PSA Vs. SGC

Pilot172000 · #1 02-04-2017, 11:42 AM

I just finished reading "The Card" about Gretzky/McNall Wagner and Mastro. It was very eye opening for me. I'm not one to base all my opinion on one book but it did State some ominous stuff about PSA. I sent all my T206 cards that I plan to keep to SGC because I like the way they look. Beckett was mentioned as being brutally honest which is the reason I have kept my Nolan Ryan stuff in BVG. SGC needs to do a better job on their registry and pop report. They are hard to navigate but their service is second to none. BVG has nice holders but I hate having to deal with them. I don't buy cards because of holders. I buy them because I like the way they look and how they fit in my personal collection.

jchcollins · #2 02-04-2017, 02:55 PM

I still find it interesting that David Hall and PSA were never held more accountable for the fiasco surrounding that card. You can't tell me that they didn't have any suspicion at all that it was trimmed. The encapsulation of that Wagner basically means that the start of their graded card business - or at least from the time when they started putting cards in slabs - is a big fraud. The hobby moved on and now PSA is the hottest thing going in grading, but look at the charges of favoritism shown in grading to large dealers, or how their standards - admittedly even by fanboy collectors - seem to change from time to time? I think that all goes back in some way to the fact that PSA as a company doesn't have a great track record with honesty and consistency - from the very beginning.

It may have something to do with the fact that there are investors and then there are collectors - and interestingly enough, companies like SGC seem to have a reputation as being more consistent and fair among those that would consider themselves collectors first and foremost.

Pilot172000 · #3 02-05-2017, 05:15 PM

I'm an collector not an investor. I've never owned a T206 over a 4. I don't collect based on value and have always gotten bitten when I attempted to buy that way. I have had a ton of cards graded by all three and really find that it's about preference. I started with SGC then moved to the others before coming back home to SGC. Customer Service and Integrity go a long way with me. I don't want anyone doing me any favors with the grades. If it's a three it's a three. If it comes back a 4 or 5 I'll know and that takes the fun out of it.

Jsquared123 · #4 02-06-2017, 10:58 AM

I agree with the general sentiment on the board for sure. I think the reason why SGC has become more notable for pre-war cards is that their holder just looks way better without all that empty space for the smaller than standard cards back then. Also, and maybe this is just a personal preference, but I think cards with a lot of color, like the '53 Topps set just pop a lot more with the black holder. Just my very personal opinion but I think aesthetics is a bigger factor and has kept SGC in the game for as long as they have been.

jchcollins · #5 02-06-2017, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jsquared123

I agree with the general sentiment on the board for sure. I think the reason why SGC has become more notable for pre-war cards is that their holder just looks way better without all that empty space for the smaller than standard cards back then. Also, and maybe this is just a personal preference, but I think cards with a lot of color, like the '53 Topps set just pop a lot more with the black holder. Just my very personal opinion but I think aesthetics is a bigger factor and has kept SGC in the game for as long as they have been.

Agree with you. I have a '56 Topps Ted Williams in an SGC slab. It's only a 3, but the colors really pop, and it looks awesome with that black insert.