PSA vs BGS Who's better and why?

Smittys

Or are they both kinda equal ?

mrmint23

Check out realized prices on vintagecardprices.com...Best way to make an educated decision. I have found most people just buy the Number Grade thus the popularity of BCCG.

olb31

beckett for newer auto cards because they give you both the auto and card grade

beckett for most cards from 1982 and up, the subgrades make a huge difference

psa for opc especially 1980 back

psa for most cards 1980 and back

beckett for more variations

both have advantages, but review the pop report for both to figure out which one gives you the best opportunity to have a lower pop.

Sean1125

Some modern for BGS does better (I know my customer base likes BGS 9.5-10's for modern much more than psa), but the vintage crowd HEAVILY HEAVILY prefers PSA and you will always fetch a premium over bgs.

MBMiller25

I prefer the BGS slab better than the PSA slab. It's more robust and less prone to tampering. With that being said, every card I own is in a PSA holder.

1989FleerBillRipkencollector

My opinion-

BGS- Used more for modern cards. Slabs are too bulky and can chip easier. Auto grade is nice to have. Inner sleeve is a plus to some. I can view the population reports as well as anyone else.

PSA-I like the slab size. No auto grade so alot of collectors who have a streaky auto or other auto imperfection, will go thru PSA. I cannot view the population report since I'm not a member. Dumb....

All of my cards are non PC as I dont have a PC focus anymore. 95% of my cards are BGS although I currently prefer PSA. Only reason is a group sub that occurs every month on another site that is really cheap. Last I heard they were going to have a PSA one coming soon. Cant wait!

daverat

In my opinion -

PSA for sets - there is an abundance of vintage and modern for set builders and psa set registry is king

PSA for modern non-auto - subgrades can completely kill the value of bgs 9.5 (know this first hand)

BGS for modern auto

My preference for vintage is BGS/BVG (I know I will catch hell for this statement on this board) - I love the thick slabs and have more confidence that the card has not been tampered with compared to a PSA slab. Also, if you are patient and have average marketing/selling skills BGS/BVG sell very well (I had a recent sale of a BVG 6 Nolan Ryan rookie that netted $350, psa 6 ryans are averaging $350 on Ebay)

Overall, I prefer BGS for ther slab attributes, consistency in grading, and the fact that they are 15 minute drive down the tollway for me. Cards dropped off in person and slabbed within the hour if needed.

fiveniner

I am going to be absoultley truthful > like PSA because of the reputation they carry throughout the industry.I never use or buy BGS or buy a BGS card I do however like BVG . The best holders are SGC.

hammered

<< <i>Some modern for BGS does better (I know my customer base likes BGS 9.5-10's for modern much more than psa), but the vintage crowd HEAVILY HEAVILY prefers PSA and you will always fetch a premium over bgs. >>




LOL @ "my customer base"

itzagoner

dangit hammered you almost made me spit coffee outta my nose.

when i think of BGS, i imagine a group of kids playing rock, paper, scissors to achieve a solution to a simple, yet complex situation.

when i think of PSA, i imagine a group of adults............

well. um.

okay. who chose rock?

PSA is better. because i said so.

leathtech

PSA... I like their holders a lot better. Beckett for me are just to big.

eagles33

Both are good imo. Psa has a much better pop report and registry. I also think psa is the leader and commands the highest prices... But I like the bgs slab better and the wider variety that bgs will slab. They will even slab this Minnesota Fats book of pool magazine from 1965 that I found on ebay. I couldn't find anything close to a card for him so going to use this to represent his rookie in my non major sport rookie collection. 90 percent of my collection is in psa slabs. Only cards that psa won't slab are bgs. Like Star basketball

Bear48

PSA, PSA, PSA!!

Dpeck100

The two have battled it out the past 10+ years. PSA has 85% market share of the new card submissions.

This tells you all you need to know. They would not be getting so much more volume if they were not the best.

It is actually more costly to sub with PSA for many becuase of the membership costs so not only are they winning on volume but doing so at a higher price as well.

TmbrWolf22

Minnesota Fats isn't even a real person.

ndleo

I use both BGS and PSA. Been happy with each, however I follow the modern auto to BGS, vintage to PSA mantra. I just got back a bunch of modern chrome auto FB from BGS and just killed it on ebay. Also the BGS holders are by far the best in the industry.

However my personal collection switched over to PSA a few years ago. I collect vintage FB and you just can't get all the cards I need in BVG.

