As soon as you've decided to have a card graded, the next question almost automatically follows: PSA, BGS, CGC, or SGC – which company is the right one? All four assess the condition and authenticity of your card, seal it in a plastic case (the so-called slab), and assign a grade. Even so, they differ noticeably in grading scale, slab design, reputation, and turnaround time. This article compares the differences between PSA, BGS, CGC, and SGC – plus a brief look at the smaller companies GSG and AOG, which are also supported with matching frames in our shop. Here too: the grading market keeps changing, companies get acquired, prices adjust. Research as of August 2026.
PSA, BGS, CGC, or SGC: the most important question first
Before we get into the details: there's no objectively "best" company among PSA, BGS, CGC, and SGC – only the choice that best fits your collecting goal. If you want maximum resale liquidity, the brand matters more than for a card you just want to display nicely for yourself. That's why it's worth knowing each company's particularities before you submit your card.
PSA: the market leader with the widest reach
PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) was founded in 1991 and remains the best-known and largest grading company to this day, particularly strong in vintage sports and trading cards. PSA assigns grades on a simple 1-to-10 scale without subgrades for individual categories like centering or corners. The slim, instantly recognizable PSA slab is immediately identifiable on the secondary market, and PSA 10 cards tend to achieve the highest resale prices among the four major companies, according to several market observations. If you want maximum market liquidity and brand recognition, PSA is usually a solid choice – though processing times and prices are noticeably volatile depending on workload, as we show in detail in our article on PSA Grading Costs 2026.
BGS: subgrades for anyone who wants to know exactly
Beckett Grading Services (BGS) stands out with a detailed subgrade system: centering, corners, edges, and surface are each assessed individually and factor into the overall grade. The most coveted honor is the "Black Label" – a perfect 10 in all four individual categories, considerably rarer than a regular PSA 10. BGS slabs are built thicker and feature a distinctive foil label. BGS is especially popular among collectors of modern cards who appreciate a transparent, traceable condition assessment. If you want to display a card in a BGS slab, you'll find matching wall frames in our BGS slab frames category.
CGC: the younger company with half-point grades
Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) originally comes from comic book grading and has, in recent years, established itself strongly in the trading card space too – CGC is enjoying growing popularity especially among Pokémon and sports card collectors. CGC assigns grades in half-point increments (for example, 9.5), which allows for finer differentiation compared to PSA's whole-number scale. Within the community, CGC is often seen as comparatively consistent in its grading and, depending on workload, has shorter wait times than PSA. The distinctive blue slab border has, by now, earned its own recognition value. You'll find matching frames in our CGC slab frames category. If you'd like to compare PSA and CGC specifically, we already have a dedicated article on that: PSA & CGC Graded Card Frames Compared.
SGC: the specialists for vintage and pre-war cards
Sportscard Guaranty (SGC) is particularly well known among experienced collectors for its expertise with vintage, tobacco, and pre-war cards. The company also uses numeric grades with half-point increments, without separate subgrades for centering, corners, edges, or surface – so, similar to PSA, a single overall grade, but with a finer scale. The characteristic black SGC slabs offer strong visual contrast and are considered tamper-resistant, but are explicitly neither waterproof nor especially UV-resistant, and should therefore also be stored with protection. Since February 2024, SGC has been part of the company Collectors. For display, SGC slab frames are available to you.
GSG and AOG: a look at the smaller companies
Alongside the four big names, there are other grading companies such as GSG (Global Sports Grading) and AOG, which find favor primarily in certain niches or communities. They are noticeably less established than PSA, BGS, CGC, or SGC, which is reflected in lower market liquidity and less comparative data on resale value. For collectors who primarily collect for themselves and aren't mainly focused on maximum resale value, these companies can also be a legitimate option – but inform yourself thoroughly about reputation and experience reports beforehand, before sending in a valuable card. We also offer matching frames for GSG and AOG slabs in our GSG slab frames and AOG slab frames categories.
Displaying all companies under one roof
Over time, many collectors end up with slabs from different companies in their collection – a PSA card here, a CGC card there. For this case, a universal frame like our frame for 10 graded cards is worth it, as it holds PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC, GSG, and AOG slabs together, instead of needing a separate frame for each brand. You'll also find an overview of all available formats in our main slab frames category.
Frequently asked questions about PSA, BGS, CGC, and SGC
Which grading company achieves the highest resale value?
According to consistent assessments from several market observations, PSA cards, especially PSA 10s, achieve the highest prices on the secondary market on average. This can shift, however, depending on the type of card, community, and market phase.
What does a BGS Black Label mean?
A Black Label is the highest BGS honor: a perfect 10 in all four subgrade categories – centering, corners, edges, and surface. It's considerably rarer than a regular BGS or PSA 10 grade.
Is CGC just as trustworthy as PSA?
CGC has established itself as a reputable grading company in recent years and enjoys growing trust within the collector community. As a younger company in the card space, however, CGC doesn't yet have PSA's decades-long market penetration.
Why are SGC slabs black instead of transparent?
The black border is a deliberate design feature of SGC that provides strong visual contrast and easy recognizability. It doesn't, however, come with any additional UV or water protection.
Is grading worth it with smaller companies like GSG or AOG?
That depends on your goal. For pure self-display, it can be perfectly sufficient; for maximum resale value, the four established companies are generally the safer choice due to higher market liquidity.
Can I display slabs from different companies together?
Yes, universal slab frames like our frame for 10 graded cards are designed for this, built to fit the common slab formats.
Conclusion
PSA, BGS, CGC, and SGC differ less in basic principle than in the details: grading scale, slab design, reputation, and market focus. PSA scores with maximum liquidity, BGS with detailed subgrades, CGC with a fine grading scale and growing popularity, SGC with vintage expertise. Whichever company you choose – in our slab frames category, you'll find the right frame for every common slab type, so your graded prized piece also gets the visual attention it deserves.
