I think some of this is because the two main grading companies place more emphasis on different things. I think for prewar PSA is more forgiving of creases. I'd always thought that a visible crease would keep a card out of VG unless the rest of it was really great. But I see a lot of PSA cards that have a visible crease and are graded VG.
They also seem to be lenient on minor paper loss. SGC hits even really small bits of paper loss on the back more harshly.
Neither company is as consistent as I'd like to see especially on mid grade cards. Lately I've seen a lot of corners on SGC 50's that I think are just too worn for VG-EX. And I've gotten a couple grades from them that puzzle me but are in my favor. The few I thought were undergraded were explained pretty quickly when I asked in person, and they easily pointed out things I hadn't noticed. A Tiny crease one a 50 that looks much nicer, and an erasure of a very light pencil mark on a 40 that I've owned since probably 83 and figured for a 50. Knowing they spotted stuff I didn't even when I looked pretty closely before sending them in made me feel a bit more comfortable about the grades.
But such things are subjective, and the grading involves people, so it will be inconsistent. And that applies to ALL grading.
I chose SGC mostly because I wasn't keen on PSAs model of paying $100 up front for the privilege of spending even more with them. Sure you get free submissions, but when I wanted to send in a few cards to try it there just weren't enough to cover the 100 if I didn't want to do more than the first few. I've done more since, figuring that if the kids aren't into cards at all when I'm gone they'll have an easier time unloading the stuff. But many of my cards don't require grading. Mostly commons that would grade from A to about 2 - They're pretty much what they are and grading is currently pointless.
I may eventually do some more modern stuff through PSA, since the resale is a bit better with the registry stuff. Oddly, the modern cards I've sent to SGC really didn't do well. (The nicest 81 Donruss I've ever seen including ones straight from the packs when they were new and it only got an 8?!)
The other puzzle is that the stuff that slides by at VG for prewar wouldn't even get close if it was a postwar card.
Steve Birmingham
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