SGC or PSA for your T206? And why?

[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.

[barrysloate]

Well I have to say I've auctioned a few thousand cards over the years and I am not convinced a nice SGC card sells for any less than a comparable PSA card, certainly not on average. There may be specific situations where a PSA card may do better, same as there are times an SGC card will. But on average they are awfully close.

I agree that for the higher end registry cards you do need to go with PSA. But for the typical vintage card that ranges from Good to Excellent, I can go with either one.

Now I prefer SGC because they are a better company and I like working with them, and I don't feel I am leaving money on the table when I use them.

[bbeck]

I own cards from both companies but much more heavily weighted with PSA. As far as high end post war cards PSA will consistently fetch more money. Their set registry was the best thing that ever happened to that company. If you just do a basic search on ebay PSA to SGC you can see their market dominance. I know the board favors SGC but PSA dominates in pure volume.

I was very surprised a month ago as I had 7 1952 Bowman Stan Musials graded, 6 by PSA and 1 by SGC. I received 3 PSA 5's ad 3 PSA 6's and the SGC was a 60-equal to a PSA 5. The SGC 60 outperformed all 3 PSA 5's on ebay by a nice margin, so you never know. All 4 cards sold under the PSA SMR-the 3 PSA 5's well under the guide. Maybe post war mid grade cards do just as well if not better in an SGC holder. I will try more just to see if it is not an isolated case.

On a side note, I ended up with 3 WIWAG cards in my collection some years back and PSA made good on all 3, although I had a 1969 PSA 8 Mantle and a 1960 PSA 8 Mantle that I could have sworn were both WIWAG and PSA said they were just weak for the grade. I disagreed and always wondered about those two because they were a bit more expensive. I also sent a 1934 PSA 6 Batter up Lazzeri for a bump attempt and PSA told me the card was trimmed and should have never been holdered. They paid me fulll SMR which was more than I paid for the card. One other incident, they lost a 1954 Bowman Ted Williams on a submission and paid me my full declared value for the card even though they never saw it, it was a very nice card that was declared at $2,500 if I remember correctly. I thought it would grade a PSA 6 or a PSA 7. It was a 1 card invoice submitted with other large bulk invoices that accidently most have been misplaced and never found. They were extremely troubled by the incident and gave me no problems. I have graded with them for over 15 years and that was the only card they ever lost, but it was taken care of swiftly and professionally.