CGC Card Grading Guide 2025 (Formerly CSG)

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CGC Cards, formerly known as CSG, is one of the fastest-evolving players in the card grading space. Known for its strict standards, competitive pricing, and modern design, CGC has made big moves since rebranding in June 2023 — including a complete overhaul of its grading scale, label design, and pricing tiers.

Who Is CGC Card Grading?

CGC Cards is a third-party grading service that authenticates, grades, and encapsulates trading cards. The company uses a 10-point grading scale and advanced technology to detect alterations, providing collectors with certified condition assessments.

Key Features:

• Strict grading standards – known for conservative, accurate grades
• Modern technology – advanced detection of alterations and repairs
• Competitive pricing – starting at $14 for bulk submissions
• Updated labels – clean, professional appearance since 2023 rebrand
• Pristine 10 grade – highest tier for nearly flawless cards

CGC Grading Scale

• Gem Mint 10 replaced the previous Gem Mint 9.5
• Pristine 10 remains the highest achievable grade
• Perfect 10 was retired
• Sub-Grades are no longer available for most submissions (except legacy Perfect 10s)

Grade	Official Grade Name	Label Color	Notes
Pristine 10	Pristine	Gold	Nearly flawless in every measurable aspect
Gem Mint 10	Gem Mint	Silver	Centering and surface meet elite standards
Mint 9	Mint	Silver	Minor flaws, very sharp overall
Near Mint-Mint 8	Near Mint-Mint	Silver	Light wear on corners or edges
Near Mint 7	Near Mint	Silver	More visible signs of handling
Excellent-Mint 6	Excellent-Mint	Silver	Moderate surface and edge wear
Excellent 5	Excellent	Silver	Noticeable flaws, still collectible

CGC Card Grading Pricing

These prices make CGC one of the more affordable grading options.

Tier	Price	Max Value	Turnaround
Bulk (25+ cards)	$14/card	$500	~40 days
Economy	$17/card	$1,000	~20 days
Standard	$45/card	$3,000	~10 days
Express	$85/card	$10,000	~5 days
WalkThrough	$275/card	$100,000	~2 days
Unlimited WalkThrough	$275 + 1% FMV	No cap	1-2 days

CGC Card Grading: Step by Step Submission Process

Step 1: Create Your Account

Register for a free account at CGCCards.com. You’ll need this to submit cards and track your orders throughout the grading process. Like PSA, CGS also offers a premium subscription via a few different tiers. But, Free is all that is needed for a base submission.

Step 2: Choose Your Service Level

Select the appropriate grading tier based on your card values and desired turnaround time:

Step 3: Prepare Your Cards

• Place each card in a penny sleeve and semi-rigid card saver
• Avoid hard plastic holders (toploaders) – they can damage cards during removal
• Do not tape anything to the cards or holders
• Include a note if you want specific details examined

Step 4: Complete Submission Forms
Fill out CGC’s online submission form with:

• Card details (year, brand, player, card number)
• Declared value for each card
• Service level selected
• Special instructions (if any)

Step 5: Package and Ship

• Use bubble mailers or boxes with adequate padding
• Ship via trackable method (USPS, UPS, FedEx)
• Include printed submission forms with your cards
• Consider insurance for high-value submissions

Ship your packaged cards to:

CGC Cards
6802 Energy Court
Sarasota, FL 34240
United States

Step 6: Grading Process
CGC authenticators examine each card using:

• Advanced imaging technology
• Alteration detection equipment
• Strict 10-point grading standards
• Team verification for consistency

Step 7: Receive Your Results
Once grading is complete, CGC will:

• Email you with grades and invoice
• Securely package your slabbed cards
• Ship back via your chosen return method
• Provide online cert verification for each card

CGC vs PSA vs SGC: Which Should You Choose?

Feature	CGC	PSA	SGC
Bulk Pricing	✅ $14	❌ $19.99	✅ $15
Resale Value	⚠️ Lower	✅ Highest	✅ Solid
Label Design	✅ Sleek & Modern	✅ Classic	✅ Classic
Sub-Grades	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No
Vintage Focus	⚠️ Limited	✅ Strong	✅ Strong
TCG Focus	✅ Top 2	✅ Top 1	⚠️ Limited

Choose CGC Cards When:

💰 Budget-Conscious Collecting

• CGC’s $14 bulk pricing beats PSA’s $19.99 minimum
• You’re grading for personal collection, not immediate resale
• Building a large graded collection affordably

