SGC vs PSA

hoshua4710 · #1 06-11-2013, 10:33 PM

Im sure this has been asked a thousand times, but as i said a while back, im working on my m116 set right now, and I have a couple cards graded by psa, some by sgc, and some even by gai. Now obviously gai isnt even in this contest, but between psa and sgc, is there one i should choose over the other or is it pretty much just personal preference? Is there much of a benefit of having every card in my set graded by the same company? And one more question, is it worth it to crack the gai cases and regrade through one of the others? Rookie questions, I know. Thanks guys

Josh

auggiedoggy · #2 06-11-2013, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoshua4710

Im sure this has been asked a thousand times, but as i said a while back, im working on my m116 set right now, and I have a couple cards graded by psa, some by sgc, and some even by gai. Now obviously gai isnt even in this contest, but between psa and sgc, is there one i should choose over the other or is it pretty much just personal preference? Is there much of a benefit of having every card in my set graded by the same company? And one more question, is it worth it to crack the gai cases and regrade through one of the others? Rookie questions, I know. Thanks guys

Josh

If resale is important, then I'd recommend PSA. If not then it doesn't really matter which company you pick (PSA or SGC or even GAI). Having uniformity in a set is aesthetically pleasing as opposed to a mishmash of different holders. So, personally, if I were building a graded set, I'd want all the holders to be from the same grader. Some companies tend to encapsulate a higher degree of trimmed cards. You generally don't have to worry about PSA or SGC in this regard but they aren't 100% exempt. I don't know if GAI is bad for this or not. Perhaps someone who has some experience with them can respond.

glchen · #3 06-11-2013, 11:03 PM

Personal preference. Even the GAI one, you don't need to re-grade unless you think it's worth it. That is, not really worth re-grading a low grade common. However, if it's a mid to high grade HOFer, then something to think about when you are ready for resale. If you're not selling, you can wait.

toledo_mudhen · #4 06-12-2013, 05:47 AM

I prefer SGC as the slabs are way more aesthetically pleasing than PSA and to some extent, I trust SGC more than I do PSA to be consistent and deliver a quality product (IMHO). Having said that, there is no doubt that PSA slabs typically bring higher dollars on resale. It all depends on what you are looking for in your collection.

Additionally, you will hear that for Pre War - go SGC and Post War go PSA. I personally have violated this rule for many years as I am an avid 55 Topps collector. They look awesome in SGC slabs.

Finally, I have struggled with acceptance of GAI for many years as I want to trust them but have probably subbed a dozen or so to SGC for crossover and am 1 for 12 on having that happen successfully. The same goes for Beckett - not a lot of luck on having them cross.

If all of this makes you more confused than before you started reading - simply pickup identical cards, (one PSA one SGC) in identical grades of a lower cost card and put them side by side.

I think your choice will then become obvious.

t206blogcom · #5 06-12-2013, 06:01 AM

All previous posts offer very valid points for your consideration. Personally, I prefer SGC for pre-war cards. I've had good experiences with them, I find them to be more consistent than PSA (and tougher on grading), and I prefer the look of their holders for pre-war cards. I prefer PSA for modern cards though. You might want to take a look at Beckett as well. Their cases are the thickest and the toughest to crack, which can add to card protection and tamper-proof security. They also put the card in a sleeve before encapsulating, so some feel that offers additional protection. Finally, Beckett tends to be the toughest on grading out of the three. I have purchased a few Beckett graded cards and they are growing on me. It'll probably come down to which case do you think makes your cards look the best. Good luck!

billyb · #6 06-12-2013, 08:21 AM

deleted

jujudrum · #7 06-12-2013, 08:56 AM

With all due respect to both PSA & Beckett, my Grading Service of choice is SGC.

