[hi desert paul]

I have noticed several diffrent grading companies o Ebay, I know each of them probbly has diffrent standards of grading a card but are there grading companies that should be avoided or are they all acceptable in the hobby as far as realibilty or quality of grading

[jaredhuizenga]

I've got mostly BGS, along with a couple PSA and one Gem. Most people stick with BGS, PSA or SGC. The rest are a little suspect, IMO. I've got a Gem '89 Topps Traded Griffey Jr. card that's graded a 9.5 or 10 (I forget which) and I'd be lucky to get an 8.5 on it from BGS.

You'll get a lot of responses, as everyone has their own preference. For me, I like the BGS slabs more. They feel sturdier and the cards are placed in a penny sleeve before the slab to avoid slipping.

I'd avoid the others altogether, unless you can get it cheaper than an ungraded card of similar condition.

[ricelynnevans75]

Your best bets are going to be either SGC, PSA, or BGS. If possible, go to a show or something to view the slabs in person so you can decide which you prefer. The standards are great and all, however it's all in how they are actually applied at a given moment. These are human beings doing the grading after all and not a robot.

My suggestion in terms of finding out the positives/negatives of each is to go to the forums of each site and ask the opinions of their users. Odds are you're going to run across many biased opinions on each site in favor of the respective company but you can pretty much piece it together when given enough opinions.

With that said, I think going to a large enough card show to see and compare, or even one of the online catalogs of a bigger auction house to see good up close scans, to determine what you're comfortable with is the best way to go.

[Midwestconnection]

PSA is the most honest company in the business. They are also the first and best. Not sure why people choose differently from PSA for these services.

[hi desert paul]

Yeah when I was last seriously into the hobby working card shows PSA was just coming on the scene for about 2-3 years. Grading cards wasnt big back then PSA was authenticating autographs. Main reason i was asking was for resale or trade value ad I have a 1987 Fleer Fred McGriff from WCG that was graded a 10 and even I can see the card isnt centered so it got me to thinking about if there are companies out there to totally avoid due to reputation

[johnxgodfree]

pre-war vintage - SGC
vintage - PSA
modern - BGS

that'd be my personal pecking list. I prefer the BGS encasements over all the rest - IMHO (and the opinions of many other collectors) PSA grades vintage cards a lot more "accurately" and does a better job of it.

I don't collect pre-war vintage (more so just drool over other peoples collections) but I think the encasements with the old tobacco cards are gorgeous together.

all in all its a matter of preference, I personally won't touch a card outside of those 3 grading houses - tons of other crappy places out there that you can just pay to have any label/grade you want slapped on a card

BGS, PSA, SGC are generally the "Trusted" three. anything else you are rolling the dice with and scamming/shady practices are abundant (not that BGS/PSA/SGC couldn't be shady behind the scenes (IE: giving certain dealers better grades, etc..... or the IMHO conflict of interest in beckett both grading and selling/auctioning cards but that is a whoooooole nother can of worms to open)

[cptnemo66]

pre-war vintage - SGC
vintage - PSA
modern - BGS

+1

[nolan5000]

I have noticed several diffrent grading companies o Ebay, I know each of them probbly has diffrent standards of grading a card but are there grading companies that should be avoided or are they all acceptable in the hobby as far as realibilty or quality of grading

Stick with the Big 3. Beckett (BGS/BVG), PSA and SGC. And that's it.

[johnxgodfree]

oh and beckett BCCG - I'd avoid like the plague also - unless you can physically inspect the card in person also and are satisfied with the condition - I would pretty much fully ignore the label grade attached to those

[Midwestconnection]

Yes, bccg is just another money grab by beckett. Not sure why people actually send money for this service.