🔍 Accuracy is Priority

• You want strict, consistent grading standards
• Detecting alterations is crucial (CGC’s technology excels here)
• You prefer conservative grades over optimistic ones

⚡ Faster Alternative Service

• PSA backlogs are too long for your timeline
• You need reliable turnaround estimates
• Express service for higher-value cards

📊 Modern Card Grading

• CGC performs well with newer cards (2000s+)
• TCG and gaming cards (where CGC has strong reputation)
• Cards where population census isn’t critical

Choose PSA/SGC Instead When:

💵 Resale Value Matters

• Planning to sell graded cards soon
• Market clearly favors PSA/SGC premiums
• Investment-focused collecting

🏆 Registry Competition

• Participating in PSA Set Registry
• Building showcase vintage collections
• Maximum market recognition needed

📈 Population Control

• Want to contribute to established pop reports
• Vintage cards where PSA dominance matters
• High-value cards where every grade point affects value significantly

The Bottom Line:
CGC offers excellent value for personal collectors who prioritize accuracy and affordability. For resale-focused collectors, PSA typically remains the better investment despite higher costs.

Transition to CGC Cards

In June 2023, Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG) merged with CGC Trading Cards to become CGC Cards. This move consolidated the company’s grading services under a single, more recognizable brand name — CGC — which had already built a strong reputation in the comic and trading card space.

This change allowed CGC Cards to present a unified grading standard for sports cards, TCGs, and non-sports cards under one banner.

New Label Design

Responding to strong feedback from collectors (yes, including mine), CGC Cards introduced a sleeker, more modern label:

• Color Scheme: Gone is the green slab, now replaced with a clean black, silver, and gold look.
• Information Layout: Card details, grade, certification number, and a scannable QR code are now more clearly presented.
• Pristine 10 Label: Cards that earn a Pristine 10 grade now receive a premium-looking gold label.

Overall, this was a vast improvement and much more aligned with what collectors expect today.

Here is the original green CSG slab before (that I was highly critical of), which they notably improved before the transition to CGC.

Reholdering Program

Collectors with older CSG or CGC Trading Cards slabs can reholder to upgrade to the new label:

• Cost: $10 per card
• Eligibility: Unlimited Value
• Grade: The grade will not change.
• Turnaround: 25 days

Market Response

Reactions to CGC Cards’ rebrand have been mixed, but generally positive among collectors.

👍 Pros:

• Sleeker, more professional label design
• A clearer grading scale, more in line with PSA
• Competitive pricing across bulk and standard submissions

🤔 Concerns:

• Discontinuation of sub-grades
• Confusion around the rebrand and the CGC/CSG transition
• Uncertainty about how the rebrand affects the value of older CSG slabs

CGC Cards appear to be better positioned in an increasingly crowded grading space. Whether it can truly challenge the likes of PSA or SGC in the long term remains to be seen, but the brand has taken a clear step forward.

Is CGC a Top Grading Option in 2025?

Andy Broome, a veteran in the grading world, leads the sports card operations at CGC and continues to earn respect from long-time collectors. Many in the hobby still view CGC (formerly CSG) as a technically accurate grader, even if their slabs don’t command top-dollar resale value.

For example, a user named snowman on the Net54 forums shared this perspective:

As far as accuracy goes, they’re mostly on point. My pre-grades are almost always accurate with them with very few surprises. I’ve had about an equal number of cards come back that I felt were overgraded and undergraded, but nothing by more than 1 grade off. The same is true for my submissions with SGC. Both SGC and CSG are far more accurate and consistent than PSA these days. I have also cracked out and crossed over dozens of cards to CSG from PSA, SGC, and BGS.

This kind of feedback highlights CGC’s strength: grading accuracy and consistency. However, accuracy alone isn’t enough to sustain long-term market relevance.

The Numbers Tell a Tougher Story

According to recent GemRate data:

• CGC’s sports card grading totals dropped 49% month-over-month
• They’re down 31% compared to the same time last year
• Beckett now grades more sports cards monthly than CGC
• In contrast, CGC is still a strong #2 in TCG behind PSA

These trends may point to CGC shifting away from sports cards and focusing more on TCG in the future.

⚠️ Collector Advice

If you’re a collector who values grading consistency and long-term slabs, CGC still makes sense, especially if you’re holding rather than selling. But if your goal is resale value in the near term, CGC may not be the best option right now.

Do you have thoughts on CGC Cards? Drop a comment below, and if you graded with CSG before the switch, let me know how the rebrand has affected your collecting or selling experience.