Have you ever gotten a BGS “black label”? Is it realistic?

I know topics like this usually go to the grading mega thread but I didn’t get any traction there when I asked and I am still interested in people’s opinions.

I find the idea of a truly perfect Pokémon card very appealing. I am interested in beginning a personal campaign to have a relatively inexpensive card graded until I get back a “perfect” one in the form of a BGS “black label” card, which certifies the flawless condition of the card.

However, is this actually feasible? In doing my research I read about a pretty major employee-driven scandal where only employees or former employees were getting back black labels. On some sports forums and subreddits there was a widespread implication that these grades are a scam — that you will always get back a 9.5 on one of your subgrades to deny you the black label. This certainly doesn’t inspire much confidence in what would already be a challenging process.

  1. Have you ever gotten back a perfect 10 black label from BGS?
  2. What is your opinion on this certification? Do you think it’s the ultimate trophy or the ultimate scam?
  3. Would you say go for it or forget it?

I remember reading a scandal where BGS knowingly gave black labels to someone they personally knew, pretty sure it was on this forum, maybe someone could link it?

If a topic doesn’t get responses in the correct area to post it, that isn’t license to go post it in an incorrect area.

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Who even grades with bgs lol

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