Card Grading Australia
CGA
The APAC option, and three different things share the initials.
Our score34/100TierDNo. 14 on the scorecards
Resale standingRaw valueOn a high-value card, expect a buyer to cut it out and regrade it.
Cheapest way inA$11.50Bulk+, 300-card minimum
Typical turnaroundVaries by serviceReader reports →
BacklogNone published
Cert lookupPublicVerify a cert →
Owned byIndependentFounded 2012
The short version
1 min to read it all, belowWhy it scores 34
The full breakdownWhere the slab sells
- eBay Authenticity GuaranteeNot verified
- Major US auction housesNot verified
- Public cert lookupYes
What to watch
DISAMBIGUATION REQUIRED: 'CGA' also refers to an AI grading app and to an older US grader. A buyer searching the initials will find three different things, and a slab reading CGA does not identify which.
All known concernsPricing
Official price listPublished as a dated PDF price list (from 1 July 2026), in Australian dollars per card: Express $57 (3 business days), Priority $44 (10), Standard $29 (15), Economy $19 (30), Economy+ $16 (21-card minimum, 30), Bulk $12.75 (100-card minimum, 40) and Bulk+ $11.50 (300-card minimum, 45 to 60).
| Tier | Price | Minimum | Quoted turnaround | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk+ | A$11.50per card | 300 cards | 45–60 business days | Price list dated 1 July 2026; subgrades optional at $9.50 |
| Bulk | A$12.75per card | 100 cards | 40 business days | Price list dated 1 July 2026; subgrades optional at $9.50 |
| Economy+ | A$16per card | 21 cards | 30 business days | Price list dated 1 July 2026; subgrades optional at $9.50 |
| Economy | A$19per card | — | 30 business days | Price list dated 1 July 2026; subgrades optional at $9.50 |
| Standard | A$29per card | — | 15 business days | Price list dated 1 July 2026; subgrades optional at $9.50 |
| Priority | A$44per card | — | 10 business days | Price list dated 1 July 2026; subgrades optional at $9.50 |
| Express | A$57per card | — | 3 business days | Price list dated 1 July 2026; subgrades optional at $9.50 |
Prices as checked on 28 Sept 2026. They change often; the grader's own list is the final word.
RAW encapsulation is $12, and subgrades are an optional $9.50 a card.
The full file
What sets them apart
Operating since 2012 and 100% Australian owned, which makes it the only grader on this site serving the APAC market domestically — a real advantage when the alternative is insuring a package to California.
Grades present on a 1–10 scale but are calculated on a 100-point internal system, and the grading team's background is in printing, forensic science and document examination rather than the hobby.
Where the slab sells
Understood within Australian and New Zealand collecting, thin elsewhere. A slab graded for the APAC market travels poorly into the US, which is where most graded-card money moves.
Turnaround
Several service levels, all quoted in business days and all stated as approximate. The current price list is published as a dated PDF rather than a web page.
Price history
CGA has not raised a listed price since Oct 2026.
Show the price history: 7 tiers, 0 changes
These come from our own records. Small ticks are sightings where the price held. A line ends where the evidence ends.
Bulk+A$11.50 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
BulkA$12.75 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Economy+A$16 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
EconomyA$19 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
StandardA$29 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
PriorityA$44 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
ExpressA$57 unchanged since 30 Oct 2026
Every change
| Date | Tier | Change | Source |
|---|
An archived page shows the price on the day it was saved, so a change happened somewhere between that page and the one before it.
The slab and the label
Subgrades: None
Australian-made holders, with each card sleeved in acid-free archival sleeve before encapsulation where the card allows it. Cards are kept in a fire-resistant safe and insured while on site.
Example slab shown for reference, not a card the editor owns.
A grade and a score. A separate RAW service encapsulates without grading, which is the route for in-person signatures — CGA will grade officially released autograph cards but does not authenticate signatures at all.
What they grade
- Sports Cards
- TCG
- Non-Sports & Entertainment
- Autographs
- Specialty Formats
Who it's for
- Personal Collection
- Protection & Preservation
- Authentication
- Display & Presentation
- Set Completion
Australian collections, and unusually good for the odd formats — cigarette, tea and gum cards, tazos, pogs and milk caps all get graded here and almost nowhere else.
Known concerns
DISAMBIGUATION REQUIRED: 'CGA' also refers to an AI grading app and to an older US grader. A buyer searching the initials will find three different things, and a slab reading CGA does not identify which.
Regional recognition is otherwise the main limit, as with every grader serving one market.
History
Australian grading service, and the only Asia-Pacific operation currently covered here.
Score breakdown
Five parts, each scored 0 to 100 and weighted. Market acceptance carries 60 of the 100, because the point of a slab is what the market pays for it.
Market acceptance 20 / 100 (weight 60). The other four parts together 54 / 100 (weight 40).
Market acceptance
20 / 100weight 60adds 12.0
Unverified, scored as zero: eBay Authenticity Guarantee; Standard inventory at the major US auction houses; Sold-price parity with the leading label, same card and grade.
Trust and verifiability
70 / 100weight 15adds 10.5
Unverified, scored as zero: Public population report.
Holder and label
12 / 100weight 10adds 1.2
Unverified, scored as zero: Sealed, tamper-evident holder; Standard footprint that fits hobby cases; Scannable cert code on the label.
Turnaround and access
80 / 100weight 5adds 4.0
Unverified, scored as zero: Backlog figure published.
Pricing
60 / 100weight 10adds 6.0
Unverified, scored as zero: Entry price, USD, cheapest tier any submitter can use; No price rise over 25% in the last 12 months.
Weighted total 33.7, shown as 34 out of 100.
Scored on 5 Oct 2026. 10 inputs could not be verified and score zero. How we score
On the Wire
Nothing on the Wire about CGA yet. It fills in as stories are reported.
Reader reports
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