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PSA vs BGS vs CGC vs SGC: how the four card graders compare

All four grade sports cards on a 1 to 10 scale. PSA prints one overall grade with Gem Mint 10 at the top and no 9.5; Beckett (BGS) prints four subgrades and a Pristine 10; CGC adds a Pristine 10 above Gem Mint 10; SGC also tops out at a Pristine 10. They differ in subgrades, labels and fees, set out below from each grader's own pages.

The grading scales side by side

  • PSA

    Top grades
    Gem Mint 10, then Mint 9 and NM-MT 8
    Half grades
    1.5 through 8.5 since February 2008; there is no PSA 9.5
    On the label
    One overall grade on the label. Centering weighs heavily in it.

  • Beckett (BGS)

    Top grades
    Pristine 10; a Black Label Pristine 10 has a 10 in all four subgrades
    Half grades
    Yes, 1 to 10 in half points
    On the label
    Four subgrades on the label: centering, corners, edges and surface.

  • CGC

    Top grades
    Pristine 10 (virtually flawless, 50/50 centering), then Gem Mint 10 and Mint+ 9.5
    Half grades
    Yes, from Fair 1.5 up to Mint+ 9.5
    On the label
    Authentic (AU) for a genuine card that cannot take a number; Authentic Altered (AA) for one that was altered.

  • SGC

    Top grades
    Pristine 10 (10 PRI), then Gem Mint 10 (10 GM)
    Half grades
    Yes, from 1.5 to 9.5
    On the label
    One overall grade.

SGC's scale as a search index shows its own page; SGC's site did not open to our reader.

Sources [1][2][3][4]

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Entry fees, from each grader

CGC's cheapest single-card tier is Economy at $20 a card (cards up to $1,000, about 90 business days), read on its own page on 2026-10-17.

PSA's Standard tier is $59.99 a card (up to $1,000, 90 to 100 business days), from PSA's September 2026 announcement as a search index shows it.

Beckett's and SGC's fee pages could not be read on our check date; both changed services in 2026, so check their own pages before you submit.

Sources [5][6][7][8]

What separates them

  • Subgrades: Beckett prints centering, corners, edges and surface on the label. PSA prints one number.
  • The top of the scale: CGC, Beckett and SGC print a Pristine 10 above Gem Mint; PSA's top is Gem Mint 10.
  • Half grades: PSA has none at 9.5; the other three do.
  • Population reports: PSA and CGC publish theirs free on their own sites.

Sources [9][10]

Questions

Is there a PSA 9.5?
No. PSA uses half grades from 1.5 through 8.5; above that it goes from Mint 9 to Gem Mint 10.
What is a BGS Black Label?
A Beckett Pristine 10 with a 10 in all four subgrades: centering, corners, edges and surface.
Which grader is cheapest?
On 2026-10-17, CGC's Economy tier at $20 a card was the lowest single-card fee we could read on a grader's own page; its Bulk Economy is $17 with a 25-card minimum.

Keep reading

Sources

  1. sportscollectorsdigest.com/cards/psa-half-grades
  2. cgccards.com/card-grading/grading-scale/
  3. beckett.com/nonsports-grading
  4. gosgc.com/card-grading/scale
  5. cgcgrading.com/submit/services/card-grading/
  6. psacard.com/articles/articleview/15763/psa-new-standard-service-level
  7. beckett.com/grading
  8. gosgc.com/pricing
  9. psacard.com/pop
  10. cgccards.com/population-report/sports

By the Parlae deskGuide updated Oct 17, 2026 at 8:00 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number