Grading services

[muzzy66]

Hi everyone,

Sorry in advance, as I'm sure this has probably been asked a million times. I did try to do a search, but surprisingly didn't find much.

Anyway, I'm just wondering what is typically the best way to get cards graded from Oz?

I understand that there is a place in Australia that does it, but I can only imagine that those grades would be worth next to nothing on a place like ebay, where it's largely international buyers. At the same time, the idea of sending a rare and potentially very valuable card overseas to be graded by Beckett sounds more than a little scary - especially if it's a very rare 1/1 card that is potentially unreplaceable.

Is there anyone here who regularly gets cards graded, and if so how do you go about it?

 

[Cobretti]

Card Grading Australia are great. You are right value isn't as US grading but who care unless you want to flip? I support them when I can. I have gotten some Australian sports graded and the report you get is fantastic. Personally they would be the only ones I would use for Australian Sports. Just feels weird having been branded by an American label.

BGS is the best return on value for american sports however they have damaged a few cards and claimed they didnt. Check the forum here for a wilt auto gone bad. People seem to love that gold label 9.5 lol.

PSA is the other reputable company. Personally I prefer PSA for old cards.

GAI is ok too.

Everyone else goes down from there.


In the end it is just perception people have but they all have their good and bad points. Luke anything, you taking a risk senidng a card to be graded with all of them.

 

[KB.]

Card Grading Australia are great. You are right value isn't as US grading but who care unless you want to flip? I support them when I can. I have gotten some Australian sports graded and the report you get is fantastic. Personally they would be the only ones I would use for Australian Sports. Just feels weird having been branded by an American label.

BGS is the best return on value for american sports however they have damaged a few cards and claimed they didnt. Check the forum here for a wilt auto gone bad. People seem to love that gold label 9.5 lol.

PSA is the other reputable company. Personally I prefer PSA for old cards.

GAI is ok too.

Everyone else goes down from there.


In the end it is just perception people have but they all have their good and bad points. Luke anything, you taking a risk senidng a card to be graded with all of them.

Agreed with everything said here. I've graded with BGS twice and both were positive experiences. I didn't send anything high value tho, and I can understand the hesitation to send anything high value.

With 1/1's I don't think there is value in grading (unless it only to encase the card for your our collection), as whether it grades high or low, it is 1/1 and the value should be affected. That being said, moving an ungraded 1/1 as opposed to a 1/1 which grades an 8 or lower could see a price drop.

 

[muzzy66]

Sorry guys, I'm not ignoring the responses - I could have sworn I had replied to this thread!!! I must have been typing a response on my phone and then hit a distraction before i finished.

Thanks for the advice!

Do you think getting it graded at CGA is beneficial when it comes to trading cards on the local market? Does it increase confidence / value of the item locally, or is it more just for personal reassurance?

From memory CGA is within driving distance of me, so I'm a lot more confident dropping a card there myself rather than trusting Australia post!

 

[Cobretti]

Agreed with everything said here. I've graded with BGS twice and both were positive experiences. I didn't send anything high value tho, and I can understand the hesitation to send anything high value.

With 1/1's I don't think there is value in grading (unless it only to encase the card for your our collection), as whether it grades high or low, it is 1/1 and the value should be affected. That being said, moving an ungraded 1/1 as opposed to a 1/1 which grades an 8 or lower could see a price drop.

Agreed on 1/1s at most I would grade them as authentic.

 

[Cobretti]

Sorry guys, I'm not ignoring the responses - I could have sworn I had replied to this thread!!! I must have been typing a response on my phone and then hit a distraction before i finished.

Thanks for the advice!

Do you think getting it graded at CGA is beneficial when it comes to trading cards on the local market? Does it increase confidence / value of the item locally, or is it more just for personal reassurance?

From memory CGA is within driving distance of me, so I'm a lot more confident dropping a card there myself rather than trusting Australia post!

From american sports. No because too many people out there are conditioned on Beckett lol. Also WAY to many people believe that beckett is the price guide that is the final gospel. So you are fighting that kind of mentality if you try to sell your cards. One day I hope that confidence grows in CGA because lets face it they do exactly the same job if not better however perception due to a couple decades of brain conditioning is that beckett is the king. The only way that perception will change is if we make it change.

Aus Sports collectors, for them grading is a new concept and it is slowly taking off. I personally would only us CGA for that as Aussie have a lot of pride and being locally graded would mean more then seeing a BGS on it.

Personally any card I grade always ends up in my PC and I never intend to sell so I use CGA. If i want to be a flipper of modern US sports go BGS.