[Exhibitman]

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.