SGC vs BGS?

[ArmyDC]

Giving up on PSA because of cost, turn around time and inconsistency.

I like the look of BGS slabs better but SGC has a quicker turnaround~estimated 1/2 the time.

The cost is pretty similar, is there any difference in BGS worth more or is it automatically 1/3 value because it’s not PSA?

[Gary]

Depends on what your grading......vintage SGC everything else BGS.......though with Peter leaving SGC you might want to hold off and see how things shake out.If its TGC CGC would be my choice.....you didnt ask about CGC so disregard if for whatever reason you wont use them.

[ArmyDC]

Originally Posted by Gary

Depends on what your grading......vintage SGC everything else BGS.......though with Peter leaving SGC you might want to hold off and see how things shake out.If its TGC CGC would be my choice.....you didnt ask about CGC so disregard if for whatever reason you wont use them.

That’s some good advice for Vintage/Modern.

Back in the day there was a bit of an edge in value for BGS, is that still the same?

[RKH916]

SGC for vintage, BGS everything else

And yes BGS will generally outsell SGC for modern basketball, especially 90's/Jordan

Won't get close to PSA values but if you're a collector, that's a good thing

A true gem BGS 9.5 is still my sports slab chase. Only a matter of time until a growing number of people realise they've been paying an extra 50+% for the letters "PSA" and the number "10" for what is practically an identical card (and in many cases, worse)

[Hellcat]

Originally Posted by RKH916

SGC for vintage, BGS everything else

And yes BGS will generally outsell SGC for modern basketball, especially 90's/Jordan

Won't get close to PSA values but if you're a collector, that's a good thing

A true gem BGS 9.5 is still my sports slab chase. Only a matter of time until a growing number of people realise they've been paying an extra 50+% for the letters "PSA" and the number "10" for what is practically an identical card (and in many cases, worse)

Not true most BGS 9.5's are PSA 8/9s. In general 1/1.5 drop BGS vs PSA standards. There is a reason nobody wants BGS slabbed cards anymore. Doubt me?! Look at the data!

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by Hellcat

Not true most BGS 9.5's are PSA 8/9s. In general 1/1.5 drop BGS vs PSA standards. There is a reason nobody wants BGS slabbed cards anymore. Doubt me?! Look at the data!

Ever if it's a 1984 Star Jordan?

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by Hellcat

Not true most BGS 9.5's are PSA 8/9s. In general 1/1.5 drop BGS vs PSA standards. There is a reason nobody wants BGS slabbed cards anymore. Doubt me?! Look at the data!

To be fair, most PSA 10's are PSA 8/9's. Just crack them out and resubmit.

[Scottish Punk]

Originally Posted by Hellcat

Not true most BGS 9.5's are PSA 8/9s. In general 1/1.5 drop BGS vs PSA standards. There is a reason nobody wants BGS slabbed cards anymore. Doubt me?! Look at the data!

Really depends on the sub grades. I can see a lot of BGS 9.5s with 9 on centering or corners consistently cross to a PSA 9. If it has both, than you might drop to a PSA 8. BGS grading scale doesn't punish as much for having one bad aspect, the others can "bring it up". SGC/PSA seem to top off the grade at the worst aspect.

If a card is 60/40 centering, it can still get a BGS 9.5 if all other areas are great. SGC/PSA won't move that past a 9. You may in rare instances get a 9.5 from SGC if everything else is perfect.

Of course, everything is subjective and you can find PSA 10's with bad centering.

[majestik101]

Originally Posted by RKH916

A true gem BGS 9.5 is still my sports slab chase.
Only a matter of time until a growing number of people realise they've been paying an extra 50+% for the letters "PSA" and the number "10" for what is practically an identical card (and in many cases, worse)

Originally Posted by discodanman45

To be fair, most PSA 10's are PSA 8/9's. Just crack them out and resubmit.

[RKH916]

Originally Posted by Hellcat

Not true most BGS 9.5's are PSA 8/9s. In general 1/1.5 drop BGS vs PSA standards. There is a reason nobody wants BGS slabbed cards anymore. Doubt me?! Look at the data!

If by "the data", you mean "the PSA 10 premium"... that has little to do with card condition, and more to do with an irrational marketplace.

It wasn't so long ago that people were cracking BGS & SGC 9's en masse to cross to PSA - because the truth is that PSA is without a doubt the most inconsistent grader. Which makes sense operationally - they have the busiest grading pipeline by a wide margin, that requires more staff, which leads to more variance.

The PSA 10 premium is not driven by an astute collecting community that are solely focused on card condition. It is driven by flipperboi's and trend-hoppers creating a market bubble

The guy above was right... on any given day a PSA 8 might well be a PSA 10.

Then you need to factor in that PSA were slabbing clearly off-centered cards as 10's for years until the recent changes... So now nobody really even knows what the hell a PSA 10 really is because they've shifted the goal posts and they're horribly inconsistent.

But enjoy the 1980's dot matrix label with the "10" printed on it that you're paying 50-80%+ extra for. Unless of course you're chasing the 10's to flip, which is the primary reason for the premium to begin with {...not driven by collectors...}

lmao

Originally Posted by Flipperboi#527812

PSA upcharged me 5k to grade my 86 Jordan which proves the value of the PSA 10

Year over year the actual gem rates between PSA and BGS are generally within about 5% of each other. Which is what we'd expect to see statistically if they're actually grading gems appropriately. Let's take a look at prizm basketball for the biggest rookie years 2018, 2023, and then this year since PSA changed their standards and the product was off center

2018 Prizm Basketball Gem Rate
BGS: 42% gem
PSA: 48% gem

2023 Prizm Basketball Gem Rate
BGS: 53% gem
PSA: 60% gem

2024 Prizm Basketball Gem Rate
BGS: 31%
PSA: 24%

Over the entirety of the sample size the gem rate for the major products is generally fairly similar, but you're much less likely to get the ridiculous variance with BGS or SGC

Going back further than this becomes a little bit more wishy washy because cards were being sent to PSA en masse years after production (03 topps chrome, etc)

[ArmyDC]

Some great info and discussion- I like the BGS thick slabs better than PSA but went away from them during Covid.

[YeahBuddy]

Both have NO SECURITY with their labels.

Go with CGC, better slab more security, cheaper and faster

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by YeahBuddy

Both have NO SECURITY with their labels.

Go with CGC, better slab more security, cheaper and faster

For the majority of cards, security is as simple as posting images with the cert #. Vintage to SGC, modern to CGC. I would use CGC for vintage if they had holders for larger cards like tall boys.

[EscapePlan]

I have a feeling that the SGC brand will be gone soon and renamed to like PSA Vintage or something to that effect.

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by EscapePlan

I have a feeling that the SGC brand will be gone soon and renamed to like PSA Vintage or something to that effect.

Won't happen. They will lose submissions, CU knows people would leave their company and won't use PSA. Collectors will keep it around, but expect higher prices and crappier customer service.