(08-23-2011, 09:47 PM)TheEvilEmpire Wrote: The reason why you most vintage cards graded SCG and PSA is because BVG is a more new company compared to PSA/SCG and most of the vintage was submitted when it was just them two companies. When you buy a graded card, I want it to not move around and stay the grade it was given. BGS/BVG has the best slabs to protect the cards given the grade they are.
BGS and SGC came out right around the same time. Not sure which was first but they were close enough that which came out first/second isn't really an issue in regards to getting their name out there. BGS has always graded vintage but the actual name "BVG", I have no idea when that was established but is essentially just a different holder to signify a vintage card with the same grading that's been going on since the outset. I think I still have some vintage kicking around in the BGS holders with the sub-grades on the flip.
PSA is preferred with many people because of the registry. That registry has some die hard followers. That and yes, they have been around for quite some time. I believe they were actually established in 1991 but it didn't really take off for another 5-7 years. I do wish they would just drop those qualifiers though and apply the flaw to the overall grade.
SGC, when they came out, more or less catered to the vintage collector. That was and remains their niche. Today, they are widely known for their pre-war grading. Whether they aimed at pre-war at the outset or all vintage at the time I don't recall exactly. They've had three different styles of slabs/certs in their time.
I'm not sure if BGS actually catered to any collector dynamic at the outset but they've somehow become recognized as the top grader for modern cards. I used them a few times from around 1999-2003. At that time, they were a great service though the holders, for my taste, are too bulky and sterile looking. I haven't used BGS since around 2003 though so I can't really say anything about them now other than it's pretty clear that their following among the modern collecting crowd beats out the other two.
I used SGC a few times around the 1999/2000 time period. I used PSA once for a 10-15 card submission around 2004. I never had any issues with any of the three grading companies. I used to have a photo obtained from somewhere on the internet showing damage caused to a couple of cards that were in PSA holders and they do move around if you shake them. I've never had any of my cards in an SGC holder move around and haven't heard of this other than a couple of instances where the card was not in the cutout when it arrived to them. If one is looking for the strongest/safest holder as their primary concern, then BGS is easily the best. However, if you're not into shaking your slabs violently, it really doesn't matter.
In regards to the grading, it just makes sense to me that if one company grades far more of a particular era/set/etc, they are going to have more experience of what to look for and will be more familiar with cards from that particular set. Whether that actually translates into "better" grading, I don't believe anybody can answer that without bias. However, I do believe that with just about anything, more experience is preferred over less experience. In the end, I don't think there is a big gap at all between the big three and other than the people who pop up and say "I had a card graded a 9 by XXX get crossed over to a 6 by XXX" (usually to show how their favorite company is "stricter" and can't actually provide any evidence of the crossover grade gap), I haven't heard of any large discrepancies. If there are any I see, it tends to typically be .5-1 grade higher/lower with some outliers of course between all the companies. I really don't believe any are stricter in grading than the other. One may say one thing, but the actual application is a different story. It is only human beings after all doing the grading.
Personally, I use SGC for everything. I love the way the black insert makes cards "pop" in presentation, they have excellent customer service, have remained consistent, and have strong slabs. They just sit in a box anyway. I'm not saying that the other two don't have the above apply to them but for me and my collection, I feel that is what's best. The fact that the majority of my PC is, and will be, vintage (pre/post war) moves me away from BGS/BVG because of what I said above and experience in grading vintage. I also don't grade with PSA because I don't grade nearly enough to justify paying a yearly membership fee on top of grading fees.