[nolan5000]

When discussing which company is the best for grading why do we focus so much emphasis on the stupid case? The best company should be the one who has the toughest grading system and not the prettiest case. I started this thread with the intent to figure out which company is the best a grading and not the best at protecting. Forgive me if Im being rude but who cares about the case more so than the grade?

On a different note the PSA registry inflates the values of cards which is another stupid thing. Just because a person wants to complete a PSA 10 set shouldnt make a card worth more than a BGS 9.5 IF and the keyword is IF BGS 9.5 is more mint than a PSA 10. Do you see my point or am I on something?

Thanks to everyone who posted so far.

Then it's BGS that you want. Beckett has the most strict grading. And it may not seem like much, but a card in a PSA holder moves around. What the others were trying to say, is that a card is more protected in a BGS holder than in a PSA holder. The card has a greater chance to stay at its assigned grade in a BGS holder than if it were in a PSA holder.

If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.

[ricelynnevans75]

Just realized that this was the BVG section and not the BGS. Go with PSA. The nitch with BGS is the modern market and PSA is primarily vintage. Common sense alone tells you that if one grades one area more than the other, they are more apt to be better in that area than the other.

Out of the big three, BVG is not the best when it comes to vintage cards. Still good but third out of the big three. Take a look at any major auction house, where most of the product listed is vintage cards, and you'll realize quickly that maybe 5%, at most, of their graded cards are graded by BVG. That alone should tell you something as to how the vintage world views them in relation to the other two. You'll typically see PSA as the best for vintage from post-war up to 1980-90 and SGC for anything pre-war.

[TheEvilEmpire]

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.

Just realized that this was the BVG section and not the BGS. Go with PSA. The nitch with BGS is the modern market and PSA is primarily vintage. Common sense alone tells you that if one grades one area more than the other, they are more apt to be better in that area than the other.

Out of the big three, BVG is not the best when it comes to vintage cards. Still good but third out of the big three. Take a look at any major auction house, where most of the product listed is vintage cards, and you'll realize quickly that maybe 5%, at most, of their graded cards are graded by BVG. That alone should tell you something as to how the vintage world views them in relation to the other two. You'll typically see PSA as the best for vintage from post-war up to 1980-90 and SGC for anything pre-war.

[ricelynnevans75]

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.

[Surfnun]

Experience is the best teacher. I have been a member of the PSA Collector's club for many years and have over a thousand cards graded by them. Over the past year, I have sent in several seemingly perfect vintage cards to have them returned as having a problem from PSA. I had read an article in the Chicago papers in 2008 that PSA was caught inflating card grades for big customers including the famous T-209 Wagner which PSA graders knew to be trimmed. To make up for the high grades, they would suppress grades from small customers so the pop report didn't look out of balance. So, several months ago I bought a 1975 unopened cello pack graded 9 by GAI with Brett rookie on top. I opened it and sent the card to PSA. It came back with the reference "evidence of trimming". Not "miscut" (which it wasn't - perfect borders), but trimmed. The card was then graded a 98 (gem mint) by SGC. That's what PSA is going and has lost my business, meager as it is.

[LEOG68]

[quote='ricelynnevans75' pid='1485959' dateline='1301615341']

What is wrong with the SGC holder?

Easy to open like PSA holder and easier to scratch. Do like SCG grading for vintage cards then PSA.

[DavidLanceRoten]

I don't believe there is a "better" between any of BGS, SGC and PSA. All have their faults. All make mistakes. No consistency in grading with any of the three. It's all a crapshoot.

[dmasci]

Always an interesting thread and certainly not a new debate. I'm curious how many people buy a combination of graded cards or better yet...use a variety of grading services for whatever reason? I think most prefer a single service and stick with that service. For me it's Beckett, mostly because I do like the slabs and I don't send enough cards in to warrent paying the cost of joining PSA. However, my real preference is buying cards already graded....talk about a crap shoot, I feel that way everytime a buy an ungraded card. It does seem like PSA is more recognized for vintage cards which oddly enough is where my interest lies, but I didn't start out that way and had build a fairly large BGS collection prior to moving more towards Vintage....for me, I just didn't want to mix and match BGS/BVG with PSA or SGC.

[nolan5000]

You know me, I prefer BGS/BVG. I buy PSA 10's and SGC 100's & SGC 98's with the intent of crossing them over to BGS/BVG. I only buy PSA/SGC when Beckett either, hasn't Graded the card yet OR there aren't many 9.5 copies.

[aldridgejohn28]

Ok well if you are wanting to get something graded for the added value then BGS/BVG is the way to go. Then the PSA and SGC.