PSA is the market leader because they were smarter with their promotions in the early days. The idea of a set registry was genuis. Say what you will about the Gretzky Wagner gaffe, but it put them on the map - and there they have stayed. In recent years, PSA has become a lot tougher on vintage - my guess just as a ploy to set themselves apart from the others. You would think this goes against their credibility- one reason to have a card graded by someone who is an "expert" on the standards is that those standards should not change from 1998 to 2018, but alas - it hasn't really worked out that way. At the end of the day a high grade from PSA on a tough vintage or condition sensitive modern card is still the mark of pride that most high-profile collectors are after. Their problems aside, PSA has been able to maintain that distinction.
I have no problems with SGC and honestly think that from a collector's perspective they are probably the more fair grader overall. Beckett is more or less garbage for vintage. They are more popular with collectors of modern cards, but that's not a space I play in often.
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Vintage Cubs. Postwar stars & HOF'ers.
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