BGS to PSA

I know this is a newbie question - but where better to ask than in this forum?

Basically, I recently acquired my first graded card - a BGS 9 Unlimited Chinese Charizard.

I was wondering- as a general rule, how does BGS rating relate to PSA? Would this be a 10?

Also, if I was so send to PSA in it’s BGS casing, could they take it out and re-assess it? I’m not sure if bias would come into play…positively or negatively…

Thanks guys!

BGS are generally more strict for grading, as you can see on your BGS card they give you results on 4 categories which are calculated to an overall number. There has only been 1 Pokemon card ever that has received 10s across the board at BGS, which is a Jungle Holo Kangaskhan iirc.

Obviously it is not guaranteed that a 9 from BGS would 10 at PSA, though.

As far as a bias goes, I don’t think there would be any. They offer a cross-grade service which is specifically designed to regrade cards from other companies. If anything they’d be positively bias because sending your rival graded card to them implies you trust their grade more. However as far as I know the BGS case would be cracked long before it got to the grading table.

Just because the BGS 10 is absurd does not mean their 9 is a guaranteed PSA 10. It’s subject to literally all the same factors any other grade is. Things are missed. Things are exaggerated. the list goes on.

Other than clarifying that misconception more, I think Milhouse covered it all.

jelly of the charizard though

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Thanks for all the information. I am brand new to grading and graded cards. I can see that my Charizard did very well with its scores though! I’m only interested in PSA grading as it’s what seems to have the most exposure in the pokemon card community. Also if there’s a chance it would have a 10, that looks better than a BGS 9 in my mind.

Perhaps it’s not worth the fuss. I know the previous owner mentioned that it’s BGS because he was converting all his cards from PSA…which implies it may have actually started out as a PSA card! I’ll find out.

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I saw that guys listing and his description. I don’t know why you would ever switch from PSA to BGS. Psa cards get you more value and even if it weren’t about value why would you take a chance of removing a psa 10 to get it regraded only to possibly get something lower than BGS 9.5 Gem Mint.

On another the same note I’ve got two BGS 9.5 english FAs (Darkrai AND yveltal). I’ve been waiting to cross grade them.

Also the BGS cases are not esthetically pleasing.

The only bit I would add is that BGS is not more strict than PSA. Outside of their absurd 10, their standard is not anymore strict.

Here is a good example: 1, 2, 3, 4.

All four corners have whitening. The top right has heavy whitening/almost fraying, which you can see in the 2nd and 4th image. Let me know what grade you think this card deserves, and I will post the actual result.

It got like a 9 or a 9.5 didnt it.

If you were to purchase it raw, what grade would you estimate?

I think I know exactly what kind of damage that is. I’ve seen every now and then from WOTC and Ex sets. I looks like all the corners were cut with dull blade. I sent in a pack fresh Base 2 card with those edges. Out of 2 boxes I opened and graded that was the only 8. Otherwise it was a perfect card. PSA sometimes takes the cutting into account but I doubt the card would ever get anything over a 9.

The card you have in question doesn’t look as bad as mine. Those rough or frayed edges don’t “appear” to bleed over onto the blue of the card except for one corner. I said appear because it’s hard to tell 100% without seeing it in person. I’ve had slight knicks or white corner marks on my PSA 10s. That one little mark is about the size of a human hair and does not go onto the faces of the card. It’s also how it affects the eye appeal of the card.

If I sent that in to PSA I’d expect an 8 tops.

Same. Personally, I wouldn’t even send it in.

Is it me, or has PSA gotten more flexible on the 9s and 10s?

Seems that way (which is fine; all we pay for is an opinion).

I made it a habit to check the back of PSA graded cards that I purchase.

It would make sense that you’d become more familiar with the range involved with each grade over time. I’d chalk it up to that familiarity.

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For a grade of 10, PSA gives allowance for a slight printing imperfection for as long as it doesn’t impact the overall appeal of the card. A very small nick or two at the back of the card does not mean a card is not worthy of a 10. If you need a 20x magnifying glass to be able to see a slight edge whitening in a PSA10 card and not be happy with the grade, you’ll just be disappointed over and over again. After all, the printing and cutting of cards involves a mechanical process which produce cards that are never going to be perfect. No doubt there are cards out there that do not deserve a 10, but at the end of the day, grading is subjective and grades are just opinions of the graders.

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