PSA vs. BGS vs. SGC vs. CGC: What's the Difference?

If you're new to collecting graded cards, the first thing you'll notice is that not all "10s" are treated the same. A card graded by one company can sell for a different price than the exact same card graded by another — even at the same numerical grade. Here's what actually separates the four major grading companies.

PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)

PSA is the most widely recognized name in the hobby, especially for vintage and mainstream modern cards. Its scale runs from 1 to 10, with a PSA 10 labeled "Gem Mint." PSA's size and market recognition generally means PSA-graded cards see the deepest buyer pool and the most liquid resale market, which is part of why they often command a premium over an identical card graded by a competitor.

BGS (Beckett Grading Services)

BGS is best known for its subgrade system — a BGS-graded card gets four individual subgrades (centering, corners, edges, surface) in addition to the overall grade, and can go up to a half-point higher than PSA's scale with a BGS 10 "Pristine" sitting above a BGS 9.5 "Gem Mint." Collectors who care about exactly why a card graded the way it did tend to prefer BGS for that transparency, and it has a particularly strong following for modern cards and autographs.

SGC (Sportscard Guaranty Corporation)

SGC has grown quickly in popularity, especially for vintage cards, partly thanks to a well-regarded black-label holder design that a lot of collectors simply like the look of. SGC uses a 1-10 scale similar to PSA. It doesn't have the same brand recognition as PSA yet, but has built real credibility, particularly in the vintage market.

CGC (Certified Guaranty Company)

CGC built its reputation grading comic books before expanding into trading cards, and it brought that same meticulous standard with it. CGC is on a steady growth path in the sports card space and offers competitive turnaround times, though it doesn't yet have PSA's decades of market history behind it.

So which one should you buy?

For most collectors, the honest answer is: it depends on what you're buying and why.

• Buying to resell quickly? PSA generally has the deepest, fastest market.
• Buying vintage? SGC has real momentum and a devoted following.
• Care about granular condition detail? BGS's subgrades give you that.
• Buying to keep, not flip? The grading company matters less than whether the grade accurately reflects the card in your hands.

The one thing that matters regardless of which company graded it

Whichever company graded the card you're looking at, always verify the certification number directly on that company's own website before buying — not just from the seller's photos. It takes thirty seconds and confirms the card, grade, and cert number actually match what's being advertised.

That verification step, plus buying only from vetted dealers, is exactly what Strictly Graded is built around — every listing on the platform is required to be professionally graded by one of these four companies, with nothing else allowed.