So you have a sports card you want to get professionally graded? When researching the main players in the sports card grading industry, PSA will often show up as the preferred option and many experts will refer to it as the industry standard. While that may be true, PSA is not always the best option to use as a card grading service. The current value of the card, potential value of the card, grading cost, and turnaround time are all factors you should consider when choosing a card grading company for your card.
While there are many different companies who grade cards, there are 3 main players in the sports card grading industry. PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), BGS (Beckett Grading Services), and SGC (Sportscard Guarantee Corporation). We will also discuss one up and coming alternative to the “big 3”.
Before, looking at the different grading companies and which one is best for you, you should be aware of something happening at PSA that has changed the landscape a bit. PSA recently suspended service on their lower priced grading options. The only options for getting a card graded are the Super Express ($300/card with a maximum declared value of $4999) and the Walk Through service ($600/card with a maximum declared value of $9999).
Before you decide where you will submit your card for grading, you should ask yourself a few questions:
- Is it a newer card that doesn’t have much value yet or is it a vintage card that could have a high current value?
- Am I looking to turn around and flip this card(s) for a profit or do I plan on holding for a longer period of time?
- Is the cost of grading a significant percentage of the card’s estimated value?
- How important is turnaround time?
- What is the current value of my card?
If you pulled a nice rookie card or found a great deal on a Ebay but the estimated value of your card is still below $500, you should consider using BGS, SGC, HGA, or CSG. Because of the suspension at PSA, the minimum you will pay to have a card graded is $300. Doesn’t make much sense to spend $300 at PSA to have a card graded when its value is less than $500. If you do choose to use one of the other companies, you can always resubmit the card to PSA and have them re-grade at a later date. Should PSA resume their Value and Economy grading services ($20 and $50 respectively), you should definitely consider having your card graded at PSA if it has a chance to get a high grade.
Cheapest Option
Cheapest Option: GMA & HGA
GMA offers the cheapest sports card service at $10/card but you will have to wait for “170+ days” to get your card back. There are also some questions about the credibility of the grades and what kind of return you will get if you turn around and try to sell that card.
HGA offers a $20 flat fee regardless of the number of cards you are having graded or the value of the card. You will have to wait 60 days to get the card back but that is currently the cheapest option of the companies we are covering in this article. As of this writing, these are the cheapest services for each grading company.
- PSA: $300
- BGS: $35 (*BGS does offer a $20 version but it does not offer sub grades and will most likely eliminate the chance of pulling a Black Label grade)
- SGC: $30
- HGA: $20
- GMA: $10
Highest Credibility
Highest Credibility: PSA
For modern cards, PSA almost always has the most credibility. As of this writing, cards graded PSA 10 will fetch a good bit more value when compared to the highest designation from the other grading companies (The BGS Black Label 10 being the exception there). Here you can see the difference in sale price on Luka Doncic 2018 Panini Prizm base card sorted by value. The three grades are PSA 10, BGS 9.5, and SGC 10 Mint.
BGS 10 actually fetched a higher price than PSA 10 over the last year but it is such a rare designation that you can hardly find any sales. Sending a card off to BGS and hoping for a BGS 10 is gambling. Excluding BGS 10 and BGS Black label, PSA 10 is the grading that carries has the most credibility and highest value when it comes to modern cards.
The other exception would be with vintage cards and SGC. SGC is sometimes the preferred grading company and could fetch a higher value on the card if the grade is high.
Best Value
Best Value: BGS
With PSA’s cheapest service being $300, it is automatically eliminated from contention for best value. For modern cards, BGS 9.5 seems to get a little more value than SGC 10. With BGS offering a $35 service and the chance of getting a BGS 10 or BGS Black Label grade, I would consider BGS the best value in the industry. BGS also offers a flat fee on their grading service, even as the value of the card goes up while PSA and SGC increase their fee as the value of the card increases.
*While HGA has the cheapest service, they just don’t have enough credibility in the industry yet to be considered the best value but that could always change!
Which One is Right for Me?
If you are holding a rare vintage card that has a high potential value, go with 1a. PSA or 1b. SGC
If you bought a raw card that you need to get graded for cheap, try MGA or HGA.
If you think your card could potentially be worth a lot someday, I would use BGS unless something changes with PSA.
If you need a card turned around quickly and don’t want to pay up to do so, go with SGC. They are currently promising 20-25 business days turnaround.
*One other option to consider looking into would be to use PSA’s Crossover Service. The crossover service allows you to submit a card that has already been graded by another grading company and have PSA examine the card for its own grade through PSA. Their website does not list a price but you may be able to hack your way into a PSA grade without having to pay the $300 minimum fee.
