Posted By:
warshawlawSGC will crack out your cards unless you ask them not to and will cross them over downwards. I recently sent in two big ticket cards that were PSA 7's for reholdering into SGC holders for my type collection. I put on the invoice that they were not to be cracked out unless the grades were equal or better. Since I submitted some other cards for cross-over that I simply wanted changed over, SGC called me to verify the instructions. Good company.
With respect to the issue of grading through plastic, I have to disagree in part and agree in part. I can readily spot 90 percent of typical defects and grade conditions through holders, esp. with the help of a small maglite I bring to shows. For example, when I stupidly purchased an N28 in a PRO 7 holder, I was able to spot the white edge from the trim job through the holder, and I've spotted numerous hairline creases on beautiful 4's this way. So, I believe that any grader can get a pretty good read on a card through a holder, at least enough to rule out 90 percent of the overgrades. That being said, an interesting issue arises: if the service allows you to refuse cross-over unless the card meets a specific minimum, a contract is created. If they crack out the card and award a lower grade, I believe they would owe you the difference in value as damages for breaching their contract.
ASA: yes, there are legit cards in ASA holders, just as there is probably at least one legit card in a PRO holder. I had two 48 Leaf cards in ASA holders that I picked up only because they were cheap and were blank backs. I cracked them out before I sent them in to SGC. Both were graded. IMHO, I would not bother to cross-over anything from any company other than the big 3.5 (PSA, SGC, Beckett, SCD [the 0.5]. The others are so badly in disrepute that I think a crack out and clean submittal would do better. After all, as all grading services remind you, grading is subjective!