The major companies that provide third-party grading of sports cards like baseball cards are Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Beckett Grading Services (BGS), Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC) and Hobby Enterprises Authentication (HEA). Each company has different submission methods and turnaround times.
PSA is currently the largest and most established card grading service. They have graded billions of cards over the past 30+ years and set the standard for modern card grading. With PSA, cards can either be submitted by mail directly to their headquarters in California or through authorized PSA dealers around the country. For direct mail submissions, PSA has various submission tiers with different turnaround times and costs. The most basic tier is called Economy, which has a turnaround goal of around 45 business days and costs around $10-15 per card depending on volume. Higher tiers like Express and Expedited have faster turnarounds of 20 days or less but cost more at $20-30 per card. Authorized PSA dealers can also submit bulk orders of cards on consignment for lower per card pricing.
BGS is another large card grading service especially popular for higher end and vintage cards. They offer similar submission tiers to PSA but also have some unique slab designs and semi-numeric grades that some collectors prefer over PSA’s classic 1-10 numeric system. BGS submissions are only accepted through authorized BGS dealers worldwide. The dealers send in bulk orders on consignment for lower per card fees. Turnaround times are shorter than direct-to-consumer at PSA.
SGC is a bit smaller than PSA and BGS but has grown rapidly in recent years by offering budget-friendly prices. They have become very popular for modern sports cards. SGC only accepts submissions through authorized SGC dealers but turnaround is usually 2-4 weeks even on economy tier orders. Per card costs are as low as $3-5. SGC slabs have a smaller profile than PSA or BGS but still offer quality assurance and authentication.
HEA is the newest player, having launched in 2022. They aim to directly compete with PSA on service and turnaround times but at lower costs. HEA accepts direct individual submissions by mail and also works with select dealers. While still small, HEA has received praise so far for quick service and communication at very reasonable $5-10 per card pricing. Only time will tell if they can gain large scale acceptance, but they show promise as a competitive alternative.
In summary, PSA remains the preferred grading service of the big three for high end and vintage cards due to name recognition and experience grading billions of cards over decades. But budget-minded collectors can get modern cards certified affordably through SGC, or potentially through the new upstart HEA depending on service levels. BGS is highly respected for unique slabbing but requires use of authorized dealers for submissions. Whichever service collectors choose, third party certification adds assurance that cards are authentic and protectable investments. With a bit of research into pricing structures and turnaround options, collectors have choices depending on needs when it comes to sending cards out to be professionally graded.
