Poll: Are you concerned about buying SGC graded vintage cards?

[parkplace33]

With all the recent news about SGC, are you concerned about buying SGC graded vintage cards?

Here is what AI said about SGC since the Collector's buyout:

Since its acquisition by Collectors (the parent company of PSA) in February 2024, SGC has undergone significant changes, shifting its strategy from being a major competitor in the card grading market to a more "boutique" brand.

Here's a breakdown of what has happened to SGC:

Shift to a "Boutique" Brand: SGC is no longer being positioned as a direct competitor to PSA. The company's new strategy is to scale down operations and focus on what it does best, particularly vintage and affordable, fast grading. This is a deliberate move to avoid duplicating the massive investment in capital and technology that Collectors has made to scale up PSA's operations.

Leadership Changes: Peter Steinberg, SGC's president, resigned from his role in July 2025. He had initially been expected to continue leading the company's day-to-day operations after the acquisition.

Operational Integration: A significant portion of SGC's staff is being shifted to work with PSA. SGC's Boca Raton, Florida location will also be used to support PSA's grading efforts.

Initial Promises vs. Reality: At the time of the buyout, Collectors and SGC had stated that SGC would continue to operate as an independent brand with no changes contemplated. However, the recent announcements indicate a clear shift in this strategy, with SGC's role being redefined within the larger Collectors portfolio.

Market Impact: The move is seen by many in the collecting community as a consolidation of the market under Collectors. While SGC is not going out of business, its reduced role has led to speculation that other grading companies, such as CGC and Beckett, could have an opportunity to gain market share.

[conor912]

I said no, but with a big asterisk. History has not been kind to defunct grading brands. Public sentiment will change over time after their eventual demise.

[Johnny630]

My big worry is 10 years down the road when new high-end collectors come back to the hobby will they remember SGC and trust that they were a very good grading company worth their investment or not. That’s a question. I don’t know how to answer.

[Neal]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

My big worry is 10 years down the road when new high-end collectors come back to the hobby will they remember SGC and trust that they were a very good grading company worth their investment or not. That’s a question. I don’t know how to answer.

In 10 years, the PSA and SGC brands may be gone and replaced with COLLECTORS ... that could very easily be the plan all along.

A lighthouse tux may be coming soon




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[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Neal

In 10 years, the PSA and SGC brands may be gone and replaced with COLLECTORS ... that could very easily be the plan all along.

A lighthouse tux may be coming soon




Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

That would be awesome. The SGC slab itself sucks but he PSA slab with the awesome black insert around the card would be the perfect combo IMHO.

[bobbvc]

Most of the current SGC graded cards are fine. Worst case, you'd have to cross over to PSA or -insert flavor of month grading company here-. I don't think it's a huge deal either way.

[Lucas00]

Speaking of CGC, has anybody ever had an oversized card graded by them?

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Lucas00

Speaking of CGC, has anybody ever had an oversized card graded by them?

I keep asking them about a tallboy holder but so far I only see they have these holders...https://www.cgccards.com/news/articl...-holder-sizes/

Edited to add this: Appears they have two jumbo holders too...https://www.cgccards.com/news/article/13107/

[BobbyStrawberry]

I'm not concerned at all. Their graders have shown to be at least as competent as PSAs, and for many vintage cards, I find their slabs much more visually appealing than PSAs.

And, I agree with what DeanH3 stated, if they happen to start going at a discount, even better.

[ClementeFanOh]

1) My poll answer is "no"

2) to cmcclelland- that's a spectacular answer. There seems to be a "sky is
falling" element to these sorts of inquiries. If a collector purchases a nice
looking slabbed card and is confident about it's grade and authenticity,
the fact it's in an SGC holder shouldn't matter at all. After all, people go all
in on raw cards, still, even with slabbed options.

3) Will people ask this same question if Collectors debuts a new slab that
lights up, does your taxes, and parks your car for you? Will PSA join some
imaginary ash heap at that point? Nah.

Trent King

[MVSNYC]

No

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Will people ask this same question if Collectors debuts a new slab that
lights up, does your taxes, and parks your car for you?

Will PSA join some imaginary ash heap at that point? Nah.

Trent King

I want a "light up" slab??????

