What grading service is most respected / accepted?

So I see lot of grading services out there, from PSA to BCCG to BGS and so forth. I personally recognize the PSA slab to be the "best", but that's because I've collected autographed memorabilia in the past.

What is the consensus among collectors, or is there none? Is it possible to get something that is graded a 10 by BCCG, only to have it graded as a 9 by PSA?

Also, as a semi-related topic, do most conditions collector buy raw and submit themselves, or go after graded copies only? Is it virtually impossible to get a raw 10? You can check the centering / corners from a high res scan, but surface scratches could impact the grade as well, correct?

Thanks guys.

My thoughts.

BGS for newer stuff (01-now, especially chrome)
SGC for prewar stuff
PSA for everything in between

Fandruw25 said:

My thoughts.

BGS for newer stuff (01-now, especially chrome)
SGC for prewar stuff
PSA for everything in between

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+1

Personally I think that SGC is the most respected. However, they are not widely accepted.

jbhofmann said:

Personally I think that SGC is the most respected. However, they are not widely accepted.

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Sure they are. SGC is THE Company for pre war cards.

jonebone said:

What is the consensus among collectors, or is there none? Is it possible to get something that is graded a 10 by BCCG, only to have it graded as a 9 by PSA?

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I have seen BCCG 10s comeback anywhere from PSA/BGS 7-10

Oh Yea, BCCG is NOT respected.

cgilmo said:

jbhofmann said:

Personally I think that SGC is the most respected. However, they are not widely accepted.

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Sure they are. SGC is THE Company for pre war cards.

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I meant as a whole.

I think everyone here has already broken down the era differences pretty well.

It really is...

The one that gives me the best grades for the type of card I have. :lol:

Bottom line. That's not how I think but suspect it's how it is for many.

PRO

Interesting... why is BGS so special for anything '01 and onward? They have more experience in this timeframe than PSA would?

jonebone said:

Interesting... why is BGS so special for anything '01 and onward? They have more experience in this timeframe than PSA would?

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BGS has the luxury of having started after shiny plastic cards became mainstream. Subsequently, their grading standards were defined to address issues that PSA couldn't have predicted (ie refractor lines), and they went a step further by adding the half grade, pristine, destinction to the top of the grading pyramid. All good for modern cards.

Make no mistake, there are BGS 10 cards in PSA 10 holders, but there are truly mint cards with refractor lines in PSA 10 holders that wouldn't touch a BGS 9.5 holder for that very issue.

BunchOBull said:

jonebone said:

Interesting... why is BGS so special for anything '01 and onward? They have more experience in this timeframe than PSA would?

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BGS has the luxury of having started after shiny plastic cards became mainstream. Subsequently, their grading standards were defined to address issues that PSA couldn't have predicted (ie refractor lines), and they went a step further by adding the half grade, pristine, destinction to the top of the grading pyramid. All good for modern cards.

Make no mistake, there are BGS 10 cards in PSA 10 holders, but there are truly mint cards with refractor lines in PSA 10 holders that wouldn't touch a BGS 9.5 holder for that very issue.

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I see... forgive my ignorance, but what are these refractor lines you speak of? Surface scratches that appear on the card that PSA would not be able to detect?

JoshHamilton said:

PRO

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IDK whether to laugh or cry at this post... ::facepalm::

Anyway, I use BGS for everything for consistency (I guess I have a severe case of baseball card OCD), but if you are trying to maximize value, go with the above post (SGC=pre-war etc etc)

jonebone said:

Is it possible to get something that is graded a 10 by BCCG, only to have it graded as a 9 by PSA?

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BCCG 10 is mint or better. As crappy as they are BCCG 10s are not gem mint cards, they might be but just because it has a 10 in the label doesn't mean it is anything better than mint - sometimes less or much less.

jonebone said:

I see... forgive my ignorance, but what are these refractor lines you speak of? Surface scratches that appear on the card that PSA would not be able to detect?

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See the lines going through the top of his head, they shouldn't be there.

SGC is the best graders. BGS is the big easy on modern stuff, so people on here think they are the best. When 9.5 are handed out like water now. The beauty for BGS is, now everyone thinks they must have a 9.5 on card. When 9's were as good or sometimes even better than a 9.5. But people buy the grade not the card. So they can get all these nut cases cracking out nice 9 mint cards, and resending in till the get a 9.5. More cash for BGS.

matchpenalty said:

SGC is the best graders. BGS is the big easy on modern stuff, so people on here think they are the best. When 9.5 are handed out like water now. The beauty for BGS is, now everyone thinks they must have a 9.5 on card. When 9's were as good or sometimes even better than a 9.5. But people buy the grade not the card. So they can get all these nut cases cracking out nice 9 mint cards, and resending in till the get a 9.5. More cash for BGS.

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I still do well here and there with modern by sending to PSA. So much goes to BGS that I can make money on selling 'low pop' cards that are really low pop because only like 3 copies of the card have been sent to PSA. My favorite stat was that at one time there was like 175 BGS 9.5 Jason Heyward Bowman Chrome autos...and 7 PSA 10's of the same issue. of course PSA only had graded like 10, but they sold for a premium because of it.

jonebone said:

I see... forgive my ignorance, but what are these refractor lines you speak of? Surface scratches that appear on the card that PSA would not be able to detect?

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It's not that PSA can't detect them, it's that, by all accounts, one can own a gem mint card--perfect centering, clean edges, razor corners, and no surface issues--but have manufacturing flaws that didn't exist when PSA began to define their grading standards. Refractor lines aren't printing blemishes, they aren't damage, they're just an inconsistency or adjoinment of holo-foil under the plastic surface.

Most of these refractor lines aren't appealing, and when BGS standardized their grading levels, they addressed an approach to them. Refractor lines didn't exist when PSA was setting out to do the same, so no standard for grading cards with this feature has been set forth. The result is a mixed bag of grades, with what appears to be some graders who deduct for them and some that do not.

The "eye appeal" portion of a grade is very subjective. BGS has lessened the subjectivity and inconsistency by having a formal position on the flaws.

Examples of a card with and without a refactor line...they really are a distraction is most cases.

Whatever happened to ***? There for a while they were making a strong run at becoming an accepted modern grading company but I hardly ever see any of their stuff. I take it their was some sort of fallout?

edit: I do remember some of the holders for thicker cards being junk.

bballcardkid said:

Whatever happened to ***? There for a while they were making a strong run at becoming an accepted modern grading company but I hardly ever see any of their stuff. I take it their was some sort of fallout?

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The fastest/easiest description of it.

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