SGC vs PSA - What would you do ?

dtkk49a

I live close to the SGC grading center and have brought cards there to be graded. Its conveinant and I save a ton on shipping charges. I drop them off, I pick them up. Is the money I am saving on shipping worth me taking the cards to SGC ?

phreakydancin

What kind of cards are you getting graded, and why are you having them graded? If you are having modern cards graded for resale, I wouldn't use SGC. PSA or BGS will get you better ROI.

Vargha

I would move to Orange County, CA if I were you.

inFluX

So far in my experiance SGC dead equal with PSA.. I prefer SGC however because of the nicer looking holder. However if I plan on selling a card I get it graded by PSA they tend to fetch more cash.

A761506

I would use PSA over anyone else for any cards. They are the best, they will always be the accepted industry standard both now and long into the future, and the return on PSA will be better than any other company the vast majority of the time. Shipping charges are insignificant in the whole big picture. Just factor it into the grading costs, which are cheap to begin with. It's amazing, with art, for someone to do the equivalent to what PSA does, it can cost thousands of dollars for a single piece. You can get a $10,000+ baseball card authenticated and graded for only $100. $500 and under cards for $12 a pop plus a couple bucks for shipping, it's really a heck of a deal when you think about it.

waitiltheytrytobuy

SGC sure does have nice looking holders.

EvilleKlownie

I would let my wife decide which grading company has the prettiest holders and go with that company.

waitiltheytrytobuy

Or, like dtkk49a, you could just submit to the grading company that is located in the same city you live in.

dtkk49a

So I guess the verdict is SGC for the cards I keep. PSA for the cards I plan to sell. Interesting.....

autobilia

<< <i>So far in my experiance SGC dead equal with PSA.. I prefer SGC however because of the nicer looking holder. However if I plan on selling a card I get it graded by PSA they tend to fetch more cash. >>



I prefer SGC also. I have already sold the cards that I don't want, so I get my stuff graded for accuracy, a piece of mind on the nice vintage, and to get them encased. So, it all depends on his intentions.

autobilia

<< <i>So I guess the verdict is SGC for the cards I keep. PSA for the cards I plan to sell. Interesting..... >>



That basically sums it up. I like SGC over PSA, but it comes down to marketing which is how BGS surpassed PSA.

1337085642

I use psa because I think they sell better. I send about 300 a year in . I sell allot on my ebay store (sports cards and coins of vermont) but I put allot away for my son.

The way I decided was I checked the amnt of buyers for each company graded. and went with p$a . it can cost $$$ but I think it's worth it.
You need to be a member so if you have friends that collect you can get together and split the cost on reistering fee, grading fee, and shipping

speeder

dtkk49a,

the ones that you keep now,,,,,, will be the ones you sell later !!

i have nothing bad to say about sgc.

but no gets buried with his cards, you will sell them at some point.

that being the case, psa pays for itself, sooner or later.

your friend, lee

WinPitcher

That basically sums it up. I like SGC over PSA, but it comes down to marketing which is how BGS surpassed PSA


huh??

Stone193

<< <i>but no gets buried with his cards, you will sell them at some point. >>


Lee
I was thinking of taking mine with me.

WinPitcher

my plot is reserved for my cards, i will be cremated and my urn will rest upon my slabs...

speeder

hey mike and steve.

mike, who are you trusting to put them in with you ??

steve, your urn will probably rest against something else when someone needs the money !!

oh, what a thought !

lee

autobilia

<< <i>That basically sums it up. I like SGC over PSA, but it comes down to marketing which is how BGS surpassed PSA


huh?? >>



When it comes to BGS, PSA, and SGC... all are respectable graders. But it all comes down to marketing as to which one people use. PSA has history, but because Beckett uses its price guide to boost BGS, they sell for more. To me, BGS isn't better than PSA. They just has a better marketing pitch. I like SGC over PSA, but PSA has dealer backing. People tend to not care about accuracy and consistency. They care about which service will bring them more money. When dtkk49a ask "Is the money I am saving on shipping worth me taking the cards to SGC?", no one said anything about consistency or accuracy.

phreakydancin: "If you having modern cards graded for resale"
inFlux: "However if I plan on selling a card I get it graded by PSA they tend to fetch more cash"
A761506: "the return on PSA will be better than any other company the vast majority of the time."
1337085642: "I use psa because I think they sell better."
speeder: "the ones that you keep now,,,,,, will be the ones you sell later !!"

All responses are investment based and has nothing to do with accuracy, consistency, and a piece of mind (collector's point of view). I guess those don't matter if you just grading it to get rid of it anyways. That's why I say it's marketing based.

WinPitcher

Beckett uses its price guide to boost BGS, they sell for more.


1...they do?

2 ...that sounds like an awful CONFLICT of INTEREST to me

jrdolan

<< <i>Beckett uses its price guide to boost BGS, they sell for more. >>


BGS 9.5 does indeed often sell for more than PSA 10 in modern material, and that is indeed due entirely to the Beckett marketing machine. No doubt that Beckett dominates the modern market, especially when you factor in BCCG. Their core audience, which no one can dispute is THEIR kingdom to rule, consists mainly of 13-year-olds feeling up current-year packs in Wal-Mart. Thus there are countless pages just for the countless 2004 cards and the countless variations, and the rest of the magazine is pared down as a result.

Beckett good: They acknowledge the existence of PSA in their guide, though they predictably claim that BGS brings more at the same grade. They admit that BCCG 9 is the equivalent of everybody else's 7. They are more current than SMR on market trends for modern issues.

Beckett bad: They think baseball cards were invented in the mid-1970s, and that there's no market for them until the mid-1980s. BCCG doesn't care that a card is trimmed. BGS only cares slightly that a card is trimmed.

dtkk49a

Do SGC 96's crossover to PSA 9's easily ?. If they do, then it would make sense for me to use SGC and save the money on the shipping, which could be substantial. Any SGC to PSA crossover info would be appreciated.

Thanks
Carlo

jrdolan

It doesn't make financial sense on the surface. You have to pay shipping eventually, if you cross to PSA. And you're paying for two gradings!

Consider this: Cost of card + cost of SGC grading + cost of attempting to cross over to PSA + two-way PSA shipping. A lot of the time, all this adds up to more than if you just bought the PSA card to begin with, or had PSA grade it instead of doing the premilinary steps.

PSA isn't going to be impressed that it's in a SGC holder, probably just the opposite. It's tougher for them to grade through a holder, and sometimes they reject the card as not meeting minimum grade since they can't be sure. SGC doesn't get this as much as GAI does (cough), but it's still a chancy proposition.

All in all, if you want it in a PSA holder in the end, save yourself some time and aggravation and just go with PSA from the start. If you like SGC, that's a different matter, but you asked about crossing over.

fsjeter

PSA has the SMR but it's distribution is nowhere near that of the Beckett Magazines. I can't even find it here in Las Vegas without a subscription. The biggest boost for PSA has been the set registry. Beckett has too many services (BGS, BVG, BCCG). They muttle the mix and with no clear way to compare the three services, it is frustrating. I won't even buy BCCG cards (but that's just me).

Scott

dtkk49a

I was just wondering if I would have success in crossing over SGC 96's to PSA9's

I agree, I would not slab in SGC and then cross over to PSA. That would be a waste of money.

fsjeter

dtkk49a,

Maybe this Link will help you. These are some results from crossovers from other board members.

Scott