SGC vs. PSA
 

Hello all. Long time lurker, first time post. a brief intro then a quick question. Collected as a kid with my heydays being 1963-1967. Interests changed and forgot about cards until 1982. I was on a business trip in Williamsport, Pa and discovered Sheaffers Trading Cards. I wasn't in the store 5 minutes and I was re-hooked. Walked out with some Topps wax packs (pulled a Ripken rookie) and some 1960 Pirate commons. (Dave Sheaffer still has a store but not in the same location. Great guy by the way.) Anyway, collected until 1992. We just built a new house and the wife lost her job within a month. So I sold the bulk of my collection and with great foresight I kept most of the 80's stuff and sold the vintage. Got back into it last October and have been trying to buy back cards from my youth. No real collecting theme other than HOF'ers and Pirates from 50's and 60"s. I will be retiring soon and plan to try the 65 topps set since it was my favorite from kidhood.

Now my question. I'm sure this has been asked before, but why the price difference between SGC and PSA graded cards. I have seen the same graded card, the SGC looks nicer, yet the PSA will sell for more. Just bought a SGC 7 56 Aaron from PWCC and he had 2 other PSA 7's that sold for much more. What am I missing here, the brand, the registry or something else? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Psa has more demand, especially in high grades, like you say becasue of their registry. People want the highest grade.
SGC does look better, espeically for older vintage cards. People use SGC for their grading and customer response.
PSA is better known for more money and for flipping for profits. Therefore has more demand. And PSa recently has a new hologram slab.
And you also touched another subject, PWCC is pricey auction, and always gets high dollars. Nothing wrong there, but noted many times is the bidding practices. They do have nice cards, and i look and bid sometimes.

PSA = Garbage

I had sent an email with photos about grading the 1980 topps Presentation Board this is the response I got


My name is XXXXX with PSA Customer Support, and I would be more than happy to assist you with your questions regarding our services today!



Unfortunately if these are not licensed items and were not put into regulation, we would more than likely not be able to authenticate or grade these items as there may not be enough specifications in a published work on these items. For further verification, you may respond with front and back images of this items, links and details that would provide us with more verifiable information we can use in our research. Once we hear back, we will respond within 7-10 business days to confirm if this is something we can do.

PSA Graded 3 coins WOW I have a original Presentation Board and this requires verifiable information and we can use our research

graded cards
 

welcome to the machine.

Hiya Tony. First off, welcome to Net54. We're genuinely glad to have you join us. Read your first post with interest, and I want to express my deepest condolences for the rough times you and your dear wife went through with the purchase of your home. I can relate, bro.

You've already received spot-on answers to your question regarding PSA vrs. SGC. If you're collecting now to enjoy but later re-sell for at least a potential minor profit, either one will be OK. However, you'll probably do the best profit-wise from PSA. PSA has improved their holders in the past year, and though they boast of this new hologram slab, I am not going through the excruciating worrisome task of re-holdering my PSA cards.

Wishing you the very best as you collect cards again. I'm 60, late in my collecting game, and must choose wisely and carefully, but always for enjoyment first.:D

Again, welcome to Net54 baseball, Tony! Have a peaceful day. --Brian Powell

Garbage
 

No doubt this is a fact as opposed to an opinion :)

Just my opinion....

PSA if you are going to re-sale.

SGC if you are not going to re-sale, but want a Graded card for your own personal collection.



If you are like me, I use graders to also verify the card is not a fake. in which case I buy the cheaper. But I do not ever sell cards, so graders don't really matter to me.

I use SGC for my vintage stuff as I like the black background on the slabs, plus I just don't like giving money to PSA.

Both services have their own merits and drawbacks.

If you are looking to collect higher grade [say 7 and up] postwar mainstream cards, and you are concerned with resale, PSA is the way to go. If your sole concern is resale, I would spend some time getting comfortable with each service's idiosyncracies, then try to buy SGC at a price that allows for a cross-over to PSA. If you are not going above a 6 or you don't plan to resell, I'd go with either service's cards at whatever price point you like. I have a mixed bag of cards in my collection because I am mostly a mid-grade collector and I tend to self-submit a lot of cards based on what specials the two services run. I would prefer uniformity for aesthetics but I am not willing to pay for it.

As for the merits of the actual products: PSA has the better slab. It is thinner and since the redesign harder to tamper with than the SGC slab. The thickness translates to easier storage and easier shipping on PSA cards. The new PSA flip with the hologram is harder to fake than the new SGC flip. I also prefer the font on the PSA flip to the new SGC flip because I find the SGC flip harder to read. SGC has the custom gasket, which is often better for oddball issues because it can be tailored to fit, while PSA is forced to use a card condom to fit the card into the next sized holder.

What Adam said.