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Last Updated On: May 7th, 2025
The impact card grading has had on the sports card industry has produced million-dollar sales, introducing new collectors and businesses into a surging hobby. But with so many grading companies today offering different standards, services, and varying resale value, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming.
In this article, we’ll explore the different options for grading trading cards and how to make an informed decision when choosing the right grading company. By the end, you’ll be able to answer the following questions:
- What company has the best reputation among collectors?
- Where should I grade my non-sports cards?
- Do I grade my vintage and ultra-modern sports cards with the same company?
- What’s the best for resale value?
We’ll dive into all the answers and more!
Table of Contents
Why Grading Matters
Until the ’90s, there were no grading, gem rates, and population reports in the sports card industry. However, collectors have embraced the process of a professional grading company evaluating the credibility and condition of a trading card for a few important reasons.
The hobby has adopted card grading at a ferocious pace primarily for its potential to boost prices. Raw cards that are submitted to authentication companies and receive high grades can skyrocket in value depending on the era, set, and player. The demand for modern trading cards in gem mint condition, combined with the scarcity of high grade copies compared to raw or mint versions are key factors in why collectors choose to grade their cards.
Beyond monetary gains, the biggest benefits of grading in the hobby are authentication and protection. In most cases, a card’s authenticity must be verified to prevent fakes or reprints from being graded as legitimate. Slabs are primarily made of durable plastic that is impermeable (partially) to heat, humidity, water, and UV light. The thick encasing does a fantastic job of protecting the card from damage and preserving its condition over time.
Meet the Major Graders
There are four key grading services in the trading card hobby today, along with several emerging companies and a laundry list of others on the outside looking in. Let’s go over some of the household names to set the table before diving into the particulars on which one to choose, and for what type of card.
PSA
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) is the industry leader in authentication and grading for trading cards and collectibles, with over 65 million items certified since its establishment in 1991. During this era of collecting, a large number of counterfeits of Michael Jordan’s 1986 Fleer and Ken Griffey Jr.’s 1989 Upper Deck rookie cards flooded the hobby, making it difficult to differentiate real copies from fake ones.
With the rise of online purchases, collectors had to rely on low quality images to evaluate the authenticity and condition of a card. This change fueled demand for a reliable, standardized grading system for trading cards — something PSA was among the first to offer. By 1999, PSA had graded one million cards — matching the total number they had graded over the previous eight years (1991-1998).
Fast forward to today, PSA grades nearly 20 million items annually and firmly leads the industry. With a daily volume of around 80,000 items, PSA significantly surpasses the second most popular grading company, which processes roughly 20,000 per day.
BGS
Beckett has been a cornerstone of the sports card hobby for decades. It is best known for its iconic price guides, which many collectors (myself included) relied on religiously to track card values. The company decided to enter the card grading business in 1999, following in the footsteps of PSA and SGC.
Beckett’s grading service (BGS) introduced a new level of transparency by offering subgrades, which is an individual score that evaluates a specific aspect of a card’s condition. The four subgrades used by BGS to assess cards are centering, corners, edges, and surface.
Before the most recent sports card boom, BGS was seen as a strong competitor to PSA and cards graded equally by both companies often sold for similar prices. As the hobby experienced rapid growth at the start of 2020, PSA’s demand saw exponential growth while BGS began to stumble.
BGS’s decline in popularity could be attributed to leadership challenges, operational issues, and a lack of innovation. Also, the CEO of the investment company that owned Beckett was found guilty of fraud and money laundering last year, leaving collectors questioning the brand’s ethics, too.
While competitors like PSA and SGC have embraced various changes to improve scalability, turnaround times, and customer service, Beckett’s leadership struggles have had a trickle-down effect on submission delays and inconsistencies in quality. As a result, collectors have lost faith in the company’s reputation, causing the resale value of many BGS graded cards to decline.
At the end of 2024, Collectivus Holdings acquired Beckett, leaving many in the hobby to wonder whether this lifeline will spark a BGS turnaround — or if it’s too late for the once prominent brand.
SGC
Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC) was founded in 1998 during the height of the grading revolution and is a well-known leader in the authentication and grading of trading cards.
When SGC first opened its doors, they decided to use a 1-100 grading scale rather than PSA’s 1-10 range that collectors are accustomed to today. However, in 2018 the company made the change to the 1-10 grading scale used by PSA and BGS to create a more universal system.
Where SGC truly shines as a grading company is through its trusted reputation as experts in vintage card authentication and grading. Many collectors often turn to SGC when submitting pre-war and post-war cards because of the company’s deep knowledge of older sets, cheaper pricing, and its reliable grading standards.
