*Updated numerous times since the original post, most recently on 30 January 2024 (to add more third-tier graders)*
Which grading company should I use?
Let's assume you are going for resale value. As it stands right now, collectors and buyers strongly prefer:
- PSA
- BGS
It has been this way for a while. Historically speaking, there were some exceptions--for a long time, vintage non-sports people liked SGC. However, the tides have changed and it's more PSA and BGS. There were also times when the rule of thumb for hockey was "PSA for vintage, BGS for modern." But the sheer volume of modern PSA slabs in hockey says that has also changed. It's also worth pointing out that PSA is widely known to give out 10s a little more liberally than BGS (let's not get into the trimmed/fake slabs for the sake of this post). Off-centered? Doesn't matter, it could be a 10. A little white showing through? Doesn't matter, it could be a 10. Perhaps that simple fact is why PSA is so popular... Is BGS perfect? No. In an effort to money grab, they have two different versions of 10s. Why not?
So anyway, stick with PSA or BGS. Those two are in a group at the top. You don't have to like that PSA may take a year to send your card back. You don't have to like the costs associated with it. You don't even have to like the look of the slabs. If you are looking for the most return for your money, PSA or BGS.
There is a secondary group with some of the more well-known companies:
- KSA
- MNT - pretty big for hockey in Canada, so definitely regional; however PSA opened up some operations in Canada which means MNT will probably drop even lower.
- SGC - more well-known in vintage sports, particularly baseball, but the market has tilted toward PSA.
- CGC - used to grade only gaming cards, but added in Marvel cards in mid-2022 as well
- CSG (Certified Sports Guaranty) - they are related to CGC above, and do the sports cards.
It is also worth noting that in early 2023, COMC came to an agreement with CGC/CSG such that card owners could submit to grade directly through COMC directly. There are tons of people who are testing the waters, and we are seeing a lot of CGC/CSG slabs flooding the market because of this agreement with COMC. Time will tell how the market does for those two. UPDATE: toward the end of June of 2023, it was announced that CSG and CGC were 'merging' their lines. Also, something about their 9.5s now being uplifted to 10s or something. Grading, huh? Sheesh. They also changed the color scheme or their labels, and people hated that. Man, collectors are finnicky!
In an effort not to be overshadowed, though, PSA also came to an agreement with COMC as well shortly after CGC/CSG, basically removing any advantage that CGC/CSG may have held from an ease-of-grading standpoint.
Anyway, then there are the rest of the grading companies. Some of these I've never heard of, and you probably haven't either. If you are going for resale, stay away from these. I'm pretty sure a couple of these are just labels printed in someone's basement:
- 3-D Grading
- ACA Certification
- AEG (Aurum Elite Grading
- All-Star Grading
- AP Grading
- ASTG (they grade up to an 11 for Pristine, so must be big Spinal Tap Fans!)
- Brothers Flawless Grading
- Certified Express
- CG (Collector's Grade)
- CGA (Card Grading Australia)
- CS (Cardscore; this one is a crowdsourced grader--yeah, you read that right! They don't slab cards, but appear to put cards in magnetic one-touches with a sticker on it. But then I also saw a Cardscore label on a PSA-graded holder, so who knows...)
- DGA
- ECA (East Coast Authenticated)
- Electric Grading (sometimes uses custom labels with images of the character, so, you know, probably violating trademarks)
- Elite Card Grading
- EMC Grading (Encapsulated Memories Company)
- FCG (Forensic Card Grading)
- Fierce Grading (Their logo is a gorilla wearing a crown. Cool.)
- Final Authority
- Flawless Grading
- GCG (Great Canadian Grading)
- GEM Grading
- Gem Mint Grading (not sure if it is the same as GEM Grading and maybe they just changed the label?)
- GetGraded
- GMA
- GS.C (GradedSports.Cards; notice the weird period placement--I guess you have to stand out when your name is so unoriginal...)
- HC Grading
- HGA (Hybrid Grading) - some collectors like the look of their slabs because they offer custom labels (which of course they charge for). Everyone needs a gimmick, I guess.
- ISA (International Sports Authenticators)
- Legion Grading Services/Legions Grading
- MGC (Majesty Grading Company--their logo is a lion with a crown on it's head. Cool. Right?...)
- MGS
- NSA (National Sportscard Authenticator)
- Overtime Grading
- Peak Grading
- Pure Graded X
- RCG
- SFTB Grading (Start From the Bottom)
- TAG (Technical Authentication and Grading)
- UCZ
Wow, so many three-letter acronyms out there! For giggles I half-considered putting in my initials just to see if anyone ever noticed. The point is there are a ton of new companies that popped up, and you can buy blank slabs on Amazon. So literally anyone can become a grader. It's also worth noting that as a gimmick some of the companies use AI to grade cards in an attenpt to skirt the inherent human errors that are seen with the main grading companies.
Though not on the list above, it is also worth mentioning BCCG (Beckett Collector Club Grading). I don't know if you can still submit to Beckett for BCCG, but they were known more for high-volume/low-value cards. Basically you paid to have a card slabbed. BCCG is, more or less, an inside joke when it comes to grading. It's as if their label printer only knew how to print 9s and 10s. If you are buying graded cards for any investment types of purchases, stay away from BCCG slabs. They are generally agreed to be over-graded.
As a last note, also stay away from raw grading. Beckett may be the only company that does raw grading, but it is typically done at card shows. If you're serious about grading, don't bother with these. The card is given some glances, a grade and a serial number. It is then put into a card saver (one of the worst ways to protect a card) and a shiny sticker with the grade and serial number. Save your money. Buyers will not take these grades seriously. And there is no guarantee that the card would receive that particular grade if sent in for slabbing. Honestly, I don't know why it exists. (Well, it's for money, so maybe the statment should be "I don't know why anyone would do this.") **UPDATE: It seems MNT Grading also does an equivalent of raw card grading.
Anyway, back to the discussion. As mentioned above if you are going for resale values, stick with PSA and BGS. Now, if you don't care about return on your money, go with whomever is closer, cheaper, or whose slabs you like the most.
Better yet, if money is not a factor, why grade at all? The reason I see most often is because someone wants a card slabbed for protection.
I'll throw out my usual pitch for unnecessary grading. I have literally every mid- to high-dollar card I own (Marvel, Star Wars, hockey, etc) in one-touches and team bags. They have survived two moves, being dropped, stepped on, sat on, and everything in-between. If by some miracle one gets cracked (which has yet to happen) I replace it for $3. Meanwhile, I dropped a PSA slab and it shattered the corner rendering it unsellable unless I send it back for reslabbing. Spoiler alert, I cracked it open and moved it to a one-touch and team bag.
Just something to think about.
