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Even if you’re fairly new to card collecting, you’ve probably seen how rare cards for sale are often encased in a thick protective plastic holder with a big label on it along with acronyms like PSA or CGC. That’s a sign that the card has been verified and graded by a third-party collector service
Most major card grading services use a scoring system of 1 through 10, and although each one defines their grades a little bit differently, typically 1 is very poor (for example, a card that might be badly damaged) and 10 is pristine or virtually perfect — the very rare condition that collectors refer to as “gem mint.”
To get a grade, however, first you have to mail your card or collectible item directly to the service so they can inspect it themselves, at the cost of a fee that often varies depending on how valuable your item might be.
If you already paid a lot for your cards, spending even more money to send those items out may seem counterintuitive. But if one of your goals is to gather high-quality, expensive cards as a long-term investment, grading is an indispensable part of the process.
Why grade my cards?
First, there’s the obvious appeal to grading: it serves as proof that your collectible is the real deal. In addition to closely examining the physical object itself for any overt signs of forgery, many services will also use forensic methods like full-spectral imaging and UV light analysis.
After figuring out whether or not you’ve sent them the genuine article, they’ll affix a protective plastic “slab” around the item to prevent any further deterioration, which is especially important if you’re lucky enough to own something still in mint condition.
Some services also keep publicly available records about each item, including auction prices if they were sold through specific partner vendors. This makes it easier for you to research the history of not just an individual item, but the comparative prices, conditions and quantity of other items of the same type.
Finally, grading your items makes them more appealing to future buyers. Not only does it establish your collectible’s authenticity, but the score your item receives can impact its value — the higher the score, the more it’ll be worth when it’s time to sell.
Where do I get my cards graded?
There are a lot of different kinds of grading services depending on the types of collectibles you’re interested in — one of the oldest is the American Numismatic Association Certification Service, which has been grading coins since 1979. But we’re here to talk about cards.
“The Big Three”
When it comes to grading cards, the three most well-known services in the industry are PSA, CGC, and BGS:
PSA stands for “Professional Sports Authenticator.” True to its name, this company is best known for verifying sports memorabilia, like baseball cards and autographed balls, but it’s also expanded its reach to non-sports cards, unsealed packs, tickets, and even Funko Pop! figurines. Prices are based on turnaround time and the card’s declared value, but paying for PSA Collector’s Club annual membership also affords you certain bonus perks and discounts.
CGC stands for Certified Guaranty Company. Comic book collectors will know this service well, as it tends to be the go-to for slabbing and grading single-issue comics. However, it also authenticates cards, video games, VHS tapes, and other pop culture ephemera. Prices are a little cheaper than PSA to start, but CGC also charges more for valuable cards and faster turnaround and offers its annual membership as well.
BGS stands for Beckett Grading Services. Unlike most authenticators, Beckett started in 1979 as a publication specializing in baseball card price guides but has since evolved to scoring cards and other collectibles itself. While there are some additional fees for autographs and oversized cards, this service only charges based on turnaround times, not on card value.
Emerging Graders
While these “Big Three” verification companies are the most common ones you’ll find in the market, there are also plenty of new and emerging graders as well:
SGC (Sportscard Guaranty Corporation) is also very well-known in the sports card collecting community, particularly for its remarkably fast turnaround times and its expertise with vintage trading cards.
CCC (Certificateur de Cartes de Collection), is based in France and offers its services primarily to the European market.
TAG (Technical Authentication and Grading) boasts a “multi-patented” automated system that’s meant to remove human bias from the grading process.
MBA (Mike Baker Authenticated) was founded recently in 2020 and certifies existing PSA, CGC, and BGS cards with an additional “MBA diamond” mark.
SCD (Sports Collector Digest) doesn’t grade cards anymore, but you might still come across their logo on mid-'00s-era collectibles. Like Beckett, this brand started as a collector’s publication, which it still publishes to this day.
Ok, so which grader should I use?
If you asked five collectors to tell you which is the best card grading service, odds are that you’d probably get a slightly different response from every single one! Just as each collector has their preferences, each card grading service has its strengths, weaknesses, and perks.
That being said, PSA, CGC and BGS are the biggest names in the biz for a reason. They’re generally regarded as the gold standards for card grading, and it’s their scores you’ll probably see on the market already if you’re looking to purchase already-graded cards.
When choosing which service to go with for your own cards, you’ll also want to keep in mind several other factors, such as the original condition of the card you’re hoping to grade, the number of cards you want to be graded at once, the expected value of each card, and when you want to have them back in your possession. Each of these details can have an impact on how much you spend on the grading process.
Ultimately, you know your collection the best, so only you can determine which is the right service to use!
