Article on card grading

TCC

I've seen alot of threads and posts comparing various card-grading companies and many posts listing PSA, BGS, SGC and GAI as the ones to stick with, so I wanted to share this collector-written article and get your thoughts. By the way, this is an introductory article and is expected to be the first in a series of related articles. For many of you, you will likely already know much of the information, but it still seems to be a good summary.

You'll see that PSA is presented as the leader along with some of the reasons why that is the case such as the "vintage advantage", the Set Registry and overall experience level as shown through the volume of graded cards. Looking forward to the discussion on the accuracy of the summary and the "conclusions" it presents.

Start of article:
"In this day and age of sports card collecting, many businesses make their money from selling cards and memorabilia, while others make their profit from grading cards and authenticating memorabilia. Companies such as these, whose main goal is applying consistent grading to some of the most sought-after cards on the market and the authentication of autographs and collectibles, are some of the most respected and profitable companies in the industry, even competing with the major card manufacturers in terms of gross income. Companies such as Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Beckett Grading Services (BGS), Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC) and Global Authentication Inc. (GAI) have come out as the leaders in this coveted service market. Let's take a closer look at each company."

To read the full article, click here.

-Bob

EagleEyeKid

What?!?! No PRO?

Good article. I think Henry Woodruff shared an early draft of that a couple months ago. Always a good read.

wolfbear

Thanks for posting the link.
Seems funny to read an entire article about the different grading companies,
with no mention of anything negative, or any attacks on the people who run them.

How refreshing.

TCC

<< <i>Good article. I think Henry Woodruff shared an early draft of that a couple months ago. Always a good read. >>



Yes, I think you're right. I believe Henry may have gotten some feedback and actual market data from several of you before during his research on this and other related articles. Henry is a strong writer and really enjoys doing it which makes it all the better. Both Henry and the author of the kids and the hobby article are younger collectors which is good to see as well.

-Bob

TCC

<< <i>Thanks for posting the link.
Seems funny to read an entire article about the different grading companies,
with no mention of anything negative, or any attacks on the people who run them.

How refreshing. >>



No problem. I think you'll see that my plan is to publish alot of articles that cover many aspects of the hobby. While the same subjects may often lead to very heated debates on message boards, the articles will not be used for that purpose. Instead, they are intended to get collectors to think and then continue on with their discussions - hopefully with refined and factual arguments.

I'd like to see a "Grading the Grader" series which would be along the lines of a user review. Those types of articles would be open and fair assessments of the services each company provides. That is where some of the weaknesses would be discussed, but in a professional way.

-Bob

Stone193

Bob
I assume you have seen this site? Personally, I wouldn't trust their judgement considering they give high grades to ASA!
Mike

TCC

<< <i>I assume you have seen this site? Personally, I wouldn't trust their judgement considering they give high grades to ASA! >>



Mike,

Thanks for the link. I think I've come across this site before. However, you'll see that there really isn't an actual review for any of the companies. Instead, they list some brief criteria on one page and then have 1-5 stars for a list of companies on another page without any information about why the grade was given.

In my opinion, any review in this area would have to be based on consistent criteria and then you must supply the important details about how the company did or did not meet the criteria. Otherwise, it appears that the grade is simply assigned and the reader wonders how - just like you are doing about ASA.

-Bob

Stone193

Bob
That's why I said - if Alan Hager's operation is in the top tier - you better hold on to your wallet!!!
Mike

EagleEyeKid

I assume you have seen this site?

That was absolutely hysterical. I couldn't stop laughing.
The stars given were mainly for holders, turnaround time, and
appeal of website. I laughed my ass off when I saw who stacked up where. Plus, this month's recommendation (2 graders) are PSA (understandably), and AGS (Advanced Grading Specialist)?
Beer shot out of my nose and I almost fell out of chair when I saw that. What was this guy smoking?

Vintage2244

Hey,
Thanks for the positive comments. If I had access to a PSA account, I would most likely be able to do that performance review, while not smoking crack like that other site. Thanks

Henry

TCC

Well, at least we all agree that there's "room for improvement" with the "Grading the Grader" content on web sites.

Good to see you here, Henry. Now, these guys can really tell you what they think of your writing.

