Every Grader, Same Scorecard
Grader Scorecards
Every grading company scored on the same card — cost, turnaround, ownership, and whether the resale market actually recognises the slab. Grouped by how well each is trusted where it counts.
This is real data, pulled automatically from our live database and kept up to date regularly.
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Showing all 40 graders.
Best-in-class — trusted everywhere, no questions asked.
PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)70–80 daysNo subgradesPublic cert lookup
Still the label buyers trust — but PSA is coasting on that trust while backlogs grow and lawsuits pile up.
BGS / Beckett Grading Services15 daysFour subgradesPublic cert lookup
The subgrade specialist, and still the right call for high-end modern chrome — but its independence now sits with the company that owns both its biggest rivals.
Excellent — recognized and respected across the resale market.
SGC (Sportscard Guaranty Corporation)40+ daysNo subgradesPublic cert lookup
Still the vintage collector's slab of choice — but the speed it was built on is gone, and its independence under PSA's owner looks thinner every quarter.
CGC (Certified Guaranty Company)90 days (Economy)No subgradesPublic cert lookup
The strongest alternative to PSA for Pokémon and Magic, and the last major grader not owned by Collectors Holdings — though its slabs still trade a little under PSA.
TAG (Technical Authentication & Grading)25 daysFour subgradesPublic cert lookup
The most transparent grade you can buy — every point deduction itemised — but the market still pays for PSA's label, not TAG's evidence.
BVG (Beckett Vintage Grading)20–25 daysNo subgrades
If your card is pre-1981 and went to Beckett, it came back BVG rather than BGS.
Solid — reputable, though not yet a top-tier name.
Arena Club~30 business days (estimated, per support)No subgrades
Grading bundled into a vault and marketplace — convenient if you sell inside their ecosystem, but the slab alone doesn't yet carry weight outside it.
Ace Grading45 daysNo subgradesPublic cert lookup
The sensible choice for grading Pokémon in the UK or EU — but a US buyer won't pay a premium for an Ace slab.
KSA Certification40–75 daysNo subgradesPublic cert lookup
One of the oldest independents still running, and genuinely respected in Canadian hockey — but liquidity outside that niche is thin.
DSG (Diamond Service Grading)10 daysNo subgradesPublic cert lookup
A young grader punching well above its weight on documentation — a 32-subgrade report at one flat price — but the resale market hasn't caught up to it yet.
Rare Edition20 daysNo subgradesPublic cert lookup
You're paying for the case, not the grade — a striking display holder whose price outruns any resale benefit.
FCG (Forensic Card Grading)10 daysFour subgradesPublic cert lookup
A boutique grader with a genuine point of view on eye appeal — but its slabs don't yet carry resale weight, so grade here for your own collection, not to sell.
GSG (Gold Standard Grading)6 weeksFour subgrades
Searchable on eBay across all three card categories, and little else is established.
MBA (Mike Baker Authenticated)30 business daysNo subgradesPublic cert lookup
MBA does two jobs: it grades raw cards in its own holder, and it stickers other graders' slabs with a second opinion.
PCA Grade30 days (Fast)No subgrades
The European default for Pokemon, and largely invisible to the American market.
Mixed — worth a closer look before you submit.
GMA Grading & Authentication25 daysNo subgradesNo cert lookup
The cheapest way to put a card in a holder — and priced that way for a reason. Fine for bulk, wrong for anything you'd want to sell.
DCI Grading (Dallas Card Investors)14 daysNo subgrades
A legitimate boutique with a regional following — but outside its existing customer base, a DCI slab carries no premium.
MNT GradingVariesFour subgradesPublic cert lookup
A stable Canadian hockey specialist — dependable within that niche, largely invisible outside it.
AGS / Robograding (Automated Grading Systems)20 daysEight subgradesPublic cert lookup
An interesting robot-graded experiment that collectors largely treat as a pre-screening tool, not a slab to sell in.
ISA (International Sports Authentication)14 daysNo subgradesPublic cert lookup
An early alternative that never gained traction — still operating, but with little resale recognition to show for fifteen years.
CGA (Card Grading Australia)Varies by serviceNo subgrades
The APAC option, and three different things share the initials.
Edge Grading4–8 daysFour subgrades
Better known for the survey it publishes than for the slabs it sells.
Mana Grading20–25 daysFour subgrades
Publishes its reasoning for the grade, which almost nobody else does.
Buyer beware — limited resale recognition.
RCG (Revolution Card Grading)25–30 daysFour subgrades
A young grader with modern presentation and little the resale market recognises — grade here only for yourself.
TGA (True Grade Authentication)5 daysNo subgradesPublic cert lookup
Competes on price and speed rather than reputation — the wrong trade if you ever intend to sell the card.
PGI (Pristine Grading International)No subgrades
A bulk specialist by design — its own rules cap it at cards worth under $100, which tells you what the slab is for.
WCG (World Class Grading)28 daysNo subgradesNo cert lookup
Reviewers have publicly questioned whether it belongs in the hobby at all — grading here can leave your card harder to sell than raw.
GAS (Global Authentication Services)14 daysNo subgrades
Almost nothing independent is known about it — which, for a grader you are trusting with your card's value, is the answer.
AIC Grading (Authentic Investment Company)No subgradesNo cert lookup
It grades cards and sells the cards it grades, and almost all of them are tens.
ARK GradingNot verifiedNo subgrades
Almost nothing is publicly verifiable about it, and that is the finding.
Aura Grading2–3 weeksFour subgradesPublic cert lookup
Cheap, fast and unusually strict on its lowest subgrade — but it rounds every half-grade up, and it shares its name with an unrelated UK grader.
C3 Grading3–5 weeksFour subgrades
A brand-new flat-rate grader with a distinctive horizontal slab — and nothing independent yet to judge it on.
Degree Grading35 business daysFour subgradesPublic cert lookup
Explains a grade better than almost anyone in the hobby — and almost nobody is buying the slabs.
Golden Grading10 days (Express)No subgradesPublic cert lookup
Five dollars a card, a slab that reads as Beckett at a glance, and a serial lookup that could not find our card.
Granite State GradingNot open yetFour subgradesPublic cert lookup
Grades with AI-assisted inspection and publishes a publicly verifiable cert for every slab — but it is not taking submissions from the public yet.
TCG (Trading Card Grading)Not verifiedNo subgrades
Not TCGplayer. The name is the most confusing thing about it.
Still in circulation
Not currently grading
No tier, because a tier says where to send a card and you cannot send one here. That is the only thing being withheld — their slabs are still bought and sold every day, and still have to be read.
Not accepting submissions, and has not said it is finished.
Merged into another grader. The slabs are still honoured.
No longer operating — no cert lookup, no guarantee, no recourse.