In my humble opinion, SGC simply does the finest and most consistent job of card evaluation in the hobby.

atx840 · #8 06-12-2013, 09:50 AM

sex appeal....custom notation on flips.

jujudrum · #9 06-12-2013, 10:11 AM

Beautiful Display Chris

queencitysportscards · #10 06-12-2013, 12:50 PM

Both are good at what they get paid to do, however, I just had a conversation with Earl Johnson at SGC who took the time to talk to me about grading. SGC provides excellent customer service...if you can't tell, I really like doing business with SGC.

hoshua4710 · #11 06-12-2013, 01:28 PM

Thats an awsome display chris! I do think sex appeal in all seriousness is why im leaning towards SGC right now, and the fact that thats what i have more of. I am on the other hand planning on resale maybe one day, so thats my biggest concern.

vintagetoppsguy · #12 06-12-2013, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by queencitysportscards

Both are good at what they get paid to do, however, I just had a conversation with Earl Johnson at SGC who took the time to talk to me about grading. SGC provides excellent customer service...if you can't tell, I really like doing business with SGC.

+ 1

I dropped off a 23 card submission with Earl on Sunday, June 2nd at the TriStar show in Houston. The cards were logged the following day, Monday, June 3rd. The sub popped Monday, June 10th, only 5 business days. Heck, it takes PSA longer than that just to log a sub. I received the cards back today, 10 days from the time they left my hands. Amazing turnaround time and great customer service. Let's see PSA do that!

auggiedoggy · #13 06-12-2013, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

+ 1

I dropped off a 23 card submission with Earl on Sunday, June 2nd at the TriStar show in Houston. The cards were logged the following day, Monday, June 3rd. The sub popped Monday, June 10th, only 5 business days. Heck, it takes PSA longer than that just to log a sub. I received the cards back today, 10 days from the time they left my hands. Amazing turnaround time and great customer service. Let's see PSA do that!

I emailed their Canadian office in Oshawa, Ontario and it took over 3 weeks to get a response. I wasn't impressed and told them I'd be sending my cards to PSA. PSA on the other hand has always been responsive to my questions. I'd like to give SGC a try but that episode turned me off them.

I guess YMMV.

smtjoy · #14 06-12-2013, 02:51 PM

I use both and they are both solid, I prefer SGC.

I would not be worried on the M116 resale, prices are strong and close for both. Now if you had said high grade 60-70's commons then PSA would be the way to go for sure.

kmac32 · #15 06-12-2013, 03:42 PM

I prefer SGC in general for prewar. However, there are some cards that they will not slab correctly even when presented with proof of what they are. A good example would be cards that are clearly from the Koester bread series where the cards are hand cut or are in a print that could only be Koester. In that case, I am left with PSA for those cards. I would prefer to have all SGC slabs but they make that impossible or have cards labeled as W575-1 or nonslabed NNO cards.

CW · #16 06-12-2013, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atx840

sex appeal....custom notation on flips.

Those look great, Chris! That lineup of Chase cards is very.... patriotic.

arc2q · #17 06-13-2013, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atx840

sex appeal....custom notation on flips.]

Is it true that SGC will allow you to put a custom notation of your own choosing on the flip? I have one of the F. Scott Fitzgerald-stamped T206s and wouldn't mind having that put on the flip. Any idea if that is a possibility?

I have no real issues with PSA although the turn-around time can lag quite a bit (then again I have always used their monthly specials which are, by nature, longer). I am extremely impressed by the SGC holder, though. It really is a classy-looking display -- it feels more substantial and looks more museum-quality. Both look good in the slabs but SGC is slightly better on eye appeal.

I did notice the other night two nearly T205s were ending on eBay around the same time -- one in SGC holder and the other in a PSA holder. Both had same eye appeal and even the same grade. The PSA went for substantially higher which tells you something about resale value.

sycks22 · #18 06-13-2013, 12:53 PM

I think PSA looks at an SGC case and just flips a coin is it transfers over. I've had 3 SGC cards attempted to be flipped to PSA and everyone has come back "Evid of Trim." I will guarantee they're just too lazy to put it in their own case and need some type of reason to justify why it won't. When I had a buddy put my SGC in his pack of 30 other cards it transferred over fine. What a joke.

Gradedcardman · #19 06-13-2013, 01:06 PM

Come on now Pete, don't forget the nice 1953 that crossed !!

sycks22 · #20 06-13-2013, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gradedcardman

Come on now Pete, don't forget the nice 1953 that crossed !!

That's the one that crossed

kilo · #21 06-13-2013, 02:59 PM

9 days total in-house time on a 30-day sub to SGC. guess who i go with...?