I usually only collect PSA 9s, but lately I’ve been tempted by a few cards graded by other companies.
I’m fairly sure I want to avoid CGC 9s and BGS 9s, because there’s no guarantee they would cross to PSA 9 as companies have slightly different grading standards, and I don’t want to accidentally lower the overall value of my collection for a potential future sale.
But would adding a CGC 9.5 (new label) or BGS 9.5 actually hurt the value of an otherwise pure PSA-9 collection? Would they be considered higher value compared to PSA ?
And what about CGC 9.5 old label (CGC 10 regrad gurantee)?
Is a 9.5 graded card better than a PSA 9 and therefore acceptable? Or does adding any non-PSA card reduce the perceived purity and desirability of the collection?
I’d love to hear how other collectors see this. Do mixed-grading collections sell worse, or does it depend on the specific grade (e.g., CGC 9.5 / CGC 10)?
Imo, selling a graded collection as a whole is gonna be awful considering not only the price, but cards they might have to resell they already have. I would just crack them anyways. Buy the card not the grade is a motto I love.
The answer to your question will always be “Depends on the current buyer”
Not sure why you would want to track the value of your collection as a whole. It’s much easier to keep track of single cards.
A CGC 9.5 is as mint as a PSA9 imho, it’s just less liquid and less popular among buyers. So unless you seriously believe that the gap between these companies will keep widening (which is fair), I don’t see the problem, especially if you’re a collector.
Aesthetically, this is up to you: I’m probably not a huge fan of mixed slabs on display
Also, I suspect you’re giving too much importance to these companies: there’s nothing unacceptable or impure about mixing slabs lol, don’t worry
I’m sure that someone will immediately disagree with me on this but I think you would typically find that BGS 9.5 are in better condition than PSA 9. Especially with modern stuff.
So therefore I’m not sure how having BGS 9.5s would “hurt”
CGC and BGS slabs generally have gentle dispositions, so I wouldn’t be afraid of keeping them together in the same collection. Try to separate old cert vs new cert regardless of grading company though since they tend to get snippy at each other
Jk, jk - In all seriousness, I think other’s points about just thinking about on a card by card basis is the way to go - not the entire collection… But while I haven’t bought entire graded sets before, but I will say that I would prefer uniformity in the slabs, all things being equal, if I was looking to purchase a set. (It’s only a slight preference for me but I think most ppl appreciate uniformity to some degree). So if you do go with a new company maybe build a set/mini-set with that company? That way you can still maintain some uniformity.
Thanks everyone for the thoughtful input, really appreciate all the perspectives.
From what I’m gathering here, picking up a BGS 9.5 or an old-label CGC 9.5 doesn’t lower the value of a PSA-9-focused collection. If anything, condition-wise they’re often on par with or slightly above PSA 9. The only real “downside” is the lack of uniformity in the slabs, which personally I don’t mind as long as the card quality is at least the same or better than PSA9.
What I’m still trying to understand better is the new CGC scale.
Old CGC 9.5 = new CGC 10 > PSA9
How do you all view the new CGC 9.5 compared to PSA 9? Is it typically stronger or equal?
And what about the new CGC 9? Comparable to old CGC9 and PSA9? Or closer to PSA8?
Would love to hear more experiences on that, since CGC changed their grading philosophy quite a bit with the new label. Any input on BGS is also much appreciated
Too much energy spent on value and trying to equate to “PSA 9” which PSA 9 alone doesn’t mean diddily squat. You can buy an entire set of PSA 9 cards, and if regraded they would range from 8-10
I’m not really sure what you mean by being ‘worried about lowering the value of my collection by including CGC or BGS 9s’
Let’s say your collection is 10x PSA 9 cards. The value of that collection is the summed value of each of those cards. If you buy an additional CGC 9, your collection value is has now increased by the value of that CGC 9 card. Your collection value has not been lowered. Is this CGC value likely to be less than a PSA 9 copy of the same card? Yes. But you will also have paid less for it.
If you sell a collection as a whole, a large majority of buyers for that collection will be resellers. Your 10x PSA 9s won’t be worth less because the collection includes a CGC or BGS 9 card. The total value will just be the combined value of each individual card. And the buyer will likely offer a % of the total amount.
My advice is to buy the cards and grades that make sense to you for the value you have to give up for it. For example I also mostly collect PSA 9s, however occasionally I will find a CGC 9 which I think is equal or better condition and so I’ll replace my PSA 9 with the CGC card and pocket the difference. My collection has decreased in value temporarily, but then I have the extra funds to buy another card and my collection value returns to basically the same number as before.
If you want to add BGS 9.5s and CGC 9.5s to your collection, you can go for it! But they (particularly BGS 9.5s) are often worth more. So if you buy a BGS 9.5 instead of a PSA 9, your collection will be more valuable, but you will have spent more money. Everything is purely a cost-benefit analysis of condition and price. Buy the company and grade where you get the most enjoyment for your money.
TLDR: a collection value is usually just the sum of its parts. Having some CGC 9 and BGS 9 slabs may mean your collection is worth less compared to if those same cards were PSA 9, but you will have spent less. They won’t have an impact on the value of your actual PSA 9s. A BGS 9.5 collection of xyz cards is likely worth more than a PSA 9 collection of the same cards, but again you will have spent more on it.
No, it doesn’t hurt your collection. Like @goldstarsalamence said, it’s the sum of its parts, the inclusion of a CGC/BGS 9 can never make the total value go down. If it’s your personal collection, the only thing it may hurt is your OCD when the slabs and labels don’t perfectly match up. Otherwise, in the vast majority of cases across all grading companies, an 8 is an 8, a 9 is a 9, a 10 is a 10, etc. Despite that, all the companies make mistakes, so as always, use your discretion and buy the card, not the grade.
My collection consists primarily of PSA 9/10’s, with a smattering of CGC 9/9.5/10’s, and I feel that all of them are great examples of the grade, with a minuscule margin of error. (And believe it or not, of the five 9’s I’ve ever replaced for not meeting my personal standards, three of them have been PSA, two were CGC!)
The most obvious difference between the companies is liquidity. PSA cards sell more quickly and at generally higher price points than their equivalents. But that has more to do with market share and legacy, rather than a distinguishable difference in service quality or average card condition.
TLDR; Don’t worry about it too much unless you’re insistent on having 100% label consistency!
