Sportscard Guaranty Corporation
SGC
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.
Our score69/100TierANo. 2 on the scorecards
Resale standingAcceptedSells normally, with some discount to the top labels.
Cheapest way in$50Standard, cards up to $1,500
Typical turnaround40+ daysReader reports →
BacklogNone published
Cert lookupPublicVerify a cert →
Owned byCollectors HoldingsFounded 1998 · What else it owns →
The short version
2 min to read it all, belowWhy it scores 69
The full breakdownWhere the slab sells
- eBay Authenticity GuaranteeCovered
- Major US auction housesStandard inventory
- Public cert lookupYes
What to watch
Since the February 2024 acquisition the defining advantages have eroded: its president left, resources shifted toward PSA, grading volume fell about 24% through 2025, and turnaround went from five to seven business days to more than 40 business days.
All known concernsPricing
Official price listSGC repriced on 2 September 2026 and the cheap-and-fast pitch went with it. The base service level moved to $50 per card for cards declared up to $1,500, roughly a tripling of the $15 to $18 it had been, and $85 for cards up to $3,500, with turnaround quoted beyond 40 business days — an improvement on the 75+ shown in August, but nowhere near the five to seven days SGC was built on.
| Tier | Price | Card value up to | Quoted turnaround | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $50per card | $1,500 | 40+ business days | Repriced 2 Sep 2026 from $15–$18; no minimum |
| Standard, $1,501–$3,500 | $85per card | $3,500 | 40+ business days | Cards declared $1,501 to $3,500; no Standard option above $3,500 |
| Expedited (from) | $150per card | $3,500 | 2–3 business days | Priced by declared value |
| Expedited (top band) | $3,750per card | — | 2–3 business days | Cards declared above $100,000; add $375 per $10,000 over that |
Prices as checked on 17 Oct 2026. They change often; the grader's own list is the final word.
Above $3,500 there is no standard option at all: Expedited, at two to three business days, is a separate ladder priced by declared value, from $150 up to $3,500 through to $3,750 above $100,000, plus $375 for each further $10,000. There is still no minimum and no membership, unusual among the majors. SGC has signaled this pricing is not final — it has told reporters to expect further adjustments to service levels between late 2026 and early 2027.
The full file
What sets them apart
The black tuxedo holder is the most recognisable slab design in the hobby and a genuine display draw.
SGC's real strength is vintage: on pre-1970 cards its prices often match or beat PSA, which is true of no other non-PSA label. Fast, no-frills, no subgrades and no set registry — the proposition was always speed and trust rather than features.
Where the slab sells
SGC is the clearest case where acceptance is category-dependent rather than uniform: strongest in vintage, weaker in modern.
eBay
One of only four graders covered by eBay's Authenticity Guarantee, so SGC slabs at $200 or more receive the same buyer protection as PSA.
Auction houses
Fully accepted at Goldin, Heritage and PWCC. For pre-war and vintage lots SGC is not merely accepted but often preferred, with some consignors choosing it deliberately.
Card shops and general resale
SGC cert numbers are searchable and its population report is public. In vintage categories SGC prices can match or exceed PSA for the same card and grade.
Turnaround
40+ days on the site, down from 75+ in August
Price history
SGC has raised prices on 1 date since Sep 2026. The steepest climb is Standard: up 233%, from $15 to $50.
Show the price history: 4 tiers, 3 changes
These come from our own records. Small ticks are sightings where the price held. A line ends where the evidence ends.
Standard$50 up 233%
Standard, $1,501–$3,500$85 unchanged since 1 Sep 2026
Expedited (from)$150 new 17 Oct 2026
Expedited (top band)$3,750 new 17 Oct 2026
Every change
| Date | Tier | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct 2026 | Expedited (from) | First recorded at $150Our current price table (Priced by declared value) | Our price table |
| 17 Oct 2026 | Expedited (top band) | First recorded at $3,750Our current price table (Cards declared above $100,000; add $375 per $10,000 over that) | Our price table |
| 2 Sep 2026 | Standard | $15 → $50 up 233%SGC repriced on 2 Sep 2026 (our 17 Sep Companies record): base moved to $50. | Our earlier record |
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
The black inner mat is the entire design idea: it isolates the card and flatters vintage cardboard in a way a clear holder cannot, which is a large part of why SGC's reputation is strongest in pre-war and mid-century.
Example slab shown for reference, not a card the editor owns.
A deliberately plain white flip — grade block, description, seven-digit cert — that stays out of the card's way. The lookup returns high-resolution images, so a buyer can match the actual card rather than only confirm that a number exists.
What they grade
- Sports Cards
- TCG
- Non-Sports & Entertainment
Who it's for
- Resale Value
- Long-Term Investment
- Personal Collection
- Authentication
- Trading & Liquidity
- Display & Presentation
Resale, holds and trading, with the strongest case in vintage. Not the pick for condition documentation or set completion.
Known concerns
Since the February 2024 acquisition the defining advantages have eroded: its president left, resources shifted toward PSA, grading volume fell about 24% through 2025, and turnaround went from five to seven business days to more than 40 business days.
The vintage premium is intact for now. The independence promised at acquisition is what collectors are watching, and it is the precedent now cited about Beckett.
History
SGC opened in 1998, in the middle of the boom that followed PSA's arrival, and found a niche rather than fighting for the middle: vintage.
Pre-war and mid-century cardboard is where it built its following, helped by a black tuxedo slab collectors genuinely prefer for older cards — an aesthetic argument that became a resale one, since some vintage buyers actively seek SGC holders.
Speed was the other pillar. A five-to-seven business day turnaround made SGC the practical choice whenever PSA's queues stretched.
Collectors Holdings acquired SGC in February 2024. Since then its president has departed, resources have moved toward PSA, 2025 grading volume fell by roughly a quarter, and the turnaround that defined the brand has stretched beyond 40 business days.
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 75 / 100 (weight 60). The other four parts together 61 / 100 (weight 40).
Market acceptance
75 / 100weight 60adds 45.0
Unverified, scored as zero: Recognised in a major non-US market.
Trust and verifiability
100 / 100weight 15adds 15.0
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
70 / 100weight 5adds 3.5
Pricing
45 / 100weight 10adds 4.5
Weighted total 69.2, shown as 69 out of 100.
Scored on 5 Oct 2026. 4 inputs could not be verified and score zero. How we score
On the Wire
All 6 SGC stories- A grader should grade the card, not charge you for what it's worth
- Nobody can prove PSA is better than anyone
- eBay UK will send cards from £250 to PSA for checks, down from £500
- Collectors refiles to end the antitrust case. Beckett's own terms are still offline.
- SGC triples its base grading price, and its cheap-and-fast pitch goes with it
- SGC's speed advantage erodes under Collectors ownership
Reader reports
Report yoursNo reader reports for SGC yet.
Sent cards to SGC? Tell us when they arrived and when they shipped back. Reports are checked and anonymous.