PSA v SGC value

[hcv123]

Regarding resale/market value - Darren has it mosty right - PSA rules the roost in post war cards market value with exquisitely rare exception. That said - if your cards are lower value the $70 gap between PSA vs. SGC grading Fee could offset the difference.
Pre war is a different animal where I would say on average they are A LOT closer in market value - with eye appeal seeming to be a large determinant more so than the holder they are in. I will say that there still seems to be a slight preference for PSA graded cards in Pre war, but nice SGC examples bring strong prices. In fact the SGC 3 Wagner sits atop the most valuable card mountain currently.

Shameless plug - If you are considering selling - I encourage you to PM me to discuss possible private consignment.

[Kutcher55]

It depends. As others have noted, generally speaking the difference in value in % terms for same card tends to narrow the older the card gets. In other words for cards that are 20 years old PSA Resale value might be 30-50% higher. For cards that are 110 years old, PSA might be more like 10% higher. So there are a couple of variables to consider from a math standpoint. How old is the card and how valuable is the card. Think of the ~$70 price difference as your break even. For a $200 card it’s going to be much harder making up that $70 difference using PSA and the older the card is the less chance you will recoup the difference because SGC performs relatively stronger.

So the older the card is and the less valuable it is (don’t grade anything worth less than $200 IMO), the math favors SGC. Most would probably suggest if it’s a $1k+ card you are always better off with PSA if the goal is resale. Although you probably do want to factor in some risk that PSA has a lot of skeletons in the closet.

Also never use SGC for 71 Topps or other black cards. It looks bad.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Kutcher55

Also never use SGC for 71 Topps or other black cards. It looks bad.

Warning on this one. Cards from this set which used to be 9s regularly are getting PSA 7s now. They are hammering this set, per the registry set collectors on the CU board. So don't send them to PSA, or you're going to be paying hundreds to make your cards worth less than raw.

[rugbymarine]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Warning on this one. Cards from this set which used to be 9s regularly are getting PSA 7s now. They are hammering this set, per the registry set collectors on the CU board. So don't send them to PSA, or you're going to be paying hundreds to make your cards worth less than raw.

I agree with this general sentiment, though I'm using it as a buying opportunity. 71 Topps that used to get 7s are now 5-6s. Get the same nice card, for half price!

[jchcollins]

If you are a collector, go with the grader you prefer (or) find values as I do in raw cards. "Professional" graders aren't the only ones who can be taught how to grade properly. Grading has been around for years before PSA.

If you are selling realize that PSA is the market leader, and dubious thoughts on how they arrived at that position aside - that is not likely to change soon, overnight, or perhaps ever. PSA established this position early with the help of their registry and the notoriety of certain things they graded. Believe whatever you like, but popular sentiment would point to the fact that too many big wheel collectors and investors are in bed with PSA and PSA graded cards now to seriously threaten their position as market leader. If you ask me, they should be relegated to the minor leagues of graders given a largesse of customer service and quality issues over the years, but especially recently. But that changes nothing. Do I submit to PSA? No. Do I have PSA slabs in my collection? Yes, many. It is what it is.

[Kutcher55]

Yeah agree. I believe SGC grading standards are every bit as high as PSA's and so generally speaking you can get more quality from SGC on a $ for $ term. But you have to be careful with that concept because resale value isn't the same on average, and so in that light I would say you are better off as a collector focusing on SGC since you will generally pay less for the same card quality.

Has SGC always been as tough on grading as PSA? Not sure although the going sentiment seems to be that both have gotten tougher.

I collect both. And raw cards as well. And I flip. It does generally seem easier to flip PSA cards. While I was posting this I got curious and looked up my historic profit margin with each tpg and it is higher with SGC than PSA. But most of my volume is PSA and as I said they do generally seem to move easier. SGC cards have more of a select audience but that audience is maybe more loyal than PSA and they are willing to pay for quality, in some cases PSA average prices or higher. There is definitely a cross-section of collectors who will just focus on the card first. This can even extend to BVG cards which are a grade easier on vintage, but I have seen nice examples and people pay PSA prices for same grade, although that is a rarity.

[mq711]

Until their new tux slab came out, I always thought SGC grade a point above PSA; meaning a PSA 6 =‘SGC 7 and with that scale their prices were very similar .