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

I keep asking them about a tallboy holder but so far I only see they have these holders...https://www.cgccards.com/news/articl...-holder-sizes/

Edited to add this: Appears they have two jumbo holders too...https://www.cgccards.com/news/article/13107/

Chase, as I read what you linked us to, CGC's two new jumbo holders are soft plastic, which I'm guessing doesn't provide the strongest protection for one's card.

"Similar to the Paper Money Guaranty® (PMG®) state-of-the-art holder for banknotes, CGC Cards has created a soft-plastic holder tailored for jumbo cards. The holder can be used horizontally and vertically, and comes in two different sizes to accommodate jumbo cards of different types and eras: one for cards sized up to 5" x 7" and one for cards sized up to 6" x 9". Get a closer look at the holder below!"

[perezfan]

I bet that if you conducted a poll asking "Are you concerned about buying PSA graded cards" the numbers would be worse than SGC's. Collectors will be making a big mistake if they disband SGC. They will lose a lot more market share to CGC and Beckett than they would gain.

And when AI, UV slabs and other new technology inevitably take PSA's place, their slabs will quickly become obsolete. Buy the card you like, ignore the randomly assigned number, and stop enabling corrupt 3rd Party entities by feeding them money.

Below is an excellent video that exposes the TPG scam. Using a fake grading system to determine what price you pay for a card is just asinine...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHHZm9kV0Uk&t=189s

[Leon]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

Chase, as I read what you linked us to, CGC's two new jumbo holders are soft plastic, which I'm guessing doesn't provide the strongest protection for one's card.

"Similar to the Paper Money Guaranty® (PMG®) state-of-the-art holder for banknotes, CGC Cards has created a soft-plastic holder tailored for jumbo cards. The holder can be used horizontally and vertically, and comes in two different sizes to accommodate jumbo cards of different types and eras: one for cards sized up to 5" x 7" and one for cards sized up to 6" x 9". Get a closer look at the holder below!"

I am having meetings with CGC and will ask about the softer plastic. If I'm not incorrect, it will be more secure than brittle plastic, due to the encapsulation process. More on that later but I'm very excited about this news....and so are many collectors I have spoken with. We'll see but I wouldn't count CGC out...and I doubt big brother will buy them out. L

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by Leon

I am having meetings with CGC and will ask about the softer plastic. If I'm not incorrect, it will be more secure than brittle plastic, due to the encapsulation process. More on that later but I'm very excited about this news....and so are many collectors I have spoken with. We'll see but I wouldn't count CGC out...and I doubt big brother will buy them out. L

Leon, to add to my earlier comment, I do hope that CGC's new jumbo slabs are high quality and become a very viable alternative to PSA's and Beckett's slabs.

Furthermore, I am extremely hopeful that CGC becomes a very viable TPG alternative to PSA for vintage cards, especially pre-War cards, especially if in the future SGC no longer fulfills the essential needs of pre-War collectors as it has in the past.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Leon

I am having meetings with CGC and will ask about the softer plastic. If I'm not incorrect, it will be more secure than brittle plastic, due to the encapsulation process. More on that later but I'm very excited about this news....and so are many collectors I have spoken with. We'll see but I wouldn't count CGC out...and I doubt big brother will buy them out. L

Would love to see CGC be more prominent in the market. It merely takes more auction houses, like Hake's, in order to assist with that.

As for the Jumbo holder news, that was over a year ago they announced. I have not seen any cards in them but have seen the NGC paper money holder and they are firm but they are not nearly as rigid as the plastic used on the smaller holders for cards.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Leon

I am having meetings with CGC and will ask about the softer plastic. If I'm not incorrect, it will be more secure than brittle plastic, due to the encapsulation process. More on that later but I'm very excited about this news....and so are many collectors I have spoken with. We'll see but I wouldn't count CGC out...and I doubt big brother will buy them out. L

For some items it could be a better option.
But not for all.
My one T3 is very fragile and has been since I got it. It won't stand any flexing.
So much that back before there being large hard holders I made my own hard screwdown.

[Mr. Mitt]

I’m hopeful that PSA will follow NGC’s extremely successful business model of separating “ancients” from “modern”. Keep the black inlay that frames vintage cards so well and simply rebrand the flip. PSA Vintage, nice and easy!