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Options For Getting Cards Graded
jfkheat
Posts: 2,800 ✭✭✭✭✭
Now that PSA and SGC have raised the prices and Beckett has stopped accepting lower tier submission what are the options if I want to get some modern cards graded?
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Well realistically right now you have three options....Company's owned by PSA, Company's affiliated with PSA, Companies operated by PSA.
https://kennerstartinglineup.blogspot.com/
I'd recommend CGC. They are not under the Collector's Universe umbrella.
You also try TAG.
realistically if you are grading sportscards, the only options are under the Collectors umbrella: psa, sgc, bgs. cgc grades a lot of cards, but i think they are mostly tcg graders now. sports collectors dont really hold them inhigh regard. tag, i wouldnt bother.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Thanks for the suggestions. The problem with CGC and TAG is the resell value. Collectors aren't paying what the cards are worth. The cards I would like to get graded are some of the ones I posted in the other thread I started. They will all be sold eventually.
Stick with PSA…despite the complaints…PSA-holdered cards realize the best monetary returns.
Patience is a virtue. Be virtuous unlike any other virtuousness ever attempted.
A gembryo is the early developmental stage of a perfect card.
While I somewhat agree with this, it depends on what they do with the grading fees when they start taking submissions again. Plus, I don't really want to wait 6-8 months to get the cards back.
I agree. Not all cards are the same and not all cards are graded for the same reasons. Some should go to PSA, etc... but some should be fine going other routes depending on how soon someone wants to unload them, what their value is and how quickly they need to turnover.
Those here who sell cards (not me, never me) and have a business model built on rapid turnover of currently hot under $250 cards are not best suited via PSA.
Mid-long term vintage OK sure PSA, for quick slab for sales of Short-term semi-hot rookie who will be all forgotten about in 8-10 months PSA right now = no way.
Bottom line "no one size fits all"
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
I really wish there was a viable option, as well. Especially when talking about some of the cards you are thinking about, specifically 90’s Jordan base, subset, and insert, including things I would’ve never before considered subbing. Sixty bucks a pop is tough on its own, but then I would be afraid I’m gonna be left holding the bag when they pop in a few months with these absolutely bonkers prices.
I would think lower value modern would be totally fine using CGC as an alternative. I don't mind picking up a $50 CGC card for what would be a $70 PSA card.
That's not necessarily true.
Maybe for the cards you invest in and IF PSA properly graded the card in the first place.
My SGC10 Jordan card sold for way more than if I didn't crack it out of the PSA5 it originally graded for.
There are countless YouTubers with videos of, especially Pokemon cards, cracked out PSA 7, 8, 9 holders into CGC 10, Pristine 10 holders that have realized much higher returns.
Everyone says 'Buy the card, not the holder' yet the PSA gatekeepers won't even consider cards in other holders.
I only feel comfortable buying PSA-graded and SGC-graded cards…to each his own.
I was the same when I was still collecting vintage cards. All of the graded cards I bought were PSA graded except for 2 SGC 9 cards I bought for one of the sets I was working on. I sent both to PSA and they both crossed to PSA 9. Since I sold my vintage card collection I don't collect anymore. I am retired now so I am going through the boxes with 150-200,000 modern cards I have had in my closet for years and selling anything that has any resell value. That gives me something to do while I'm just sitting around the house.
I like my vintage in either PSA or SGC holders. vintage for me being 80s and older. anything newer than that BGS is fine as well. dont know why i dont like BGS for vintage, just a quirk i guess
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I wont go near BGS for vintage sports but for 90s and 90s non sports auto cards like Trek or general TV stuff I like them.
I dont collect modern or ultra modern sports. I only have 1 slab containing a post 2000 card and it was a gift. I have no more than 15 post 1980s sports slabs.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
I'd guess that if things keep going the way they are with pricing and shutdowns those of us preferring only PSA/SGC will become more and more irrelevant with their preferences like all vintage collectors. With more time newer grading companies will get more market share.
I did get my PSA (Value)(80-present) 75 business day submission (51 cards) back on 9/25.
Arrived at PSA on 5/8, was estimated back on 8/27...not too late.
Still waiting on the other batch (2 cards)-Value sub (79-older) 75 business days???
Was sent same box that day.
As for Beckett---Who knows???
Sent on 7/25, Invoiced 8/31....Status? Sent a message today 10/3
for a 7 card submission
Might get it back by Christmas??
What about:
Golden Grading?
MBA Grading?
Please add pros/cons of each. Thanks -Claude
Ps: I did use MBA a few months ago, and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and speed (just under a month from the day I shipped until I received them back)
They also seem unconcered with triming and color touch ios
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
I really dont know much about Golden grading.
