Please explain sgc grading

[Merrillstoys]

Can anyone please explain the SGC grading system to me?
If you don’t know the grade of a card then how can you know what value to send it in for.
If the card grades better then you think, and that jumps the value to the next tier, do they grade it at the lower grade? If the card grades lower then you think, do they send you money back?
I like the SGC holders and their grading but I haven’t sent in anything because of what I’ve stated above.

[barrysloate]

The value is for insurance purposes only. Just give the card a ballpark idea of what you think it is worth so you can determine a tier. It may come back with a grade higher or lower than you expect, but at that point the value you set is irrelevant.

[Matt]

It's a bit of a funny area - it's used for insurance purposes but also has a correlation to the grading tiers. They once called me because I valued a raw card I had won at public auction for $1300 at $1000 (I figured $25 was enough to pay) and I had to bump to the same day service on it.

[Merrillstoys]

thanks for the info---Merrill

[D. Bergin]

For those experienced, I wonder if you can just send a submission in with your CC number and let SGC decide the bill?

I've got some pretty obscure cards I'd like to send in but I don't quite relish figuring out all the tiers, sizes, values, etc....

[Kawika]

I just received a box of cards today from SGC so it's a pretty fresh topic for me. I think this will have been my fourth submittal to SGC and Brian and Michael have always made things super easy. I have attached a scan of my order which shows how loosy-goosy I filled out the form (I blocked out personal info, credit card number etc). They will come up with the Burdick numbers & years etc although if you can provide them I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. In my case I didn't enumerate the specific cards, just grouped them together into rough categories, gave ballpark values and, to make their life easier, provided them with quick'n'dirty scans of the cards. Sent 'em off registered mail, add money and stir, and voila'.

Edited to add upon re-reading the question: A few days after I mailed the package I called Brian in New Jersey to discuss the turnaround time and bill. You basically tell them how quick you want the cards back and they figure the bill and charge your CC. You can fine tune it yourself if you want to do the homework.

[D. Bergin]

Thanks for posting that David. Looks like you can just send them in a rough draft and let them take care of the billing part.

Funny, how long I've been in the hobby in one form or another.......I've had graded cards but I've never actually sent any in myself.

[Matt]

David - Did they let you valuate the Bonner H801-7 at $1000 and therefore only pay the $25?

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Funny, how long I've been in the hobby in one form or another.......I've had graded cards but I've never actually sent any in myself.

Addendum to D. Bergin: Same with me. After 7 or 8 years in the hobby, I made my first submittal across the table at the Chicago National and Michael Goldberg did all the work. I have subsequently made three more via mail, the first time with telephone assistance and a pep talk from Brian Dwyer. I had heard that PSA would rake you over the coals if you hadn't dotted the i's so I had my trepidations but with SGC it was easy pie.