HGA Grading Submission - Review

SteelCityBorn · 02-24-2021, 02:25 PM

Hey all,

I’ve been a lurker for a long time but not really a forum guy. I sent a few random modern cards for 10 day to test out with HGA back on 2/5 and received cards back today.

-Turnaround time: Cards were delivered to them on 2/8 and my return shipping number was received on 2/19. So a total of 11 day or 9 business days

-Grades: Based in what I anticipated for grades, all overall grades were pretty spot on. I think they were a bit more of a harder grade (I.E. Claypool corners didn’t look to be an 8.5 based on what I could see)

-Quality: Slabs look great and material is crystal clear. I personally like the color matching aspect, but I am sure some may say it looks cheap. My biggest gripe is the slab size. The height is the same as PSA and width is same as BGS. I definitely think they could have trimmed this down to a better size. I’m sure this won’t change, but I feel there is a lot of dead space. I put a comparison pick to a PSA and a BGS.

Overall, I like them and think they will have traction considering their turn around time and that they are doing something different. Definitely sure the younger generation will be big on these

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ovrcollect · 02-24-2021, 02:58 PM

Any comments on security? Difficult to counterfeit or pry open?

I agree there is a lot of dead space around the card, but the color matching, which didn't appeal to me at first does look pretty good on the claypool on jacobs.

Btw... that MJ/LBJ dual... my goodness.

SteelCityBorn · 02-24-2021, 03:07 PM

The housing is pretty sturdy, more similar to BGS from a setting standpoint. They also have the HGA logo raised on the back of the casing as well. And thank you! To think, I almost sold it for $1800 a few years back

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miscus555 · 02-24-2021, 04:32 PM

i heard their slabs are top of the line and a pain in butt to crack open unless you want tons of shards all over the place.

they just got on the black and time will tell where they place. I know they put a lot of time into get this model up and running but we will see if they take the time to make corrections and deal with adversity. hopefully they are always looking to get better

mooselang · 02-24-2021, 05:20 PM

Well, after seeing these, I’m going to submit to HGA next. Nothing too crazy, and stuff I’ll end up keeping. I want subgrades, but I’m not paying BGS prices for that wait. I also don’t care about resale, so not in the mood to get hit with PSA’s increase.

If you don’t mind me asking, was it hard to get your cards submitted? Do you just have them loaded and saved, so when Friday at 9pm comes around you just start smashin’ that button?

miscus555 · 02-24-2021, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooselang

Well, after seeing these, I’m going to submit to HGA next. Nothing too crazy, and stuff I’ll end up keeping. I want subgrades, but I’m not paying BGS prices for that wait. I also don’t care about resale, so not in the mood to get hit with PSA’s increase.

If you don’t mind me asking, was it hard to get your cards submitted? Do you just have them loaded and saved, so when Friday at 9pm comes around you just start smashin’ that button?

Good question. I would hope you can load up all your card info and actually save it somehow if you don’t make the cut that week. It would be annoying if the gates opened and everyone had to race to type in the info before submitting. Thank god there are no tiers but I’m dying to know how they deal with insurance on the high value cards they ship back

CheckEmOut · 02-24-2021, 06:23 PM

That Trout looks sick. It’s definitely best to match color of the card and not team, you’ll get much better results. I like HGA. Sent some stuff out to them and kinda wish I had sent more. Their values seem good so far, but very small sample size

Dr kicker · 02-24-2021, 06:41 PM

Can you choose to not have the color blast effect on the right of label ? Or its Standard they all come like that ?

mooselang · 02-24-2021, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miscus555

Good question. I would hope you can load up all your card info and actually save it somehow if you don’t make the cut that week. It would be annoying if the gates opened and everyone had to race to type in the info before submitting. Thank god there are no tiers but I’m dying to know how they deal with insurance on the high value cards they ship back

It does appear that you can load up your cards and save it. I’m waiting on a couple more that are hopefully grade-worthy, so it’ll probably be next Friday before I give it a try.

SteelCityBorn · 02-24-2021, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooselang

Well, after seeing these, I’m going to submit to HGA next. Nothing too crazy, and stuff I’ll end up keeping. I want subgrades, but I’m not paying BGS prices for that wait. I also don’t care about resale, so not in the mood to get hit with PSA’s increase.

If you don’t mind me asking, was it hard to get your cards submitted? Do you just have them loaded and saved, so when Friday at 9pm comes around you just start smashin’ that button?

The week I did it, I didn’t have any issues submitting but I heard last Friday was tough and sold out instantly. I haven’t found a way to pre-load your submissions but I’m going to attempt this Friday

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SteelCityBorn · 02-24-2021, 09:20 PM

Nvm I did figure out how to start a submission ahead of time smh

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kobebeast2020 · 02-24-2021, 10:10 PM

From what I can tell they don't have a database like PSA so if you type in the wrong information about a card what happens then?

KBA · 02-24-2021, 11:26 PM

Thank you for the review!

