SGC vs PSA

[Tobacco206]

Hey guys, just wanted to get everyone's thoughts.. been looking at so very many T206 cards lately maybe i'm a little card drunk but is it just me or what. When comparing SGC vs PSA cards it sure looks to me SGC is much tougher in grading. I know i like the slabs better and i think they really make the card pop. when comparing low grade 20,30's PSA eye appeal just doesn't compare to SGC.. I know its buy the card not the grade but its not hard to see PSA doesn't give the cards much more than a once over... i know we all will agree to disagree on which service we like but plz let me know what you think about each when it comes to what each does better than the other or worse than the other.

i still prefer raw hands down but if i do buy graded it will be SGC .

[kamikidEFFL]

Love the topic first off. As for myself I'm a PSA guy when it comes to graded cards but I have no problem with SGC. The one down thing on SGC i hate is that the case is too thick. I wish they were thin like PSA slabs, but keep that black background cuz it does make the card pop. As for grading I think both have their flaws but hey that's what happens when u have a second or third party grade them. I have both but my 34 n 38 goidey sets being graded by PSA only. As for my t206 or 19th century stuff ill do either.

[AndyG09]

Originally Posted by kamikidEFFL

The one down thing on SGC i hate is that the case is too thick. I wish they were thin like PSA slabs

The new PSA cases are 30% thicker than the old ones. Me personally, SGC for prewar and PSA for post.

Best,

Andy

[mrvster]

When it comes to pre-war......hands down SGC.....tougher grading, better cases....black background.....their customer service is outstanding....and when it comes to T206, SGC is a no-brainer

[kamikidEFFL]

Originally Posted by AndyG09

The new PSA cases are 30% thicker than the old ones. Me personally, SGC for prewar and PSA for post.

Best,

Andy

I didn't know that haven't had anything graded by PSA recently but that's good to know. But I agree with everyone on the SGC on 19th century stuff. T206 I haven't jumped into as much as most people on here so I would take their word for it on that. I only have one t206 which is SGC GRADED.

[wazoo]

I only have t206 cards graded...and graded by SGC because they have the best customer service, they grade by their guidelines, they're consistent unlike PSA, and their grading cases are more aesthetically appealing than PSA's cases. Just my two cents.

[kamikidEFFL]

now got a question for you guys. If your PSA or SGC guy would you not buy a card because its graded by the other company?? Or does it not matter

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by AndyG09

Me personally, SGC for prewar and PSA for post.

Best,

Andy

Agree 100%

SGC for prewar.
PSA for post
BGS for modern.

[g_vezina_c55]

Sgc all the way...pre war and post war. I buy only sgc cards
Love the black background
Sgc grade on place at the shriners card show
Their holder fit tight in the ultra pro sleeve protector for graded cards
Their grading is consistent
Love the registry with the picture

For many reason. : sgc is my choice

[GregMitch34]

I prefer SGC also, but one must admit they usually take a hit on prices on t206 and CJs and some other issues, I guess because PSA registry competition much hotter. So even with so many favoring SGC, I doubt if prices will ever catch up....Wish that wasn't true but certainly seems that it is.

[cozmokramer]

Originally Posted by AndyG09

The new PSA cases are 30% thicker than the old ones. Me personally, SGC for prewar and PSA for post.

Best,

Andy

Anyone have a scan of this newer thicker PSA slab? Maybe the two side by side showing the difference?

[AndyG09]

They had a sample of the new holder at the National. I read about the 30% greater thickness on the CU board from a collector who had a bunch of the new slabs.

I understand that SGC has a thinner slab that they are supposed to be coming out with. I talked to their rep at the Sun-Times show about them. Supposed to still stack with the current slab and have the black insert of course. I know they are working on getting a revamp on the website/registry too. Perhaps Earl can add something about that to the thread. I have been hearing about a revamped registry/pop report for too long.

Best,

Andy

[slipk1068]

I have seen WAY more over-graded cards in PSA holders than in SGC holders.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-TOLSTOI...item19e62e835e

I challenge anyone to post an SGC 4 that looks as bad or worse than this.

[Tobacco206]

all great points here. sorry if its been covered and ran into the ground before. For me i guess its about getting the best value more than coming from the seller point of view side. I guess with so many t206 cards out there from such a big set that really does give the buyer a choice. thx for all the input so far

[tulsaboy]

It is really a larger topic than the simple question asked here, but I would suggest that when you allow such minuscule little things to differentiate a whole grade from 8-9-10, that it necessarily allows for wide disparities at the lower grades. If any company lined up all of their "4" or "40" cards, I would bet even they would be shocked.

[wonkaticket]

All of this has never really made sense to me. I think which ever you prefer you’re ok both are reputable companies or as reputable as you can be in this hobby.

In terms of folks making claims about this company’s cards sell for more…I think it’s all relative at best.

Bottom line quality items I mean really nice cards will sell for premiums regardless of what holders they are in. So as long as you’re buying cards with real eye appeal within their grades i.e. sharp VG’s, EX’s or NM’s and not just buying slabs to check off grade point averages you have nothing to worry about in terms of resell.

Cheers,

John

[GregMitch34]

Unfortunately, the price differential for PSA and SGC cards in certain issues can be pretty shocking. For example, in Southern League Old Mill cards, PSA 5s routinely go for $350 or more while SGC 5s struggle to hit $250. I'm sure that's due to registry but the gap is wide, if not justified by other factors.

