Sports card collecting guides
Start here if a card term, a grade or a box format is new to you. Each guide is written in plain words, with real cards from our sourced checklists and fees from the graders' own pages.
- Sports card terms: RC, parallels, SSP, refractors and 1/1s
What RC, parallel, refractor, SSP, 1/1, RPA and 1st Bowman mean, in plain words, with 12 real examples from our sourced checklists.
- What is a rookie card? The RC rules, true rookies and prospect cards
A rookie card is a player's first card after he reaches the top level of his sport. The RC rules and real examples.
- PSA vs BGS vs CGC vs SGC: how the four card graders compare
PSA, Beckett (BGS), CGC and SGC compared for sports cards: top grades, half grades, subgrades and entry fees, from each grader's own page.
- How much does card grading cost? PSA and CGC fees for 2026
PSA grading starts at $59.99 a card (Standard) and CGC at $20 (Economy). Every 2026 tier, its cap and turnaround, from each grader's own page.
- How to grade sports cards, step by step
How to get a sports card graded: check it, pick a grader and tier by declared value, submit online, pack it, ship it and track it. With 2026 fees.
More reference pages
By the Parlae deskGuides updated Oct 17, 2026 at 8:00 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number