There are several entities and organizations that are involved in the rating of baseball cards. The overall condition and grade of a card is very important in determining its value, and there are professional services that examine cards to authenticate them and assign an official grade.
One of the largest and most well-known professional grading services is Professional Sports Authenticator, typically known as PSA. Founded in 2000, PSA has graded hundreds of millions of trading cards over the years, including the vast majority of valuable baseball cards. When a card is submitted to PSA, it is inspected under high-powered magnifying lights by trained graders. The grader will examine every aspect of the card, including the centering, corners, edges and surface. Based on their analysis, the card is assigned a numerical grade on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being flawless gem mint condition.
Another major grading company is Beckett Grading Services, often abbreviated BGS. Founded in 1992, BGS uses a similar process to PSA, with trained graders examining cards under magnification. The main differences are that BGS assigns grades for centering, corners, edges and surface separately in addition to an overall grade. They also use a scaling of 1 to 9.9 instead of 1 to 10. BGS slabs also display the numeric subgrades which provides more detailed condition information.
While PSA and BGS dominate the high-end card grading market, there are some other smaller companies as well. Some examples include SGC (Sportscard Guarantee Corporation), HGA (Hobby Grading Authentication) and CSG (Certified Sports Guaranty). Each company has their own methodology and scale, but all aim to professionally authenticate cards and assign objective condition grades.
In addition to the grading companies, websites like BaseballCardPedia.com and Individual websites of hobby experts also provide condition census data and estimated values for graded baseball cards. This information is based on recent auction prices realized and analysis of the population of known graded samples. Sites like 130 Point.com also function as a marketplace where graded cards can be bought and sold based on comparable past sales.
When it comes to determining a card’s exact estimated value, the numerical grade assigned by a grading company is extremely important. Usually the higher the number, the more valuable the card. But other factors also influence pricing such as the player, year, set and card number. For valuable vintage cards, even a difference of just half a grade point can mean thousands of dollars difference in price. And for truly high-end modern rookies or stars, PSA/BGS Gem Mint 10 graded cards can sell for six or even seven figure sums.
Grading provides several important benefits for collectors. It authenticates that a card has not been tampered with or altered, and the case protects it from further handling wear. The official grade establishes condition in an objective way and makes distant buying/selling easier since the grade is encapsulated. While grading does add costs, it is seen as almost mandatory for high-value cards to realize their full worth. And with trusted third-party grading, counterfeit risks are reduced versus raw uncertified cards.
Professional grading companies like PSA, BGS, SGC and others are most responsible for placing official conditions grades on baseball cards that determines much of their value. But individual hobby analysts and census websites also factor in as reliable sources for estimated values based on population reports and sales data of slabs grades. The grade and authenticity provided by grading is considered vital for collectors of valuable vintage and modern baseball memorabilia.
