Trading Card Grading: Where To Get Trading Cards Graded?

Where to get trading cards grading? As the number of TCG players and sports card collectors grows, many old cards are becoming harder and harder to find.

In particular, the print run of early series cards is quite small, and popular cards in perfect condition are often hard to find. These cards are becoming more and more expensive. Some cards are even priced far beyond the reach of many players and collectors.

However, the cards are not well protected in terms of quality and value when they are only kept inside a normal card album or card box. Professional grading and tight packaging will not only protect your collection but also add value and secure your investment.

Where To Get Trading Cards Grading?

There are now two mainstream options for trading card grading:

1. PSA – Professional Sports Authenticators
2. BGS – Beckett Grading Services

Professional Sports Authenticators

Founded in 1991, PSA is the largest and most trusted third-party grading and certification company in the world. Cards graded by PSA are worth significantly more than those that are not graded, and as the industry’s grading standard, PSA is the preferred choice of collectors, card dealers and auction houses worldwide.

To date, PSA has graded over twenty million cards with a cumulative value of over one billion dollars. Each month they are able to process approximately 100,000 cards, and the number of applications is so high because collectors are looking to maximize the value of their collections. PSA has become the grading company that collectors can trust completely.

Pros

1. PSA has a good track record of handling valuables.There are very few problems sending valuable cards to PSA via the US Postal Service and FedEx.
2. PSA can provide a card registry that allows you to enter your graded cards and then compare values.

3. The 10 Gem Mint ratingfrom PSA has very high value. It is more difficult to obtain it than the 9.5 Gem Mint from BGS, because in the BGS rating categories, even if one of them only gets a 9 and the rest are 9.5, you can still get a 9.5 rating that way. However, PSA will only rate the card as a 9 in this case, so a 10 from PSA is quite difficult to obtain.
4. PSA can provide professional card cases to keep your card safe. They are well built and tough enough to withstand moderate pressure and repel moisture, smoke and humidity. In most cases, they are fine submerged underwater. Plus, when stacked, PSA card cases fit together nicely and don’t take up a lot of space.

Cons

1. PSA does not provide a breakdown of the rating, which means you can’t know what is wrong (such as the card face, edges, etc.), resulting in points being deducted from the rating. If it’s not PSA 10, some buyers may be afraid to buy because they can’t know what’s wrong.
2. Although PSA can currently offer a 0.5 rating, only ratings below 9 (such as 8.5 or 7.5) are available, they do not offer a 9.5 rating.
3. PSA card registry is nice but a bit difficult to use and takes time to get familiar with.
4. The appearance of PSA rating label looks very ordinary, not as special as BGS’s, and does not reflect the noble value of the cards.

Beckett Grading Services

BGS is a well-established company that has been a leader in third-party grading and certification since 1984.

Pros

• The metallic color rating label of BGS looks quite beautiful. Its card case is very tough and can protect your cards perfectly, in addition to being waterproof and UV resistant, it is arguably the most powerful case in the industry.

• BGShas a good track record of handling valuables. There are very few problems sending valuable cards to BGS via the US Postal Service and FedEx.
• The 10 Gem Mint is the highest rating in the BGS. To obtain it, you must get a 10 in three of the four subdivision grade ratings, and thenhave a 9.5 or higher in the last one. Due to the extreme difficulty, the payoff for a BGS 10 card is very high. For example, it is not unusual for a $5 card with a BGS 10 rating to sell for $300.
• BGS has a card registration system where you can find out the number of various rated cards.

Cons

• BGS 10Gem Mint is extremely difficult to obtain. If you think your card looks perfect to get BGS 10, the result will probably disappoint you.
• The BGS card case is very good quality but too thick, with a thickness of 6.5mm. If you have a lot of cards, stacking them up will take up a lot of space.

Some Knowledge About Graded Trading Cards

• Graded trading cards are basically more expensive than ungraded ones, because the grading process adds the cost of postage and handling. Even if the final rating is not so good, at least it ensures that the cards are genuine.
• The price of a 9.5 or 10 rated card can be several times more expensive than an unrated one, even going up to several hundred times. Therefore, many card stores receive cards in good condition and will take them to BGS or PSA for identification and grading, hoping to get a good grade to sell for a better price.
• Since grading is a manual process, it is inevitable that there will be errors or even mistakes. So some people, if they get a rating of 8.5 or 9, are likely to remove the card case and send it in again and again, hoping to get a 9 or 9.5.In fact, there have been successful cases of re-grading several times and getting a grade of 9 or higher.