Card grading companies

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hecklerp8ntballer

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Looking for opinions on card grading companies. I understand to be somewhat certain of getting real rookies of Gretzky,Lemieux,Roy and a few others it is wise to buy graded cards. But other than Beckett are any of the others legit??? I see Gem elite,PSA and some others out there are they legit or is it a guy like me slapping a card in a case and calling it graded??? I am looking to get some of the holy grails of the 80s just wnat to make sure I buy real mccoys..Any opinions Let me know THanks Chad
 
Chad

If you're purchasing Graded to ensure authenticity:

Here are my picks for the reputable grading companies:

BGS
BVS
SGC
PSA
KSA

The above are in order of ascending order!

The ones to avoid:

BSG
BCCG
CEX
And a host of other's that there names escape me! :D

Hope this helps ya out?

Brian
 
If you are going to grade "Vintage" stuff (Pre-1980), I would reccomend PSA. BVG would be my second choice. If you are grading newer releases, I would reccomend BGC with PSA being your second best option. The other reputable grading companies Brian mentioned might also be OK for Vintage stuff, but not so much for newer issued cards, and quite frankly most of those companies are much better known in the Baseball hobby. KSA is the exception. They are a Canadian based company and have a pretty strong reputation and following in the Vintage Graded hobby. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me a PM. Mike
 
I would not touch any O-Pee-Chee graded hockey card from BGS. They have been known to grade cards cut from sheets, so buyer beware.

I personally would stick to PSA, SGC and GAI. PSA and SGC have the strongest following, while most GAI stuff I have seen, seems to be fairly graded.

Thanks
Dan Wise Old Man
 
I know little about grading. However, I know expertise - both Brian and Dan are extremely well versed in grading company lore. Follow their advice.
 
Thanks folks. I apprecaite your help. I have been looking at a few Mario graded rookies on the bay but I had never heard of the company GEM Elite grading service are they legit???? Or could I still be getting a fake??? THanks again CHad
 
If you getting older cards graded, I prefer SGC, but if you trying to do a quick sell, then go with PSA.
 
I'm curious myself...

whats the big difference between BGS, PSA, KSA, and whatever.

Why are some good for new release stuff and others for vintage?
 
I collect vintage baseball. The best resale for my cards is PSA and SGC. Therefore I stick with them. Having a graded card from either of these companies is like having a dollar bill in your pocket. It makes the card very easy to sell or trade, a very liquid asset.

Reasons to use them, they seem to catch altered cards and are very consistent in their grading.

As for BGS and modern, as I stated above, I wouldn't buy their cards using your money.

Thanks
Dan Wise Old Man
 
Thanks for the replies on Gem Elite... I kind of figured that was the case but never hurts to ask it was pretty cheap for a 8.5 grade..I was most concerned with the card being an original... More for my PC than to sell I want a real mccoy not a reprint or a fake. Thanks Chad
 
A follow-up question:

Which companies listed above would be able to authenticate are card with the same accuracy as BGS, PSA or SGC? Do any companies offer authentication-only services? That would be intresting, I would use it.
 
Justin K-ski said:
A follow-up question:

Which companies listed above would be able to authenticate are card with the same accuracy as BGS, PSA or SGC? Do any companies offer authentication-only services? That would be intresting, I would use it.
Click to expand...
I'm aware that 'Other Board' user Knuckles uses PSA to authenticate his cut Auto's.

As for authentication-only services only! Hey you got me! :eek:

Although, I traded a Roy RC to a fellow here in Edmonton. He sent it into KSA for grading & it came back slabbed as a Reprint! Needless to say I had to undo the trade! :( However, a Roy collector saw the Reprint Slabbed card and added it to his collection as an Odd Ball! item!

Brian
 
For hockey cards issued before 1990, I would definitely go with SGC. They are also the easiest to use if you live in Canada! For cards issued after 1990 though, I'd go with BGS.

PSA just doesn't seem as consistent in their grading from what I've seen...
 

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