Which grading company is the best?

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Posted By: Chris

I was wondering if anyone has any experience w/ the various companies when it comes to prewar cards. Is one better than the other as far as the value of the graded card i.e. is a PSA 5 comparable in value to an SGC 60(5)..thanks

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Posted By: JimB

My unscientific observation is that in general, PSA graded cards bring a higher return to the seller. There are a lot of variables though. Some cards which are more difficult to find transcend these types of issues; people just want the card when it is available. An example would be a card like a 1914 Cracker Jack Mathewson. It is so difficult to find in any condition, that those who want it probably do not care which of the three major companies graded it And I don't think a PSA 3 would have any premium over an SGC 40. In the end, hopefully it always comes down to the card, not the holder. But all other things being equal, my guess would be that PSA graded cards sell for a bit more on average these days.
JimB

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Posted By: Bryan

PSA will bring you more money when you want to sell it but my experience is that SGC has more experience when it comes to grading prewar cards, although they will not sell for as much as PSA.

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Posted By: Chris

I guess my next question for you guys is which company grades the most strict. I have heard that SGC is the best graders for vintage cards even though they may not be as high in value as their PSA counterparts...thanks..Chris

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Posted By: Chris B.

The topic of grading is covered thoroughly in many different posts. Most of the information you are asking about can be found there.

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Posted By: Bryan

It is hard to say which company is the most strict when it comes to grading because I think that all companies grade differently on any given day. But, in my experience, when it comes to pre-war SGC seems to me to be the most strict.

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Posted By: Judge Dred

Comparing grading services is difficult, there is good and bad for all of them. First, stick with the services that most people feel are reputable:

SGC
PSA
BVG
SCD
GAI

Just because most people feel that the above services are fine doesn't mean they are prone to being perfect (far from it). It just means that people trust the services enough to (hopefully) not grade an altered or unauthentic (reprint) card.

As far as holders go:

SGC holders are nice because they have a black background for the insert that is used to keep the card in place. This makes for a nice contrast when viewing the card in the holder.

GAI holders are nice because they have a descriptive "tab" at the top side of the card that makes finding a specific card easier. On the flip side it has been stated/documented that the cards may not be held too well in place with the insert (black like SGC) that surrounds the card.

PSA holders are very generic and many of the holders do not firmly hold the cards in place (at a 90 degree angle).

Grading:

They all have their quirks and grading criteria:

PSA offers "qualifiers" which means that a card can have a flaw and still receive a high technical grade based on other merits.

The other companies do not offer qualifiers.

Grading is very subjective and can change on a daily/hourly basis. Every grading company is guilty of providing poor service in this department. However I do think that SGC and BVG seemed to have been the most consistent.

Popularity:

PSA cards seem to garnish the highest resale prices. SGC seems to be a favorite among many "vintage/prewar" (not Desert Storm, we're talking WWII)collectors. I like finding SCD and BVG cards because for some insane reason they don't bring the high dollars that PSA does.

Is there value to grading - If you are collecting as an investment and want to be fairly liquid then you might consider these services. If you are confident in your ability to detect altered (if you even care about this aspect of collecting) or reprint cards then maybe you don't need these services.

Something to consider is that graded cards will take up more room to store and you'll not be able to handle them unless you free them from encapsulation. On the flip side if they are protected they will be better protected from corner dings, bends/creases or other disasters.

Perhaps someone else may post a list of undesirable grading services and the reason that they are not accepted as reputable. For example, people believe that many cards graded by PRO are trimmed and this will not enhance the value of the card if it is sold on the open market to someone that understands grading services.

I'm sure that people could write volumes on this but these are just some basics to consider.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

When Beckett's first got into the field, it had one label (BCG is it or is it BGC; I can never remember) and one very stringent set of standards. Beckett developed a rep for undergrading cards. It then set up two additional grading services, BVG for old cards and BCCG to slog junk on HSN and other mass outlets. BVG's standards are much less strict than BCG standards; the cards I've seen from BVG are about 1/2 to 1 full grade overgraded, which puts them on a par with GAI, which I feel also overgrades cards.

GAI's had some issues lately with badly fitted holders allowing cards to slip around. One of my T206 cards was damaged in a GAI holder, from which it was subsequently removed. I also feel GAI overgrades. I have yet to cross over a GAI card that is not downgraded considerably (and I do it by cracking out the cards and submitting them raw so there is no prejudice involved). Admittedly, I have only done a few cards, but they've all come back lower.

PSA and SGC seem to cross fairly closely in terms of grades, although I frequently receive 70 (5.5) on PSA 6, 86 (7.5) on PSA 7 and 92 (8.5) on PSA 8's that I cross.

Holders: Since I collect a lot of off-sized and over-sized cards, I tend to prefer SGC for their quality holders and custom inserts. PSA uses too many card condoms--don't particularly like a floater. I'm about to cross my 1958 Bell Didgers into SGC holders for just that reason. GAI has the worst oversized holders--they got chintzy and created blister pack holders. Yecch. PSA has the cabinet sized holders now, so I guess my Turkey Reds will have to go there. PSA also does autographed cards, as does GAI.

Finally, as to price: I am finding prices all over the place lately as between PSA, SGC and GAI. Usually, PSA sells for the most for postwar cards. I cannot really opine as to prewar cards because the ones I tend to look for have a scarcity factor that really makes the "who" less important than the "what"; they sell well regardless of which of the 4 graded them.

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Posted By: Julie

have made to anwwer this question, but


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Read the early posts in this thread for information, because--unless everyone has changed suddenly for the much better, the thread will discintigrate into a WAR.