-Bob

inFluX

Here's another site that grades the graders.. I liked it..

Link

TCC

<< <i>Here's another site that grades the graders.. I liked it..

Link >>



Agreed that this one is much better. Thanks for the link.

-Bob

Stone193

<< <i>Would I buy a PRO 10 card as an alternative to an expensive PSA 10 copy to keep in my personal collection? Sure... for the right price. >>


inFlux
If the guy in your link can say something like this - he hasn't been reading our mail - saying that he would choose pro as an alternative is like picking Mimi of Drew Carey instead of Rachel on Friends!

carew4me

Yeah, this clowns not biased:


Snort's take:
SGC does things the way they should be done! They are thorough and consistent in their grading and they still manage to do it for less than their competition. Not only that, but SGC offers up a host of service levels to match most any need with any budget. Plus SGC's slab is perhaps the best on the market presently in terms of both functionality and appearance. My recommendation is if you are looking to add a quality graded piece to your collection, search out SGC graded specimens. However, if you are looking to have some cards graded with the explicit intention of selling them, PSA may be a better choice... especially for less than perfect cards. Hey, you might get lucky on them with PSA, but you definitely won't with SGC... they are the real professionals.

inFluX

stone.

Yeah maybe I liked it because I like SGC.

Stone193

<< <i>Yeah maybe I liked it because I like SGC >>


If a martian landed on earth looking for work, I would probably be able to give him the job of rating the companies without bias. Otherwise, it getz down to whether you like blonds, brunettes or rachels, I mean redheadz.



Oops, she's baaack!
Mike

CADILLACN97

maybe that guy is biased, but don't knock SGC. i have used them, and will continue to use them. i have found that their service is at PSA's level (at times maybe better), and have been happy with the grades i have recieved. except for their lenient take on centering, they grade just as tough as PSA also. they are NO where near PSA's volume of cards coming in, so that can account for 'better' customer service at times, that was by no means an attack on PSA. SGC is a GREAT company and i would rate them 2nd to PSA in all aspects of card grading. the only people that i see that use BGS are people that are grading strictly for selling, i have never held them too high anyway. i have never used GAI, but i would imagine that their reputation represents them well. i wish SGC would do something to get more of a customer and fan base, to get more SGC cards out there. as far as the business they are in, they do a great job and deserve to be right there next to PSA. but as far as volume, they are far behind the other 3.

E

inFluX

I like SGC.. They're more Canadian friendly and their holders are more 'pretty'

It takes only 3 weeks with their 'grand slam' option which is amazing considering I send the cards all the way over to Eastern Canada from Western Canada and then from there they get sent down to NJ then back up to Eastern Canada then back to me.

PSA does the same thing for Canadian's except it takes three times as long to get your cards back.. Also I don't like how you have to pay to be a member before you can submit cards. If I submited a lot of cards all the time I wouldn't mind but I don't.

EagleEyeKid

I just got back a few cards from SGC. They'll probably stay with me....for now that is. I like SGC as well. I'm starting to send them a few things again. It's been about 3 yrs since I've sent stuff to them.

aro13

inFluX - PSA has a service where you submit cards to Platinum Promotions who submits them to PSA - time is guaranteed 30 days. Price is good, it is very Canadian friendly with no memberships, no border hassles.

For what it is worth, Alan Hager was very good at spotting trimmed and altered cards that were sent in for grading. He might have put his trimmed and altered cards in holders but he knew what to look look for in alterations.

Stone193

<< <i>For what it is worth, Alan Hager was very good at spotting trimmed and altered cards that were sent in for grading. He might have put his trimmed and altered cards in holders but he knew what to look look for in alterations. >>


Aro
I agree on the guy's knowledge - I talked to him at a show and what he has forgotten I may never know...
he was very collector friendly and was really good at helping me with oddball foreign stuff. I really liked the guy - I have said this before - too bad about the road he chose to go down IMO.
Mike

aro13

Mike - Yeah, imagine if he had stayed honest. He started the grading idea, he patented the holder, he had an idea for a six sport priceguide. It is too bad what happened but he left quite a trail of bad deals and bad debts.