[Tobacco206]

Originally Posted by wonkaticket

All of this has never really made sense to me. I think which ever you prefer you’re ok both are reputable companies or as reputable as you can be in this hobby.

In terms of folks making claims about this company’s cards sell for more…I think it’s all relative at best.

Bottom line quality items I mean really nice cards will sell for premiums regardless of what holders they are in. So as long as you’re buying cards with real eye appeal within their grades i.e. sharp VG’s, EX’s or NM’s and not just buying slabs to check off grade point averages you have nothing to worry about in terms of resell.

Cheers,

John

John, thats sorta what im saying and thats whats fits me better.... buy the card vs the holder.. just saying i like the way the SGC presents them better vs PSA.. for me a G or VG card with eye appeal is what im looking for overall.. lots of lower grade raw cards with eye appeal that are really nice.

[freakhappy]

Is anyone really surprised that 4's come back with a crease? Both SGC and PSA allow for a light crease...SGC even allows 5's to have a spider crease...this is by definition from their grading scales.


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[brewing]

A slight crease is easier to miss than a missing corner.

Or worn corners, bad centering, or paper loss.



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[mattsey9]

The PSA forums are littered with posts from frustrated customers whose cards take days to be logged into their system and that are not graded and returned until well after the promised date.

My SGC submissions promise a ten day turnaround and they have never failed to meet their stated goal with my cards.

This is an easy call for me. My cards are mine. I want them back to me on time and without excuses. SGC does that and PSA does not.

[jerrys]

Post#50

Actually "Someone else?" referred to a statement made by Steve.

But how is it your business to question what I decide to post or to reminded me of past threads?

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[steve B]

One of the things I don't like about TPG is that some people think of their favorite company as infallible.
All grading is done by people, and all people have an occasional bad day, or a slight bias, or a different idea of what matters for grade even with a written standard. SGC supposedly allows a tiny surface wrinkle up to a 70. But in practice, that sort of thing usually limits a card to a 50.

When I had some cards done at the shriners show I asked about a couple cards that I mentioned earlier. Here's one of them


It does have a tiny wrinkle in one border just about at the halfway point. I've had the card since the early-mid 80's and never saw it. Not even when I gave the cards a good look before sending them in. It also has a tiny flake of surface lost on one corner, but less missing than the corner wear I sometimes see on 50s. The rep I talked to spotted the wrinkle very quickly, and explained that the grade was a cumulative thing between whatever flaws the card has. (It's still a very nice looking card no matter the grade)

One thing I've noticed is how the more expensive/in demand a card is the impression I get is that the grading is a bit easier. How many Wagners are graded correctly? I feel it's about half, with almost all the ones in mid grades being a bit overgraded. More T206 HOF players seem a bit overgraded than commons. I have no data, but it seems that way to me, and applies to all companies.

My preference is SGC, but I wouldn't pass up a nice card at a nice price because it had the wrong holder. Usually it's the opposite - I've bought a few at flea markets that were in badly yellowed toploaders.

And just in case anyone thinks I'm just another SGC cheerleader --One of the cards I had done on-site. Another grade I think is a bit too high, but I'll go with it. The card is what it is afterall, and if I ever sell it the buyer can easily see the details.

Steve B

[T206Collector]

As I've explained on here a few times, grading is a pyramid. At the top, you have the 10s. 10 means perfection and thus all 10s will be identical. As you go down the pyramid, grades are set for a variety of reasons -- 9s almost all look the same, but 3s, 2s and 1s have a huge number of potential flaws, including paper loss on reverse, creasing, corner wear, etc. What makes a card an SGC 30 could be a variety of factors that tell you nothing about the eye appeal of the card without looking at it.

Professional grading is not designed to reflect eye appeal. It is designed to point out flaws, often hard to see or hidden, in a piece of card board. When you see a clean-looking SGC 30, you actually know there are a lot of hard to see flaws. When you see a badgered up SGC 30, what you see is what you get. But not all SGC 30s will look alike -- in fact, at that level of the "pyramid" you will have a lot of different looking cards.

This becomes problematic when sellers try to sell a PSA 2 for what a previous PSA 2 sold for. Without comparing both cards, going by the number alone gets you nowhere because what you don't know about the previous card is whether the damage was similar or whether the eye-appeal was comparable. Sometimes you can get a pretty good deal on a nice looking 2 when a seller is willing to use a previous ugly 2 as a comparable. This is why they say, "Buy the card, not the holder."

* * *

There is another point being made in this thread about the leniency of SGC on corners and centering. But, see, I'm fine with that. In that sense, I think SGC more matches more own personal tolerance for such flaws. But, what I can't stand, are creases. To me, no PSA 5/SGC 60 should be creased. And, hands down the biggest error I see in collecting SGC 60/PSA 5 T206s and 33 Goudeys is PSA grading cards as 5 that have wrinkles and creases.

When I buy my cards sight unseen on the internet, I have a very good understanding of what a card that has a scan plus an SGC grade will look like when I get it in my hands. That is so totally untrue with PSA. There is definitely a lot more risk in buying higher grade PSA cards on the internet given hidden flaws found in their cards. If you see an SGC 60 with rounded corners and centering issues, at least you know what you're buying. And you will price that card accordingly. It's finding the hidden flaws -- the ONLY REASON people should be using TPG in the first place -- that I really need help with when I buy cards online. PSA is simply not as good at that. Period.