Grading sports cards is a simple way to potentially add a ton of value to your collection. A card that grades out well can increase the value by many times!
To get your cards graded by any of the big 3 grading companies, you can expect to pay between $16 and $4,000 (or more) per card. The average card collector will likely pay $20 – $40 per card.
I’ve had many cards graded over the past few years, and I’ve gone deep into researching grading companies in the past. However, the prices have also recently changed. So let’s dive in.
Why Should I Get My Cards Graded?
There’s a lot that goes into making this decision (for example, check out Is PSA Grading Worth It?), but there are two main reasons that collectors get their cards graded:
- To increase the value
- To preserve cards for their collection
If you’re brand new to getting cards graded, the first thing that you need to know is the vast, vast majority of your cards are not worth getting graded!
When I got back into collecting in 2020, I went through my collection of 6,000 cards from the 90s. I meticulously went through all of them, searching eBay sales for how much different grades were selling for, and then looking over the potentials with a magnifying glass.
You know how many I graded?
12.
And half of those I regret having graded! It was a combination of there being so many other cards from the 90s as well as my cards not being in good enough condition to grade well.
I’ve since collected and had dozens (maybe hundreds?) of cards graded. Before you decide if you’re going to grade your cards, definitely read How Do I Know if My Cards Are Worth Grading?
How Much Does PSA Grading Cost?
PSA is considered king of the grading world because they have the best resale value. They grade on a 1-10 scale, mostly with whole numbers. However, they will sometimes (between grades 2 and 9) give out a .5 if it’s at the high-end of a grade (such as a 2.5 or an 8.5).
They will also (on rare occasions) give out qualifiers, such as OC (off center) or MK (marks). You can see the complete list on PSA’s website.
Here are the costs of PSA’s service levels:
| Service | Price | DV* | TURNAROUND |
| Value Bulk** | $19 | Max $499 | 65 Days |
| Value | $25 | Max $499 | 65 Days |
| Value Plus | $40 | Max $499 | 20 Days |
| Regular | $75 | Max $1,499 | 10 Days |
| Express | $150 | Max $2,499 | 5 Days |
| Super Express | $300 | Max $4,999 | 3 Days |
| Walk-Through | $600 | Max $9,999 | 3 Days |
** Value Bulk has a minimum order of 20 cards.
How Much Does BGS Grading Cost?
BGS grading used to be the king of grading up until several years ago when they were surpassed by PSA.
Many still love BGS because of their quality holders and labels, and also that they give out subgrades, like this:
Their scale has a 9.5 which is comparable to a PSA 10—not on value, just on the condition of the card. They do have a 10, which is considered Pristine. If all of the subgrades are 10, then the card gets a black label. Many consider this to be the most sought after of all grades, regardless of company, and it fetches the highest price. They are exceptionally rare!
Here are the costs of BGS’s grading levels:
| Service | Price w/ Subs | Price w/out Subs | Turnaround |
| Collector’s Special** | $18 | $16 | 60+ Days |
| Base | $22 | $18 | 60+ Days |
| Standard | $40 | $30 | 10-20 Days |
| Express | $100 | $80 | 10 Days |
| Priority | $140 | $100 | 2-5 Days |
** Collector’s Special has a minimum order of 10 cards, max declared value of $400
How Much Does SGC Grading Cost?
SGC has quickly become one of the most popular card companies, perhaps even ahead of BGS. They have solid “tuxedo” black-and-clear slabs, they offer a 9.5, and even have two levels of a 10 (the regular “gem mint” and the gold label “pristine”).
They won a good share of the market when they continued to grade cards when BGS and PSA both shut down during the grading boom. They offered much faster turnaround times, which is especially advantageous for flippers who like to be “first to market” with their graded cards.
While they have comparable prices, their turnaround times are still king, keeping them at a general advantage over BGS.
Here are the costs of SGC’s grading levels:
| DV* | 5-10 Days | 1-2 Days |
| Max $1,500 | $15 | $40 |
| Max $3,500 | $85 | $125 |
| Max $7,500 | $250 | |
| Max $20,000 | $500 | |
| Max $50,000 | $1,000 | |
| Max $100,000 | $2,000 | |
| $100k or Greater | $3,750 |
How Much Do Other Grading Companies Cost?
While I’ve only covered the 3 most popular companies in this article, there are plenty of others. During the card boom of 2020, several other companies popped up, but most have either faded away completely or are clearly a tier below the top 3.
Unfortunately, most of these companies will usually not return the value needed to make grading worth it. This means that the best use of these companies is for:
- A PC (personal collection) card that you plan to never sell. You want to buy a cheap holder that you like.
- You want a cheap way to ascertain the general grade of a card before cracking and submitting to PSA
I know the second one happens, but it’s never made sense to me because there are bulk submitters out there who will review your cards for $3-$5 apiece and then send the worthwhile cards to grading companies.
(My favorite is Nash Cards. I’ve used them multiple times)
Anyway, here’s a quick list of some of the other grading companies out there and their cheapest service levels:
- HGA – $25 per card. $15 per card with no grading (strictly for PC)
- CSG – $12 per card (25-card minimum)
- ISA – $18 per card
- GMA – $10 per card (20 card minimum; $8 per card with 100+ card order)
What’s the Cheapest Way to Get My Cards Graded?
The absolute cheapest solution depends on what your goals are and how you want your cards to look.
The overall cheapest solution available is likely with GMA, which is only $8 per card if submitting over 100. However, the resale value will not be there, and most don’t care for the look of their slabs.
The big 3 companies all have relatively equal pricing on their lowest tiers, between $16 – $19. Some of them have minimum order sizes, but if you go through a bulk submitter, that’s usually not an issue as they can submit your cards with other orders to hit those order minimums.
In general, there’s almost no reason to not go with PSA these days, even if you’re not planning to sell your cards. It’s shortsighted when collectors go with sub-par grading companies to save a few dollars.
What happens if you have hardship later on and need to sell your cards? Or if you pass your cards onto your kids, but your collection is worth 30% less because you used a poor grader?
At PSA’s current prices, they should be almost the only option.
There is one more option that I recently did.
My dad brought me some baseball cards from the 60s and wanted my opinion on what to do with them. We sent in a few to PSA (a ‘65 Mantle and a ‘65 Mays), but we also a few that weren’t really in condition to get graded.
I told my dad that we could either get them graded for about $40 apiece, but they wouldn’t increase in value, or I could put them in $2 magnetic holders and they’d still look fantastic.
We went with the magnetic holders:
So if you’re looking to grade strictly for PC, that’s the way I’d go.
Can I Get My Cards Graded for Free?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to get your cards graded for free. It costs the grading companies too much in inspecting and slabbing cards to offer this service.
The closest thing to this is to meticulously inspect cards yourself, or to have someone else who is an expert do it for you (and hopefully they’re a friend who will do this for free!).
For example, some friendly card shop owners will take a quick look at a card for you to give you their opinion. However, I would still trust my own eyes as I will go over it with more care and detail than they would.
