PSA, CGC or Beckett (BGS) — which grading company should you choose?

We submit to all three from our Glasgow counter, so we've no horse in this race. Here's the advice we give over the counter, written down.

First: should you grade the card at all?

Before "which company", answer this — why are you grading it? Grading costs real money per card, so the honest maths is simple: if the card isn't valuable, sentimental, or genuinely near-mint, a slab often costs more than it adds. A played-condition card usually stays a played-condition card, just in a harder box.

The cards worth grading tend to be one of three things: a card with real market value where the grade unlocks the price; a card you love and want protected and displayed properly; or a modern pull in beautiful condition where a top grade multiplies what it's worth.

PSA — the market standard

PSA is the biggest name in card grading, and that's exactly its superpower. The red label is instantly recognised by every buyer, the resale market for PSA slabs is the deepest in the hobby, and the premium a PSA 10 commands over a raw card is usually the largest of the three companies.

Choose PSA when you're grading to sell, when you want the widest pool of buyers, or when you're building a registry set. It's the default for a reason.

CGC — the fast-rising challenger

CGC has grown quickly in the card world, and its slabs are now a familiar sight in Pokémon collections. The cases are crisp and tamper-evident, the grading is consistent, and the fees and turnaround are often keener than PSA's — a big part of why so many modern collectors have taken to it.

Choose CGC when you want a clean, secure slab at sharp value — especially on modern singles — and you're happy with a grading name that's climbing fast rather than the long-established leader. You can also request subgrades if you want more detail on the label. The honest trade-off: PSA still has the deeper resale market, so a CGC slab may not command quite the same premium yet.

Beckett (BGS) — the vintage favourite

Beckett's calling cards are the four subgrades printed on the label — centring, corners, edges, surface — and the legendary Black Label, awarded only when every subgrade is a perfect 10. On high-end and vintage cards, a Black Label can out-price everything else on the market.

Choose Beckett when you're grading vintage or high-end cards where the fuller condition story matters, or when you believe a card is genuinely flawless and want the label that proves it.

The short version

• Grading to sell? PSA, most of the time.
• Want a crisp, secure slab at keen value? CGC.
• Vintage, high-end, or chasing perfection? Beckett (BGS).
• Not sure? That's literally what our counter is for.

The easy way to do it from Scotland

Whichever company fits, you don't need to fight courier forms or international shipping to get there. Victory Road is Scotland's only drop-off point for PSA, CGC and Beckett (BGS), through our partner Black Label Grading — hand your cards to us in Glasgow, at a game night or at a show, and we handle the submission end to end. Use code VRCOLLECTS and you also get 5% off.

How our grading drop-off works →