New SGC Slabs
 

They may not be all that new I’m not sure when they started doing this, but what do people think of the plastic sleeves SGC now puts cards in before slabbing them? I’m all for protection but I find a lot of cards off center in the sleeve, which is a bummer because SGC used to be good at having cards actually fit in their slabs unlike PSA. Thoughts?

I haven’t seen these — could you please drop a pic in?

I’m realizing that it seems to be only for cards that are non standard size, but question still remains. You’d think they could just 3D print a different black part for any sized card.

Nothing new. They've been doing it for oddball sizes and trimmed cards for awhile. These have all been graded at various points over the past two years or so.

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Years ago they custom cut inserts, it may have been an extra charge.

Gotcha, yeah I don’t remember seeing an option for that on my recent submissions. I can imagine the grader after slabbing that Seaver, “Oh well.”

I don't like the look when they do this. But they have been doing it with some cards for at least a few years.

Does anyone know if any current or former employees from SGC/PSA are members on net54 who can share insights as to why they do things like this?

Never worked for either, but I’d assume that while they probably have a decent number of different gasket sizes - that number isn’t infinite and due to cutting methods, trims, and hundreds of oddball sizes sometimes a card just doesn’t fit properly. I assume the sleeves that keep the cards stationary are a better than alternative of having cards that slide in an oversized gasket or are forced into one just barely too small.

They did it for a 1915 Cracker Jack I recently submitted. You'd think SCG would have the right-fitting gaskets for CJs (as they always used to). I don't love the look either, especially when the card is tilting or off-center.

But in most cases, I've been able to center the card by tapping the edge of the slab on a hard/rigid surface. It takes a little practice, but in most cases you can get it to move and improve its aesthetics significantly.

I hate that SGC is now doing this. The custom-fit gaskets were a huge advantage that SGC had over PSA. At least SGCs still lay flat and don't crumple up like the "baggies" PSA uses. :rolleyes:

I will add that I believe SGC is now doing this mainly for the thinner cards. Colgan Chips and Cracker Jacks are a bit thinner than the typical card stock. By securing these thin cards in plastic, it ensures that the card won't slip behind or underneath the gasket.

I'd bet there were enough complaints that SGC felt this was a necessary corrective measure.

I gots to have my bow ties!!!

+1. Previously a lot of cards were being damaged.

Didn’t know this was happening. If that’s the case I’ll take a plastic sleeve over a damaged CJ all day.

3D printing is still a very slow and fussy process. And most affordable machines don't do well with thin things.
Laser cutting would be faster and better, but a good fast machine is still somewhat expensive, especially compared to using a plastic sleeve.

Both require a good deal of training and practice, but they're getting easier all the time.