It’s pretty much accepted that PSA graded cards hold a premium over BGS or CGC for whatever reason. I know here may say PSA has a higher standard than BGS, while I do know a few people who thinks it’s the other way around. Then there is CGC which is a relatively new player in the space.
Just wanted to get your guys thoughts on this. Do you like the slab designs, would you pay more if graded by a certain company or maybe you only will buy graded cards from a specific company.
For me personally, I am not too picky when it comes to grading companies though I will say I think BGS slabs look the nicest and PSA is a bit uglier. I also have the impression is that BGS standards are a little more lenient than PSA and there’s more of an emphasis on centering than PSA. CGC is pretty new but from what I’ve seen so far their grading standard is similar to PSA.
Personal opinion, but I love BGS cards more than everything. a few simple reasons: 1) the case makes me feel like this is a true collectible, well protected; 2) I feel the PSA “constraints” the card too much and you cannot clearly see it like in a BGS case; 3) I love the subgrades - it just gives that further hedge to the grading concept; 4) the silver/gold/black label system is awesome in my eyes; 5) they grade cards in ALL languages and not just the base set if you have italian/german/spanish cards etc etc
I am talking moslty about the kind of cards I have with BGS (i.e. 9.5 and higher). I know that for lower grades the cards seem actually worst that the grade provided, but for 9.5 and higher to me there is no comparison.
Other downside with BGS: the pop report are not always accurate, so they could improve that for sure.
I think PSA slabs look nicer, are easier to store and allow for better viewing of the slabbed card.
I think BGS slabs are definitely more protective and look ”classier”. The sub grades are a plus but the 9.5 grade offers a huge price gap in terms of min 9.5, quad 9.5 and quad+ 9.5 to the point where it’s hard to pin down an exact price point of you held a 9.5 slab with a specific set of sub grades.
I love CGC slabs but dislike the labels. I think they will give BGS a huge run for their money in a few years time if they keep up their quality work.
Just thinking aloud. And I would buy PSA and some BGS both for my PC and investment.
I collect PSA-graded Pichus because I like the uniformity of the slabs. My issue with both BGS and CGC are the label colour variations. I wish they’d stick to one design regardless of the grade.
I was strongly considering getting some of my foreign Pichu cards graded through CGC but was put off when I discovered they change the grade colour from black to gold if it gets a 10. It’s just tacky.
I’m going to start sharing data on PSA crosses to CGC soon. So far if anything the data is showing they are on par or maybe a little tougher overall but it’s a very small sample size.
For myself, I like the uniformity. I don’t like 9.5 grades or .5 grades at all. While the subgrades are great with BGS, I would much rather have an outright 10. I believe that we are seeing an uptick in people using BGS for the simple fact that there are more flippers in the game now and new collectors that cant find psa 10s.
I think BGS is a flippers dream… and to be honest i believe that it is very easy to have a card garner that BGS 9.5 (obviously I agree with the market that there should be premiums as the sub grades increase). It has become so competitive and so hard to acquire/locate WOTC PSA 10s that people are “settling” for 9.5s. While both 10 and 9.5s are very high quality cards dont get me wrong, there is a difference in peoples mind when it comes to the number and their collection.
Set Registry is a huge selling point for PSA, as collecting is inherently a competition. I think this alone will keep them in the lead.
Lastly, I do agree BGS 10s should hold a large premium on vintage cards (of any type). But you’re going to have a hard time putting together a collection of those.
Aside from just being around longer and more established, I think the PSA premium comes from people already having a PSA collection and not wanting to deviate from that aesthetic. No need to ‘mix and match’ if you will. Not good for the OCD.
If the same card in the same grade was available for both BGS and CGC, I would choose CGC, simply because I like their cases more. However I would not pay more for the same card between the two.
Should be getting my CGC grades back anytime now and I’ll be able to better compare with my recent PSA sub. Anywho, I think it will just take time for the CGC market to establish. Me personally, I am already starting to become comfortable and accepting of CGC graded cards, as more are coming to market. As long as CGC keeps the pressure, they’ll eventually assimilate into the PSA/BGS pool of grading companies.
@modernrocket pretty much just cracked. I’ve done 1 slabbed cross so far and probably wont do any more because they require it to be a separate submission.
Ill be grading with psa for my resell cards. There’s no reason for me to go to someone else when what I’m doing isn’t broken. I’ve never been afraid to test the market on a lot of items, including BGS grades. What I’ve learned is it’s not worth it to me to be the first.
The simple truth is it’s going to take time for CGC to get established and BGS has never fully caught up to PSA. I don’t know how well CGC will do but I see a lot of the same problems BGS has. Their top grade doesn’t stop at gem mint, their isn’t anything substantially better than psa, and most importantly when people search graded cards they’re more likely to type PSA vs BGS or CGC.
It’s all about demand and PSA has it and the others don’t. I could see a shift to CGC, but I’m not going to be placing any bets there. I’ll keep an eye on it, but the only advantage they have is their turnaround times. Could that be enough, we’ll see.
