SGC and other graders

Alongside PSA, Beckett and CGC there are several other companies that grade Pokémon cards. The best known is SGC, Sportscard Guaranty, which comes from the sports card world and is known for its slabs with a black insert. This entry explains what such companies have in common and what collectors look for.

SGC

SGC is one of the older grading companies and has graded sports cards for decades. It also grades Pokémon cards, and its slabs are easy to recognise by the dark background behind the card. The scale has changed over time, so check which scale a particular slab uses; see the grading scale. SGC has drawn more attention among Pokémon collectors in recent years.

Other companies

There are also a number of smaller and newer companies, including some in Europe and Asia. Some offer their own approaches, such as more detailed subgrades or digital reports. How well known and accepted they are varies from country to country and from platform to platform.

What determines a slab's value

• Reputation: how well the company is known to buyers in the market.
• Consistency: whether the company's grades give the same assessment over time.
• Transparency: whether there is a certification number that can be looked up, and a population overview; see population reports.
• Liquidity: how easily the company's slabs can be traded.

Choosing a company

Which company suits depends on the card and what the owner wants. Some weigh market acceptance, others the style of assessment or the look of the slab. A grade from one company cannot simply be equated with one from another; see crossover grading.

For collectors considering a lesser-known company, it is useful to look at how long the company has existed, whether it has an open database, and whether other collectors trade its slabs. Openness about the scale and guidelines is also a good sign. Companies lacking such openness are harder to evaluate, and their slabs may have fewer potential takers when they are traded on again.

Caveats

Slabs from every company can be forged, and lesser-known companies are harder to verify; see fake slabs. See also card grading for a general introduction.