Grading Slab Comparison
PSA vs BGS vs CGC vs SGC — compare pricing, turnaround times, resale premiums, slab design, grading scales, and more. Find the right grading company for your cards.
- + Largest market share = most liquidity
- + Most recognized brand globally
- + Best resale premiums for gem mint
- + Largest population reports
- + Universal acceptance on all platforms
- - No subgrades (less granular)
- - Longer turnaround times
- - Higher cost per card
- - Some concerns about grading consistency
- - No half-point grades
- + 4 subgrades (Centering, Corners, Edges, Surface)
- + Half-point grades for precision
- + Pristine 10 / Black Label for ultimate gem
- + Excellent for modern cards
- + Strong Beckett brand recognition
- - Lower resale premium than PSA on most cards
- - BGS 10 Pristine is harder to achieve than PSA 10
- - Black Labels are extremely rare
- - Thicker slab takes more storage space
- - Less vintage card market presence
Quick Decision Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Which grading company gives the highest resale value?
PSA generally provides the highest resale premiums, especially for sports cards. A PSA 10 typically sells for 20-50% more than the equivalent BGS 9.5 and 50-100% more than CGC or SGC gems. However, BGS Black Label 10s (all four subgrades at 10) can exceed PSA 10 prices on modern cards. For Pokemon cards specifically, CGC and BGS are competitive with PSA on resale premiums.
Is BGS 9.5 equal to PSA 10?
They are roughly equivalent in terms of quality, but not in market value. A BGS 9.5 Gem Mint indicates a card with extremely high quality across all four subgrade categories. A PSA 10 indicates gem mint quality without specifying which aspects scored highest. In the marketplace, PSA 10s generally sell for 20-40% more than BGS 9.5s for the same card, though this gap narrows for modern ultra-premium cards.
What is the cheapest grading company?
SGC offers the most affordable economy pricing at $17/card with 30+ business day turnaround. CGC is close at $18/card with 45+ business days. PSA economy is $25/card and BGS economy is $22/card. For bulk submissions (20+ cards), all companies offer volume discounts that can reduce per-card costs by 15-30%.
Which grading company is best for vintage cards?
PSA and SGC are the most respected for vintage cards (pre-1980). PSA has graded more vintage cards than any other company and their grades are universally accepted. SGC has a reputation for strict, consistent grading of vintage cards, and their Tuxedo slab makes vintage cards look stunning. BGS and CGC are less commonly used for vintage cards.
Can I cross-grade a card from one company to another?
Yes. You can submit a card already graded by one company to a different grading company for "crossover" grading. The new company will crack the existing slab, re-evaluate the card, and re-slab it. The most common crossover is BGS/CGC/SGC to PSA. Success rates vary: SGC 10s cross to PSA 10 about 35-50% of the time, BGS 9.5s cross to PSA 10 about 30-40%, and CGC 10s cross about 20-30%.