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Guide to Sports Card Grading

The concept of sports card grading has been around for decades. Early collectors like Jefferson Burdick, Buck Barker and Lionel Carter gave grades to their baseball cards, even if they were a little different than some of the terms we use today. “Professional” grading has only been around since the 1990s, however. It wasn’t until Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) was born that cards were viewed by independent third party graders, assigned a numerical and corresponding word (gem mint, mint, near mint-mint, near mint, … [Read more...]

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How to Spot Cheap Baseball Cards and Make Money

Huge numbers of collectors browse eBay every day, looking for cheap baseball cards. Here are some tips in how to get the most bang for your buck when building your collection or looking to turn a profit. Obviously, we’re big believers in graded baseball cards. Grading tends to eliminate any question about whether a card may have been altered by trimming or other methods to make it look better than it really is. It’s still possible, though to buy ungraded cards, have them graded and enjoy the increase in value if you’ve got a good … [Read more...]

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PSA Graded Cards: The Grading System and How it’s Done

PSA is really considered the grandfather of grading, although the concept of encapsulation is still a relatively new concept considering the long history of trading cards. The famous T206 Honus Wagner card was graded “8” by PSA to launch the service. PSA graded cards are common in the hobby because the company grades thousands each week covering every era that sports cards have been produced. PSA also does a tremendous volume of grading for autographs, tickets, bats and other items. A subsidiary of Collectors Universe, the southern … [Read more...]

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SGC Graded Baseball Cards: Vintage Specialists

Sportscard Guaranty or SGC, bills its holder as “the finest in the sportscard hobby, thanks to its unique, custom-fit design” SGC offers two holders - one for regular to small cards, and another for oversized cards. The SGC holder has a custom-fit insert specifically manufactured to the size of the card to help hold the card securely, protecting it from being damaged from movement. The black insert does show off vintage SGC graded baseball cards quite well. SGC’s grading scale includes both its own two-digit formula and a single … [Read more...]

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Beckett Graded Baseball Cards

Beckett Grading Services promises to complete your grading order on time or it’s free. One of the most well-known names in the business, Beckett graded baseball cards are well respected, although the company grades far more modern era cards than it does vintage cards. Still, few collectors have issues with Beckett’s vintage card grading. BGS typically refers to modern era cards graded by the company while BVG is for vintage cards. Beckett Grading Services uses a 1 to 10-point grading scale, with descending increments of one-half … [Read more...]

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GAI Graded Baseball Cards

Global Authentication Incorporated has now given way to Global Authority. GAI was founded in California and graded cards, packs and autographs. After falling on some tough times not long ago, the company sold its card grading business to two former employees. There are many cards in GAI holders. They were generally regarded as quite reputable and accurate in the early years. Some collectors still swear by them. GAI graded all types of cards, but primarily vintage cards. They were the first company to grade unopened packs and were … [Read more...]