I will not use SGC again because of a recent bad experience with them. Bottom line, I do not trust them with my cards anymore.

Probstein123

psa for EVERYTHING unless its a sgc 98 1979 hockey opc - rough cut....then in that one case only , I go with sgc...

gemint

A general rule of thumb, though it can vary for a particular player or set:

SGC for prewar
PSA for postwar (1948-1980)
BGS for modern (1980-present)

Sean1125

<< <i>psa for EVERYTHING unless its a sgc 98 1979 hockey opc - rough cut....then in that one case only , I go with sgc... >>

twiley

This is why I will never buy or use BGS.

pit

<< <i>I prefer the BGS slab better than the PSA slab. It's more robust and less prone to tampering. With that being said, every card I own is in a PSA holder. >>



This!

CollectorAtWork

PSA in general and for Registry cards. Beckett for thicker, game used cards, and oversized ~8X10 cards. SGC for oversized ~6X9 cards. SGC or Beckett for fragile cards that PSA won't holder or odd sized cards where the cards would "float" inside a PSA holder.

Goldlabels

I use psa because they are 15 minutes from my house and I save thousands a year on shipping costs. Used to do tons with BGS when I did more modern but nowadays even do my modern with psa because of conveinance. Also got sick of the whole review game BGS was playing a few years ago when people would review the same card 20-40 times and then it would turn into a bgs 10 pristine.

vladguerrero

<< <i>The two have battled it out the past 10+ years. PSA has 85% market share of the new card submissions.

This tells you all you need to know. They would not be getting so much more volume if they were not the best.

It is actually more costly to sub with PSA for many becuase of the membership costs so not only are they winning on volume but doing so at a higher price as well. >>

Black00SS

In my case this is the ONLY reason I prefer BGS, and I will use an example. I have a TON of 1987 Topps football cards that I am going to be prescreening, and submitting for grading.

With PSA, I know my ceiling on the PSA 10's. With BGS, I know 9.5's, in this case with these cards, are going to sell for just about the same, or maybe a tad more/less than a PSA 10. That being said, IF a couple of these cards came back BGS 10, we are talking a whole new ballgame. My point is, I know that a PSA 10 1987 Topps Jim Kelly rookie is going to sell for XXXXX, and a 9.0 is going to make me a few dollars after fees, etc....anything less would be a break even, or loss. A BGS 9.5 is going to sell for XXXXX, a 10 could be a 1K dollar card, a 9.0 should make me 7-8 bucks, and an 8.5 will be a break even, or small loss. I have 4 chances to make good with the BGS grade, and 3 with the PSA. Is it stupid....you bet, but unfortunately too many people buy the slab and not the card. Is this going to be the case in a few years if there are 10-15 BGS 10's of the aforementioned card....highly unlikely, but for now it is what it is.

Please note, this is MY situation, and nobody's opinion is wrong on the subject. For my PC, PSA is the way I would go because I am buying the card, not the slab. Both companies have things they are better at than the other, both have made horrible blunders in slabbing cards, and both are about on the same footing as far as grading goes IMO. You can play the "slot machine" with both companies, and get different grades on the same card many times, so I would consider them equal there.

The PSA registry is second to none, and BGS can't even begin to compare. The PSA market is solid, broad and set. The BGS market is like a wild west shootout, huge premiums paid for some cards in their slabs, next to nothing paid for others, because its not a 9.5/10. I guess the question you have to ask yourself is....do you like to gamble, or do you like stability?

WalterSobchak

I have owned hundreds of cards graded by each company, and I have submitted quite a few cards from my collection with each company as well.
In terms of overall grading accuracy and quality of service, my experience is that it's pretty much a push. Both PSA and BGS do a good job.

However, starting about 3-4 years ago, I switched exclusively to PSA- and have slowly weeded out the BGS cards from my collection. (There are a few modern cards I still own that are BGS graded, but the number is less than ten.) Here's why:

1. In the area of 1950's, 60's, and 70's baseball cards- which is all I collect now- PSA graded cards consistently realize higher prices than those graded by anyone else
(80% of the reason).

2. PSA holders take up much less room than BGS holders (10%).

3. The set registry is kinda fun (10%).

lawnmowerman

I submit to both companies regularly. Both are great. I use BGS exclusively for my thicker memorabilia cards. The PSA "modified pack slab" they use for such cards is crap. While it's good for packs, it's terrible for cards. Besides being monstrous is size, the cards are so loose inside the slabs, they can be used as a baby rattles.