Posted By:
HarryI agree with most of the comments back. I have submitted 2000+ cards to PSA and have been burned with the dreaded "surface wrinkles". On closer examination, I did see that. My personal opinion is that they didn't distract from the appearance of the card. I feel the same way about a barely noticable pin hole in an otherwise "Mint" card would bring it down to a PSA 1. BUT, those are the standards that everyone has to follow and I willingly follow them as well. And that is why condition rarity translates to big dollars.
There are over two dozen grading companies out there and you can find a company that will take your grading fee and give you the grade you want. However, it is meaningless to go with a third tier company like that. I can not speak for SGC and it's many followers on this board. PSA, however, I do have quite a bit of experience with. Their process includes multiple graders indepentantly review each card. If the first two grades don't match, and additional grader looks at the card. So there are checks and balances that I believe only occur at PSA (please correct me if I'm wrong SGC guys).
I have no problem with SGC as it would be my second choice. GAI and BVG (Beckett Vinage Grading) would be would a level below those two but leaps and bounds about the majority of other grading companies.
So, in short, I echo some of the advice to go with graded cards for any high priced cards. It's not worth it to take a chance.
Harry