MBA: stay far away. owned and run by shady characters. in fact, one of them, Brent Huigens isnt shady-he is downright terrible for the hobby. I am still shocked that anyone will do business with any entity he is associated with.
here is an question for those who are proponents of MBA grading: how do you feel about GAI and GA slabs? do you consider them to be as trustworthy or as good an investment as PSA/BGS/SGC/CGC?
if you do not, why would you consider an MBA slab to be any better than GAI or GA? they are owned/run by the same guy.
MBA=GAI/GA
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
MBA and PSA seem pretty similar in known errors and shady behaviors. MBA seems more accurate for grading.
pretty sure only MBA has Mr. Brent Huiguens sitting in admin... that alone has them winning in shady behaviors
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Splitting hairs.
With psa keeping all the imagines of cards graded now. They honestly could take the top % game from mba in a few years if they wanted to. They could be like look we have graded every card of 2026 topps chrome and have images of all. These 10 cards of the 100 are centered X or better and have a point scale of x for sharpness and we rate them as top 10 percent or something. Or gold image. They could even just do it virtually and not ruin the case with a sticker. You could even go down if more cards are graded and better. Or become silver or bronze .Ask psa to review your old image uploaded for a fee to see if it gets a psa gold image. Or double upcharge and take a final value % upcharge like Mba lol. Would be wrong if you can lose your spot. Y’all would really be grading it 2x I guess and we would need to agree with the 1st grade. Or hire a priest to look at all 100 images and have him say yeah these 10 looks the best of the 100. Complicated I know. need to work out the $ details. But basically charge more again. I won’t pay but more money for you guys
not if you know Brents history. not even close.
Salt of the earth. iykyk
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
New day, same chat.
A gembryo is the early developmental stage of a perfect card.
For me, in this environment, the best thing is if you want a card and it needs to be graded, then buy one that's already graded (by PSA or SGC).
PSA just announced value tier returning at 39 bucks fyi. On the day I sent in my first submission in years lol.
So Psa is now less than sgc today.
Oh really? Steve Cohen who is one of the primary owners of Collectors Holdings was charged by the SEC for "failure to supervise" and his firm paid a record $1.8B fine as part of a settlement for insider trading. He pivoted his business to a "family office" until his ban expired in 2018. I think we all know Huiguen's saga here too. If you have a tape measure handy check it out.
When I saw your post I immediately went to draft a submission, but gotta wait until tomorrow. $39.99 feels like a deal now and that's not right.
That's a lotta pallets.
A gembryo is the early developmental stage of a perfect card.
39 dollars 500 dollar max insured value.
The cards from that Fedex heist averaged 149 dollar value.
Nobody bids on CGC slabs.
It sounds like there has been a complete breakdown in the grading industry.
I wonder what's going to happen to collectors club tiers. Or is this 39 dollar value tier a collectors club tier?
It is truly amazing to me to think of (a) what percent of PSA-graded cards listed on ebay right now; and, (b) how many total there are in that quantity, that are listed for lower than and/or will sell for less than the cost of grading fees plus associated two-way shipping/tax/insurance with today's PSA grading costs (if someone were to submit the same raw card today instead of when it was originally submitted and graded).
Unfortunately, PSA has a stranglehold on the industry now. And they have continually raised prices at every opportunity while service has went down decidedly IMO. The industry could really use another significant player so that collecting and grading might become fun again. PSA has bought up their remotely challenging competitors. Value has went from under 20 bucks to 40 in the past couple of years. Before the shutdown. it was $34.99 and we are now supposed to be excited at 39.99? This is crazy. The days of the small-time collector and fast flipper are going away before our own eyes,
If prices never come down below like $49 to grade for either of the 3 Collectors Universe companies - what does that do to graded prices? Do vintage cards worth $100 in a PSA 7 graded today go up because essentially no more supply is ever created due to grading being too much of a losing proposition?
is steve cohen intricate> @bgr said:
are you actually comparing the two? how often do you think Cohen is in the grading room or hanging out at PSA headquarters?
it sure sounds like you are in a round about way trying to defend Brent.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
In the announcement they mentioned that bulk value will come back.
But generally speaking the pattern is obvious - big increase due to demand, with a backing off on price but still ahead of previous tier pricing.
What’s already happening is affecting graded cards at all levels. Prices are most definitely rising due to the presumed added value including the inflated cost of grading. If fewer examples are made available because of a lack of submissions that should tell us just how difficult it has become to acquire those cards which are most coveted.
A gembryo is the early developmental stage of a perfect card.
They're pretty obviously colluding to push business to CGC.
Think about the Law of Diminishing Returns...
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
I am thinking about making an Old Fashioned.