The slab is interesting. I like the clarity in the plastic. Looks sharp. I’m not a fan of the explosion graphic on the right side now that we can see in hand pics— I find it distracting.

SteelCityBorn · 02-25-2021, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KBA

Thank you for the review!

The slab is interesting. I like the clarity in the plastic. Looks sharp. I’m not a fan of the explosion graphic on the right side now that we can see in hand pics— I find it distracting.

I agree, it’s def a love it or hate it. Doesn’t really seem appropriate for higher end stuff, but it does look good for PC if you collect a team

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rcgdodge · 02-25-2021, 10:32 AM

Between the 3 options, I like the BGS slab the least.

I don't see myself switching from mainly PSA cards though, I'm to OCD.

Gwynning · 02-25-2021, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr kicker

Can you choose to not have the color blast effect on the right of label ? Or its Standard they all come like that ?

i believe they offer neutral white and black labels

02-24-2021, 02:25 PM	#1
SteelCityBorn Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 23	HGA Grading Submission - Review Hey all, I’ve been a lurker for a long time but not really a forum guy. I sent a few random modern cards for 10 day to test out with HGA back on 2/5 and received cards back today. -Turnaround time: Cards were delivered to them on 2/8 and my return shipping number was received on 2/19. So a total of 11 day or 9 business days -Grades: Based in what I anticipated for grades, all overall grades were pretty spot on. I think they were a bit more of a harder grade (I.E. Claypool corners didn’t look to be an 8.5 based on what I could see) -Quality: Slabs look great and material is crystal clear. I personally like the color matching aspect, but I am sure some may say it looks cheap. My biggest gripe is the slab size. The height is the same as PSA and width is same as BGS. I definitely think they could have trimmed this down to a better size. I’m sure this won’t change, but I feel there is a lot of dead space. I put a comparison pick to a PSA and a BGS. Overall, I like them and think they will have traction considering their turn around time and that they are doing something different. Definitely sure the younger generation will be big on these Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02-24-2021, 06:41 PM	#8
Dr kicker Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chateauguay , Quebec Posts: 1,011 mothepipes mothepipes	Can you choose to not have the color blast effect on the right of label ? Or its Standard they all come like that ? __________________ Looking for Luguentz Dort Prizm DP Autograph , Contenders (Pro) Prizm Sensational Signature (shimmer) My PSA inventory : https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/mothepipes/imagegallery/108618

02-25-2021, 10:32 AM	#15
rcgdodge Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Delaware Posts: 25,113 rcgdodge	Between the 3 options, I like the BGS slab the least. I don't see myself switching from mainly PSA cards though, I'm to OCD. __________________ Looking For: 2013 Bowman Chrome Joe Mauer - - Black, Yellow, Red, Printing Plates

02-24-2021, 02:58 PM	#2
ovrcollect Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: California Posts: 1,111	Any comments on security? Difficult to counterfeit or pry open? I agree there is a lot of dead space around the card, but the color matching, which didn't appeal to me at first does look pretty good on the claypool on jacobs. Btw... that MJ/LBJ dual... my goodness.

02-24-2021, 03:07 PM	#3
SteelCityBorn Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 23	The housing is pretty sturdy, more similar to BGS from a setting standpoint. They also have the HGA logo raised on the back of the casing as well. And thank you! To think, I almost sold it for $1800 a few years back Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02-24-2021, 04:32 PM	#4
miscus555 Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 664	i heard their slabs are top of the line and a pain in butt to crack open unless you want tons of shards all over the place. they just got on the black and time will tell where they place. I know they put a lot of time into get this model up and running but we will see if they take the time to make corrections and deal with adversity. hopefully they are always looking to get better

02-24-2021, 05:20 PM	#5
mooselang Member Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 294 langcj04	Well, after seeing these, I’m going to submit to HGA next. Nothing too crazy, and stuff I’ll end up keeping. I want subgrades, but I’m not paying BGS prices for that wait. I also don’t care about resale, so not in the mood to get hit with PSA’s increase. If you don’t mind me asking, was it hard to get your cards submitted? Do you just have them loaded and saved, so when Friday at 9pm comes around you just start smashin’ that button?

02-24-2021, 06:23 PM	#7
CheckEmOut Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 68 gomes	That Trout looks sick. It’s definitely best to match color of the card and not team, you’ll get much better results. I like HGA. Sent some stuff out to them and kinda wish I had sent more. Their values seem good so far, but very small sample size

02-24-2021, 09:20 PM	#11
SteelCityBorn Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 23	Nvm I did figure out how to start a submission ahead of time smh Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02-24-2021, 10:10 PM	#12
kobebeast2020 Member Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: Brooklyn NY Posts: 1,235	From what I can tell they don't have a database like PSA so if you type in the wrong information about a card what happens then?

02-24-2021, 11:26 PM	#13
KBA Member Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 467	Thank you for the review! The slab is interesting. I like the clarity in the plastic. Looks sharp. I’m not a fan of the explosion graphic on the right side now that we can see in hand pics— I find it distracting.