Grading is a crucial part of determining the value and condition of a baseball card. There are several major companies that offer third-party grading services for sports cards, including PSA, SGC, BGS, Beckett Grading Services, and HGA. Each utilizes experts to assess factors like centering, corners, edges, and surfaces to assign an objective numeric grade on a consistent scale.
One of the most well-known companies is Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). Founded in 2000, PSA was an early pioneer in third-party grading and authentication for collectibles. They inspect over 500,000 cards annually and have graded billions of dollars worth of material. PSA uses a numeric 1-10 scale where 10 is gem mint and 1 is poor. Half-grades like 8.5 are also possible. Beyond the numeric grade, PSA encapsulates each card in a hard plastic holder with a barcode for tracking and authenticity.
Submitting cards to PSA often makes the most sense for high-end, valuable vintage cards from the pre-war era through the early 1990s. PSA enjoys widespread brand recognition and grade stability in the marketplace. However, PSA also tends to be the most expensive professional grading service. Their standard turnaround times currently range from a few months up to a year depending on service level selected. Economy bulk submissions start at $10-15 per card while express expert grading can exceed $100 per card.
A slightly less expensive alternative to PSA is SGC (Sportscard Guarantee Corporation). Founded in 2000, SGC uses the same 1-10 scale and encapsulation process but charges slightly lower submission fees. For basic grading, SGC fees often fall in the $8-12 range per card versus $10-15 at PSA. Turnaround times at SGC also tend to be faster on average. However, SGC does not have quite the same brand strength or resale value premium as PSA graded cards in the high-end vintage market. Their strength is in affordable grading of modern issues and autograph verification.
BGS (Beckett Grading Services) is another respected third party company but focuses more exclusively on grading comic books, autographs, and vintage trading cards versus modern sport issues. Their strength is in mint older material given their experience with condition sensitive pre-war and antique collectibles. BGS uses a simpler 1-10 black label scale without plus grades. Cards graded by BGS generally appeal to investors and collectors focused on pristine quality examples worth $5,000 and up. Their higher minimum submission fees and longer turnarounds make them less practical for most modern general card collectors.
Two relative newcomers in the card grading space are CGC (Certified Guarantee Company, a subsidiary of Collectors Universe) and Hobby Grading Accredited (HGA). Both focus on providing fast and affordable grading at slightly lower standards than the “big three.” CGC launched in 2000 and uses a similar encapsulation process as PSA/BGS/SGC. HGA is even more recent, having launched grading operations in 2021. They strive to be extremely fast without sacrificing integrity through a bulk submission and auto-grading process. For collectors wanting basic authentication and protection of modern sports cards in the $100-500 range, CGC and HGA offer a budget-friendly option. Resale values may be slightly lower for cards bearing their holder versus the dominant PSA, BGS, and SGC brands.
In choosing a grading company, factors like turnaround time, cost, and collector base/resale value for that particular brand must be weighed against the potential value and condition of the card. PSA and SGC tend to be the safest options for cards worth thousands due to their proven stable holder brands and track records dating back decades. BGS offers top quality certification for pristine vintage rarities. CGC and HGA can work well for basic protection of modern affordable cards or bulk submissions. Proper research is needed to get the best protection and service relative to each unique collectible. Third party grading brings objectiveness, preserves condition, and adds value – but also requires due diligence in selecting a reputable grader.