Despite collectors’ praise for SGC’s card grading processes, they are considered the third most popular grading company based on the number of cards graded compared to PSA and CGC. As of this writing, the company grades only about 9% of PSA’s daily card volume.
In February 2024, Collectors (the same company that owns PSA) acquired SGC as a way to strengthen its position in the hobby while providing further expertise that will continue to enhance SGC’s customer offerings.
CGC
Although CGC only began grading cards in 2020, its parent — Certified Collectibles Group — has built trust since 1987 by certifying tens of millions of coins, paper money, video games, comics, and more. That legacy of accuracy and consistency has helped the company expand its offering with the grading of sports and trading cards. CGC has emerged as one of the premier grading companies for TCGs like Pokémon and is becoming increasingly popular with sports card collectors.
Of the major grading companies today, CGC has the second-most graded items per month from 2022 to present day, trailing only PSA (by a wide margin) but pulling substantially ahead of SGC.
Emerging Players
Over the last 25 years that I’ve been involved in the hobby, countless grading companies have popped up in the industry, with most not being able to compete with the major players in the space. But in recent years, new players have emerged with innovative processes focused on modern technology, quicker turnaround times, and transparent collector communication.
One of the biggest complaints from collectors about graded cards today is the amount of human error and inconsistency in grades from top companies. In contrast, Technical Authentication & Grading (TAG) has been making noise in the hobby with its AI-driven grading technology and 1,000 point grading score that accompanies an industry standard 1-10 numerical grade.
TAG also offers digital imaging and grading reports that provide detailed scoring breakdowns for individual card attributes by simply scanning the QR code on the slab with your smartphone. TAG’s most popular cards submitted for grading are Pokémon and other non-sports cards, but they are starting to gain traction with sports card collectors as well.
Edge Grading is another company that’s embracing AI image processing, with human oversight to ensure cards are graded accurately and objectively. It also provides in-depth grading reports using ultra high-resolution card images to identify and highlight specific flaws that determine the grade.
This new wave of tech-forward grading companies using innovative methods to set themselves apart from standard practices has major players like PSA adopting similar capabilities.
How to Choose the Right Grading Company for Your Cards
Choosing the right grading company should align with the types of cards you’re submitting and your collecting strategy.
PSA’s dominant market position and strong resale values have earned it the best reputation among collectors. Whether you’re grading vintage, modern, pop culture, or TCG cards, choosing PSA is a safe bet — no lengthy deliberation required.
SGC is another strong choice for vintage sports cards because of their respected reputation and high resale value compared to most grading companies. If price or turnaround time is of utmost importance, shop between the two companies and review graded card prices to make the right choice for your card.
What about BGS — does it still matter in the card hobby? The short answer: yes. Collectors seeking a more generous grade often turn to BGS, since its subgrade system can lift a card’s overall score. For example, a tiny surface ding on a Rookie Patch Auto might drag down its PSA grade, whereas BGS isolates that flaw in the surface subgrade so the overall grade remains higher.
For TCGs like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering, PSA still leads in resale value and submission volume. However, CGC and TAG are gaining ground — especially CGC, thanks to its strong non‑sports collectibles brand recognition, lower submission fees, and faster turnaround.
The Bottom Line
PSA remains the king of grading trading cards because of its longevity in the hobby and massive popularity from collectors of different ages and interests. Over time, the widespread market acceptance and rising prices of PSA 10 slabbed cards make them the top option for those looking to grade cards for profit.
But PSA isn’t the only grading company you should consider. Every service has pros and cons depending on your card type and your goals. The chart below summarizes the best graders for each scenario we’ve discussed:
| Scenario | Grading Companies Ranked | Reason |
| Vintage Sports Cards | 1) PSA 2) SGC | PSA: Highest market resale value. SGC: High collector acceptance, consistent grading accuracy, and fast turnaround times. |
| Modern Sports Cards | 1) PSA 2) SGC | PSA: Highest collector acceptance and market resale value. SGC: Low submission cost and fast turnaround times. |
| TCG (Trading Card Games) | 1) PSA 2) CGC 3) TAG | PSA: Highest collector acceptance and market resale value. CGC: Brand recognition in non-sports collectibles, affordable, fast turnaround. TAG: Use of AI for accurate grades, fast turnaround, great looking slabs. |
| All cards requiring more lenient grading results (including autograph grades) | 1) BGS 2) SGC | BGS: Lenient overall grades due to detailed subgrades. SGC: Brand recognition and relatively lenient grading results (especially modern cards). |
Do you have a grading company that you trust the most, or an emerging player that you think could eventually compete with PSA’s resale prices? Let us know in the comments below!