Determining the best grading service is contingent on what your goal is with grading. Someone trying to max out value is almost certainly going with a different company than a collector who just wants to display cards!
The Best Grading Service for Sports Cards
- For Resale Value – PSA
- For Quick Turnarounds – SGC
- For Subgrades – BGS
- Strictest Grading Standards – SGC
- For Holy Grail Values – BGS
- For Display/PC – HGA
1. For Resale Value – PSA
Let’s start with the most important one. Almost no matter any other factor, it’s nearly impossible for another card grading service to be considered the best when PSA’s resale values are second to none.
They grade the most cards (by far), and collectors usually use PSA to make money.
Here’s why:
2019-20 Panini Prizm Ja Morant #249
| Grading Service & Grade | Gem Mint Value |
| PSA 10 | $70 |
| SGC 10 | $32 |
| BGS 9.5 | $35 |
Among the big 3 companies, PSA wins by almost double! That’s not the case with every card, of course. In fact, SGC wins outright with some very old baseball cards.
In addition, a black label BGS or a Pristine SGC will also outsell a PSA 10…but those are so rare that it’s not practical to consider those. Those are more like hitting the lottery.
2. For Quick Turnarounds – SGC
In many cases, being quick to grade and the the first to market can make you the most money!
For example, let’s say a hot product comes out with a hot rookie. The first week or so that those cards show up on eBay are going to see an explosion in value.
It’s the same with graded cards. Here’s my favorite example of Mac Jones’ Donruss PSA 10 rookie:
Those first people who got their PSA 10 rookies from PSA sold them for thousands of dollars… and then the card abruptly dropped. (Today, it’s at $20.50).
Now, here are the turnaround times for the Big 3 companies:
| Card Service | Turnaround Time (base service) |
| SGC | 5-10 Day |
| BGS | 60+ Days |
| PSA | 65 Days |
Wow! That’s a massive difference.
If you’re trying to capitalize on the graded frenzy for a hyped player, SGC crushes the other two.
In fact, there’s a popular collector/investment strategy called “grade your way out.”
Let’s say that you purchase a hobby box of Topps Chrome baseball, and you open it the day you get it. The next day, you take all of the rookies that are half-decent and have them in the mail to SGC.
You’ll get your cards back super-quick, and you throw them up on eBay.
While those cards might not be worth a ton a month from now (or even a few weeks), right then, you’ll likely do very well.
But if you wait for PSA’s turnaround times… people are often onto the next card set and you’ll miss the bump (the Mac Jones example from before notwithstanding).
3. For Subgrades – BGS
Some collectors will only go with BGS because they provide subgrades on 4 different factors:
- Centering
- Edges
- Corners
- Surface
They list those grades on the label, along with the overall grade of the card.
It’s a cool feature that I’m not sure why others haven’t incorporated…and those subgrades definitely affect the value of a card.
If two cards are both graded a 9, but one has a 10 subgrade on centering, it’s going to sell for sure.
If you like cards with the subgrades, then BGS is your choice.
4. Consistent/Strictest Grading Standards – SGC
Now, there isn’t like a service that rates companies on their strictness, so this is mostly going off experience and anecdotal evidence.
Some collectors (“gamblers”) will often purchase cards in SGC and then re-submit the card to PSA in hopes of a 10. This strategy works decently because an SGC 10 often transfers over to a PSA 10 (of course there’s not guarantee).
One of the most common complaints I see on Facebook is people posting a card with a strange rating from PSA….
“I checked EVERYTHING under a microscope and I STILL got a 4!”
That seems to be less of an issue with SGC.
5. For Holy Grail Values – BGS
The best grade that any card can get is a BGS Black Label, and there’s no debate.
A black label is a BGS 10, but ALL the subgrades are also a 10.
And the label itself is unbeatable in the industry.
Here’s a price comparison:
- Luka 2018 Hoops BGS 10 – $1,545
- Luka 2018 Hoops PSA 10 – $82
Yep, they’re THAT rare to give it a huge multiplier like that. There’s no other card in the industry that’s even close.
6. For Display / Personal Collection (PC) – HGA
The real answer is whatever your favorite slab is!
For example, I like to get PSA cards, but that’s for a few reasons:
- I like to upgrade PC cards when I have the chance. My Kobe PSA 9 will be upgraded to a PSA 10 at some point. It’s easier to buy and sell PSA cards.
- If I ever need/want to sell, or my kids want to sell my cards, PSA is much more valuable and easier to move.
But that’s just me! If I could commit to not caring about values and 100% only about everything looked, I’d go with HGA. They’re the best labels, and they custom design them as well with plenty of options.
I mean come on…getting a fire label for a Charizard is pretty darn cool:
Anyway, I know people who like BGS for the subgrades and the name history, SGC for its Tuxedo slab, or even CSG because you can cards graded for $12.
