grading recommendations

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Posted By: eatturf

Hello,
Relatively new to vintage collecting and grading of cards. Found this great site recently and appreciate the knowledge shared here. I recently sent off a few T206 not because I expect them to grade high, just for the protection.

Now I'm asking this not to start into a flame war, but just your opinion. Is BVG considered any good with vintage grading? I've seen the topics about PSA vs. SGC. What about Beckett, are they respectable or no? I've also heard of GAI, thought do not own a GAI graded card, any experiences with them?

I'm on a much lower income than many here, but I enjoy collecting regardless. The cost of becoming a PSA memeber for 6 grading certificates at $100.00 seems a bit steep to me. If I send 20 cards to Beckett at the 45 day level, it's (before insurance and shipping) around $140.00. Thoughts?

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Posted By: Steve M.

will do them for $8 per returned in 15 business days. You get them earlier, you get better grading, you get better marketability (not that we're into this for that and finally you will make 90% of the board members happy.

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Posted By: Trae R.

Welcome

I am indifferent to which of "the big 3" grading companies anyone chooses, as I like them all, but I especially like the fact that GAI labels the top of the holder as well. It's a very convenient feature when you are handling a stack of their graded cards and would like to find a specific card, or organize them.

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Posted By: E, Daniel

Specifically regarding BVG.......

I find that they do a very nice job, you just need to factor in a couple of things:

Because of the fact they weight grades equally across centering, corners, edges and surface, you will find the same card will often grade considerably lower with them than the other services. As a rule of thumb, the card will not grade higher than 1 full grade above the lowest of the 4 subgrades, so, a 3 for corners, 6 for centering, 7 for edges, and 7 for surface, will only attain at best a 4........even though the "average" of the 4 grades is much higher! This is especially so with centering considerations where a low mark will pull the end grade down with it - and Beckett grade centering particularly severely!!!! Similarly with corner wear, where mild loss of sharpness can be judged with little tolerance or consideration for the age of the card.
Also, the holder can be rather plain and does little to bring out the color and artwork of the card, and as the interior of the slab is not customized to fit different sized issues - cards tend to move around inside the holder which does not help much for display purposes.

Other than that, bvg graded cards tend to be good investments as they often command slight premiums at auction........with buyers valuing these cards that have managed to come through beckett scrutiny and sometimes harsh grading.

Can't really go wrong if you stick to the big FOUR! Beckett, SGC, PSA and GAI.

All the best with your collecting.

Daniel

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Posted By: Wesley

I agree with the other posters above. I have used SGC, GAI and PSA and all three are fine. I have never sent cards to Beckett and I am not fond of the Beckett holders.

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Posted By: barry arnold

for me sgc, then gai.
i wouldn't use beckett for vintage cards.
yawitz convinced me to leave psa by the wayside,though
i will buy one on bst or ebay if it's an incredible deal.

best of luck collecting!

barry

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Posted By: steve yawitz

Oh man, don't listen to me.

Seriously, though, if you're relatively new, not particularly condition conscious and not really planning on selling the cards any time soon, you might want to reconsider just leaving them raw. I was a big PSA supporter for a long time, but more and more I just feel like I'm getting snookered. SGC is probably a better option, but I've never submitted to them and now generally view the whole third-party grading industry through a pretty jaundiced eye. So spend your money on more cards, not on plastic slabs.

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Posted By: eatturf

Thanks for all the information!