PSA vs. SGC vs. BGS vs. CGC: How Grading Companies Compare
Written by Brandon Lawrence, founder of The Card Breaks, a Minnesota-based sports and trading card business.
A slab's label tells you two things: a numeric grade and which company assigned it. Both matter, because the market doesn't treat every grading company the same way. Here's what each one does and how they compare.
| Company | Scale | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1 to 10 (Gem Mint) | Widest recognition and the deepest resale liquidity for sports cards |
| BGS | 1 to 10, half-point increments, with subgrades | Centering/corners/edges/surface subgrades; the "Black Label" 10 |
| SGC | 1 to 10 (Pristine) | Long-standing vintage credibility; a distinctive tuxedo holder |
| CGC | 1 to 10 | Newest of the four for sports cards; fast growth in Pokémon and TCG |
What grading actually checks
Every major grading company authenticates the card first, then evaluates centering, corners, edges, and surface to arrive at a numeric grade, and finally seals the card in a tamper-evident holder with a certification number you can look up on the grader's own website. The scale and labels differ by company, but the underlying process is the same.
PSA
The most widely recognized grader for sports cards, using a 1-to-10 scale where a PSA 10 ("Gem Mint") is the top grade. PSA's size and history give it the deepest population and price-history data of any grader, which is a big part of why PSA slabs are often the most liquid at resale for mainstream sports cards.
BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grades in half-point increments and publishes subgrades for centering, corners, edges, and surface alongside the overall grade, so you can see exactly where a card gained or lost points. A BGS 10 with four perfect 10 subgrades is labeled "Black Label" and is graded to an especially strict standard. BGS has a strong following for modern cards and trading card games.
SGC
Uses a whole-number scale up to a 10 ("Pristine") and ships in a distinctive tuxedo-style holder. SGC has long-standing credibility with vintage card collectors and has grown quickly with modern collectors too, in part on turnaround time.
CGC
Best known for grading comics for decades, CGC Trading Cards is the newest of the four to most sports and TCG collectors but has grown fast, particularly for Pokémon and other trading card games.
Does the company change the value?
Often, yes. A PSA 9 and a BGS 9 of the identical card do not always sell for the same price — buyer preference for a given grader varies by category, card era, and community. Neither number is "wrong," but it's worth checking recent sold comps for that specific grader before assuming two same-numbered slabs are interchangeable.
Verifying a slab
Every legitimate slab's certification number can be looked up directly on the issuing company's website to confirm the grade, card, and that the number hasn't been reported as altered or resubmitted. It's worth doing before or after any graded purchase.
See our raw vs. graded guide for the broader raw-versus-slab decision, or browse what's currently in stock in Graded Slabs.