was a chance that the grade could go down? Not many!!!!

This change within SGC...while deemed necessary due to PSA doing it...is not going to be good for the hobby in any way shape of form!

[terjung]

Originally Posted by markf31

+1.5

now that's funny!


Back when I cared more about the number on the flip than I do now, I always found it a bit odd that there wasn't an 82 / 6.5. Given that they had a 1.5 (SGC 20) and some half grades on the upper end, it makes sense that they'd add the ones in the lower-mid range.

I can only think about Scott's beautiful T206 Wagner when hearing about this news. I'd imagine that card is due for a bump.

[barrysloate]

Agree completely with Peter. The only way this has any integrity is if there is a risk/reward system built in. That way SGC is able to correct any mistakes they may have made in the past (it happens) and the submitter fully understands the risks going in. If it's only a one-way street then it's nothing more than a handout.

I've always rated SGC head and shoulders the best grading company, and I hope they do this the right way.

[markf31]

so if i had a card that was almost a 5, but not quite, it gets a 4, i sell it to somebody for $300. now that sgc decides they want to give out half grades, he sends it in and it gets a 4.5, he can now sell it to someone else and make more than i did because half grades werent "invented" yet.

That situation already existed, you don't think there were SGCs crossed to PSA since PSA implemented half point grades?

[t206hound]

The grading scale page on SGC does not (yet) contain guidelines for what constitutes the new grades: http://sgccard.com/grading_scale.htm

Any ideas? Strictly focus and/or centering? Simply stronger than an "x" but not good enough to be a "y"?