PSA vs BGS vs CGC vs SGC: choosing a grader for your raw card

Choosing a grading company is easier when you separate the questions. What do you want the holder to do for your collection? Which service accepts your card and its value? What is the total cost of submitting? How long can you wait? What evidence do you have about the card's condition? A brand preference can be part of the decision, but it should not replace those checks.

This comparison uses official US service pages fetched on October 22, 2026. It is a snapshot of published information, not a reservation, delivery guarantee or endorsement. Availability can change before you finish a submission. We have no affiliation with these grading companies and do not assign a universal resale premium to any of them. Your exact card and the actual completed sale matter more than a slogan.

Read the entire grade designation

PSA calls its top card grade Gem Mint 10. Beckett's scale runs from 1 to 10 with half points, and its labels distinguish black perfect Pristine 10, gold Pristine 10 or Gem Mint 9.5, and silver lower grades. Its services can include separate centering, corner, edge and surface subgrades. Check the particular service option rather than assuming every slab provides the same detail.

CGC distinguishes Pristine 10 from Gem Mint 10, with a special Pristine label; Mint+ is 9.5. SGC's scale distinguishes 10 PRI from 10 GM and includes half grades below them. These names describe each company's own system. Do not rewrite a grade from one company as an equivalent grade from another, and do not treat a predicted top designation as something a raw card already owns.

For your records, copy the company, number and complete designation together. If you later compare sold listings, keep that same level of detail. A listing with the wrong label designation is a different comparison even when the large number looks similar. Certification details and clear slab photographs should be part of the evidence you review when looking at graded examples.

Published prices and turnaround

The table summarizes selected ordinary card-grading services, not every add-on or high-value tier. Fees are in US dollars per card, before shipping and other applicable charges. Timing is estimated business or working days, as described by each company. The linked sources contain the complete menus. Read the conditions and availability beside a price before treating it as an option you can buy.

SGC's text-only page did not expose its table. We read the public JavaScript served by that page to verify the pricing rows and turnaround headers. That is a dated published snapshot, not a completed checkout quote. PSA and Beckett also showed unavailable services; an advertised low price beside an unavailable tier is not a currently bookable alternative.

What the labels help you decide

If you want a condition breakdown on the holder, investigate a Beckett option with subgrades and look at examples of its current labels. If you want to assemble a consistently presented collection, compare holders and complete label designs in the context of the cards you already own. For PSA, CGC or SGC, read the stated grade designation and the company's description rather than inventing missing subgrades.

A distinctive top label can be attractive, but it should not be the sole financial plan for a raw card. Before submitting, decide whether you would still want the holder if the result is lower than hoped. The question is especially useful for cards with excellent artwork but a visible edge or surface concern. A grader selection cannot repair the card's condition.

Build a fair cost comparison

Start with the exact card identity and a defensible value, then check eligibility for the service in question. Record the fee, any minimum quantity and any required membership or extras that apply to your submission. Add outbound and return shipping using real quotes. If you compare a batch service with a single-card service, make the quantity difference explicit rather than presenting the cheaper per-card fee as universally available.

Use the full PSA cost guide linked below as a worksheet model even if you ultimately choose another grader. Its shared-cost arithmetic is useful across submissions, but its company fees are not interchangeable. Keep shipping and coverage assumptions attached to the specific provider and route. A cheaper grading line item may still produce a higher total when the rest of your order changes.

Treat turnaround as a planning constraint

Work backward from the date you want the card in hand. Include shipping, intake and the return journey rather than counting only the number in the service table. If your plan depends on a sale during a particular event, decide what happens if the estimate moves. A submission can still be worthwhile for a long-term collection even when it is unsuitable for a time-sensitive sale.

Check the live service page immediately before packing the order. Keep the confirmation and the version of the terms that applies to your submission. Avoid choosing a company based on an old social-media screenshot or someone else's result from a different tier. Their experience may be real without being a useful estimate for the service and card you are considering now.

Resale: compare evidence, not a universal premium

This article does not claim that one company adds a fixed percentage to every card. To evaluate resale, collect completed sales for the exact issue, language, parallel and grade designation. Separate auction results from unsold asking prices. Watch for bundles, unusual provenance, damaged holders and unclear photos. If there are too few relevant sales, say that the evidence is thin rather than filling the gap with a general brand multiplier.

Then compare net outcomes after the costs you would actually incur. Keep a lower-grade scenario alongside the optimistic one. If the card is a personal keepsake, resale may not be your main criterion at all. You can choose presentation and collection consistency as explicit preferences without claiming the choice will maximize future proceeds. That makes the decision more honest and easier to evaluate afterward.

Inspect the raw card before choosing

Use the free centering calculator linked below to check matching borders on the front and back. It compares measurements with PSA guidelines only; it is not a BGS, CGC or SGC grade calculator. Inspect corners, edges and surface separately and use the related condition guide to photograph any concerns. A straight-on picture can miss the flaw that matters most to the final result.

Get a free photo estimate at /scan if you want another condition opinion before buying a service. The estimate is not an official grade and cannot guarantee authentication or a particular label. GradePeek pricing is linked below so you can see the available plans. Choose the grading company only after you have put the card's evidence, the all-in cost and your purpose for grading next to each other.