PSA vs. BGC vs. SGC

Arenado_is_best

I have a limited baseball card flipping budget and I wanted to flip some cards, but I would get more profit if I graded them first. Which grader has the best bang for your buck?

DBesse27

PSA

LarkinCollector

It depends on era you want to flip, value of the cards, how patient you are, and a multitude of other factors.

Since this is the PSA forum, I think you'll probably get PSA the most. All three have their place.

billwaltonsbeard

turnaround time has to figure into these decisions.......However, I've recently learned that BGS is severely backlogged too and unable to meet posted TU times

DBesse27

PSA 10’s almost universally outsell BGS 9.5’s and SGC 98’s, across all eras, as far as I know.

LarkinCollector

Yes, but you can get a BGS 9.5 on a card that would be a PSA 9 also due to the way they round up, or magically hit one of the BGS 10s that do go for more.

SGC can get pretty equivalent prices on some pre-war, and turnaround time/bulk pricing differences may make sense to get a lesser profit per card with faster flips. I haven't tracked their 9.5, GEM 10, vs. PRI 10s to comment, but would guess there's some premium associated with the top levels of those too over a PSA 10.

There's also the issue of sets that PSA won't grade, but one or both of the others will.

DeutscherGeist

I have been noticing that BGS 9.5 does sell for less than PSA 10 on the 80s and 90s cards I pursue. The gap can be considerable as well.

remedylane

It all depends on what the cards are imo. On an overall basis, yes PSA gets the most. However, if it's a great card, and it's desirable, then I don't think you see quite as much separation price wise.

DeutscherGeist

Remedylane,

A hot card right now is the Mattingly 1984 Donruss in PSA 10. It is going for upwards of $2500-$3,5000. The BGS 10 version sells for below $1000. That is a huge gap. It is like that for several cards in this era. I do not think one company is better than the other in cases of cross-over grading. A BGS 9.5 might grade a PSA 9, but a PSA 10 could be a BGS 9 too. There are several card graders in each company, so I really can't image one company has set higher standards over the other in any consistent basis. A mint and gem mint card do not have major differences as there is a blurry line rather than an absolute line of demarcation between the two top grades.

BJY83

Careful otherwise you may get the boot

DBesse27

@BJY83 said:
Careful otherwise you may get the boot

There is nothing in this thread that would get anybody booted.

JoeBanzai

@Arenado_is_best said:
I have a limited baseball card flipping budget and I wanted to flip some cards, but I would get more profit if I graded them first. Which grader has the best bang for your buck?

Welcome to the boards.

I would agree with most of what's been posted. Generally speaking PSA graded cards have a lot of consumer confidence.

If you want more specific answers to questions in the future, please provide more details on the items you are asking about.

Scans are always very helpful. Phone pictures less so.

Have fun collecting.

ReggieCleveland

@LarkinCollector brings up a lot of good points.

I'm diametrically opposed to submitting to SGC for reasons I won't get into here. However, I would buy an SGC card because I believe they can accurately grade cards and their flips can cause a discount.

BGS is where you send your modern cards that came back from PSA as a 9, so that you can get the 9.5. This is pretty much common knowledge and why 9.5s sell for less.

Arthur

DBesse27

@LarkinCollector said:
Yes, but you can get a BGS 9.5 on a card that would be a PSA 9 also due to the way they round up, or magically hit one of the BGS 10s that do go for more.

SGC can get pretty equivalent prices on some pre-war, and turnaround time/bulk pricing differences may make sense to get a lesser profit per card with faster flips. I haven't tracked their 9.5, GEM 10, vs. PRI 10s to comment, but would guess there's some premium associated with the top levels of those too over a PSA 10.

There's also the issue of sets that PSA won't grade, but one or both of the others will.

Good point on PSA not grading certain issues that the others will. I’ll be sending my Eskimo Pie card to SGC, because PSA no longer grades the set.

olb31

@DeutscherGeist said:
Remedylane,

A hot card right now is the Mattingly 1984 Donruss in PSA 10. It is going for upwards of $2500-$3,5000. The BGS 10 version sells for below $1000. That is a huge gap. It is like that for several cards in this era. I do not think one company is better than the other in cases of cross-over grading. A BGS 9.5 might grade a PSA 9, but a PSA 10 could be a BGS 9 too. There are several card graders in each company, so I really can't image one company has set higher standards over the other in any consistent basis. A mint and gem mint card do not have major differences as there is a blurry line rather than an absolute line of demarcation between the two top grades.

Are you sure that a Beckett 10 would sale for 40% of a PSA 10?

craig44

Overall, PSA is most respected and thus demands highest prices. For my own PC, I will buy cards I like from either of the big three

NGS428

Must have meant a BGS 9.5 vs PSA 10

miwlvrn

SGC has a bit of faster turn around time of processing than PSA, and BGS seems to get slower by the day from what I hear though I don't sub there. There are however hundreds of vintage sets that PSA will not grade but SGC will, so that will dictate where you sub items that are more unique.

hyperchipper09

Not a flipper but as a Drexler fan I use all 3 companies

BGS Only option for these:

I liked this better than available PSA 9's in early 2013:

and PSA:

DeutscherGeist

olb31,

I am comparing BGS 9.5 vs PSA 10. The prices for PSA10's are higher for cards of the 80s that I am pursuing.

ReggieCleveland,

I have seen many PSA 9's and BGS 9.5's of the same cards. While PSA 9's are mostly slightly off center, a BGS 9.5 with subgrades of all 9.5s looks not only dead center, but very smooth, sharp and crisp in all other ways. I am actually very surprised to hear that PSA 9s cross over to BGS 9.5's with any regularity. Would that include even the ones with all 9.5 subgrades?

I pass up a lot of PSA 10 cards when I do not see they are dead center, but when I see a BGS 9.5 that is centered, it indeed does have a 9.5 centering subgrade the majority of the time. If it has a 9 subgrade, the centering is indeed slightly off most of the time. Just my observation.