FANATICS.....CSG
Mickey71
Posts: 4,252 ✭✭✭✭
I collect vintage so I'm completely not really interested or educated in this; but it keeps getting brought up in card related conversations. Every time I mention the future of grading it directly goes to CSG. Doesn't seem accurate to me; but seriously I have no idea. Thanks in advance to answers to these questions.
- Is FANATICS producing all of the sports cards soon or just a part of them?
- I've heard the best cards will have an insert for the already graded CSG card??? Is this true?
- If #2 is true then shouldn't grading companies be scared....very scared that all of the new BIG cards will already be CSG graded??
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Good questions. Not much info is known yet, more speculation than anything. What we do know, Fanatics bought the trading card rights for Baseball, Football and Basketball licensed cards so they will be eventually producing whatever they want to produce in a couple years.
What we also know is from a WSJ article (behind paywall) here is an interesting quote:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/fanatics-trading-cards-baseball-topps-value-10-billion-11632883190?st=j0w81yxfgkxruj6&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
“People familiar with Fanatics Trading Cards say the new venture will angle to become the one-stop shop for all things in the trading card industry—including primary sales, secondary-marketplace deals, grading of cards and even storage.
In the industry’s traditional model, distributors would sell cards to retailers, and then remain on the sidelines as prices for its product rose, sometimes astronomically, in the secondary market via eBay and other trading platforms. Fanatics Trading Cards wants to capture that value and believes that customers can benefit from a modernized business without the numerous middlemen bloating the prices on cards.
“We see a market that has the potential to be disrupted in a way that improves consumer choice, improves consumer experience and also expands the opportunity for the rights holders,” said Deven Parekh, a managing director at Insight Partners.”
So, direct to consumer sales, marketplace, and vault. Fanatics wants to be the one stop shop for all things card related, so that is where CSG comes in. CSG and Fanatics already have a connection, Michael Rubin is an investor in CCG/CSG and is also the CEO of Fanatics. How exactly CSG will play into this is unknown, but I could see Fanatics produce cards that are graded by CSG and then sold on the Fanatics marketplace.
Things will get interesting over the next 2-4 years. I don’t know how big of an impact this will have on PSA, but there is a lot of money in PSA cards at this time, so that is a big force to be reckoned with.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
FYI, CSG just made a number of needed updates. They still have their version of the BGS black label. They also removed sub grades and created a new label and grade names to more closely align with the industry.
https://www.csgcards.com/news/article/10017/new-label/
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
When they partner with Ebay to allow you to upgrade authentication to grading, they will explode. The shipping to and from CSG is on the seller.
I wouldn’t be surprised if CSG’s holders are co-branded Fanatics (or even solely branded Fantatics graded with no mention of CSG) on Fanatics produced Topps branded trading cards.
That CSG slab is the best one out there IMO. The plastic is crystal clear if you care about viewing the card. That new flip looks a lot better.
With their relationships in place with eBay and most likely Fanatics they are positioned very well.
When the card market corrects possibly contracts I see three still standing; PSA, CSG and SGC. And I think SCG and PSA run away with it. Really like what SGC has done but not sure they have the capital to compete in what is going to be a very competitive fight for market share.
I have always been slab agnostic (probably because I do not sell - everything is PC so I buy the card not the holder) - however I predict it will go PSA, CSG, SGC. Although I am a huge fan of SGC, CSGs relationships with Fanatics and EBay are going to pay dividends. Once they get a lot of slabs out there, the $12 bulk price for ultra-modern will be tough to beat.
CSG is the new kid in town and they have made many improvements over the past year. Their partnership with Fanatics and ebay will put them in a position to be a player in the TPG. Hard to predict outcome, but I do think they can compete with SGC and beckett. PSA is still king.
PSA will remain on top as long as they get all service levels reopened soon. If people can't get lower priced cards graded by PSA that will affect peoples ability to complete registry sets from the 70's and 80's. PSA needs to get lower level services up and running to keep these collectors in the fold.
$12 bulk price for ultra modern won't last. These companies can't keep up at that price. If they could they wouldn't have had my order for 10 months. I would have been better off selling my stuff raw and then reinvesting.