SGC or PSA for your T206? And why?

[quinnsryche]

I only collect SGC. I find PSA to be more erratic in their grading and they also tend to overgrade. SGC holders look better with the black insert and the thicker plastic. The PSA ones look and feel cheap to me. Just my opinion.

[glynparson]

but as a dealer I usually go PSA. They tend to sell for more but I prefer SGC's consistency and I like the T206's look in the SGC holder. There seems to be a decent supply in either companies holders so that's not as much of an issue as some other sets.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I own both, but I find SGC too easy on corners, I don't like 5s with rounded corners.

[Robextend]

PSA is too erratic for my taste, with SGC most of the time you pretty much know what you are getting for the grade. Of course there are examples from both companies that are less than spectacular, however I feel SGC gets it right most of the time.

Rob

[Bridwell]

I chose PSA. PSA is much more popular on T206's, based on the population reports and the number of registered sets. Check out the web sites. On this net54 site, a majority favor SGC. If you are buying or selling on Ebay, than PSA is the way to go. Enjoy!

Ron R

[jb217676]

PSA all the way, especially if you ever want to move your cards for top dollar in the future.

[smtjoy]

My collection is pretty much split 50/50 between PSA and SGC, that said all my T-206's are in SGC slabs and I am very happy.

[ethicsprof]

for me very consistent grading and top drawer customer service.

best,
barry

[ErikV]

I've always been a PSA kinda guy. Personal preference I suppose.
Here's a few reasons why. I like the simple appearance of the PSA
holder a little bit better (ie larger print and 1-10 scale.) PSA holders
are not as thick, and are a little bit smaller in size than SGC. In
addition, I think PSA holders by design are ahead of SGC when it comes
to cert. verification, which ties directly into a more user friendly
website and registry. Again, just one collectors humble opinion.

ErikV

[FrankWakefield]

.

Sgc

[T206Collector]

Cross Over Experience

A few years ago, I submitted 40 PSA graded T206 cards to SGC for crossover. The 40 cards were almost all between PSA 4 and PSA 6. SGC only agreed to cross-over 30 of them, and pointed out the crease in my PSA 6 Hal Chase (Pink) and how my PSA 5 Home Run Baker had been trimmed. Suffice to say, I lost all confidence in PSA's ability to properly holster a T206 card at that time.

Encapsulating creased cards as PSA 5

In addition, a poster above said that SGC was too liberal with corner rounding on PSA 5s. But to me creases are MUCH worse on a PSA 5 and I've seen more than a fair share of them in PSA 5 T206 cards. As long as my SGC 60 has no creases, I am more than happy with its fuzzy corners.

Paper Loss and Chipping

Also, PSA is really inconsistent when it comes to paper loss and chipping. SGC really hammers a card for that and I think that's the appropriate course.

No qualifiers

PSA uses qualifiers, while SGC appropriately assigns a grade to every card, taking into account the defect.

Customer Service

SGC may have the best customer service of any company that I deal with in any industry. They will take calls, call you on the phone directly on their own initiative, respond to emails, and respond on this website to concerns raised by collectors. Frankly, on this alone, there is no reason to ever go with PSA.

SGC Understands Prewar

SGC understands the nuances of prewar cards, particularly T206, which it has dealt with extensively. They understand the common issues and know what to look for. Frankly, their graders are more experienced at reviewing T206 cards and their expertise is reflected in the consistency of their grades.

Guarantee

Last time I checked, SGC will buy back at fair value any of its mistakes or overgrades. Try getting that with PSA.

A word about Set Registries and Pop Reports

It is one thing to use registries to catalog cards and have a place to showcase them and share with other collectors. It is another thing to use registries as if they have an inherent competitive/economic value. The fact is, having the #1 PSA registry of T206 cards may be worth something because people are willing to pay for it -- but does it really make any sense when there are a ton of T206 cards that are raw or in other holders? Also, paying big bucks because only 3 Unglaubs have been holdered by PSA makes no sense when SGC has holdered Unglaubs, too, and there are other Unglaubs out there just waiting to be "discovered." In short, to the extent PSA cards receive any bump from the registry/population report crowd, I find that bump to be irrational.

Bringing Post-War Collection Into Pre-War

Finally, my view is that when people come to pre-war for the first time, many go for PSA because that is what they have collected in post-war. It is only a matter of time before they realize that SGC knows what it is doing with pre-war cards better than PSA does. But a lot of people are intent on keeping their collection in one holder and so they stick with PSA, despite all the obvious deficiencies.

[jbbama]

To me SGC is easier on centering IMO, however their slabs are more pleasing to the eyes than PSA's.

[M's_Fan]

I definitely have to disagree with the idea that PSA cards fetch more in auctions, as some folks have stated.

Before I buy a card, I keep a list of several recent auctions of the card in the same grade to see what the going rate is. I just looked at my informal database, and 75% of the time the SGC card went for more than a comparable PSA graded card. My list is a small sample of about 100 cards, so there will be some margin of error, but I'm telling you that SGC cards do NOT on average sell for less than PSA cards, in my opinion. As a buyer of SGC cards, I sometimes wish this falsehood were true, but I often pay a premium for an SGC card because it is properly graded!

There are other reasons to collect PSA, but this isn't one of them IMO.

[glynparson]

.I do not think PSA graded cards will bring more $$ for pre-war cards over SGC,but I don't sell cards,so I may be wrong-just doesn't sound right though.To each his/her own............

on the common pre war issues like T206, 1933 Goudey, 1941 Playball. Particularly on midgrade SGC 60-80 vs PSA 5-6 prices generally are not even close between PSA and SGC. I wish this were not the case nor do I think it should be but that is how it is. You may find a single HOF'er 88 that has outsold PSA 8's but that is not common nor would I count on it consistently happening.

[Neal]

I own about 10 T206's - all SGC. I prefer the black insert, as it enhances the look. Just my opinion.

That said, there is no comparison on the slab itself, as SGC slabs scratch very easy and seem to be of a lesser plastic.

I cross cards to SGC if I want to hold on to them. If there is any possibility that I would consider selling it down the road, I will not cross it. Sure, there are examples of SGC outperforming PSA, but that is usually not the case. PSA is king when it comes to resale.

I like both companies. Both grade a bit different, and both make mistakes. PSA grades a good deal more (a guess), so there may be more mistakes. But the percentage is probably the same.