PunsRTonsOfFun

I think the question is are cards graded with subgrades held to a higher standard than those without? If this is case, it would have been nice to know before I submitted and will likely determine whether I submit with CSG again in the future. I've defended CSG on this forum and social media at every turn, understanding that a new company would have growing pains given the current state of the hobby. If there are two different grading standards based on subgrades and it wasn't publicly disclosed, I can't and won't defend that.

Shhh...CSG slabs are absolute steals right now.

As I understand it, CSG's final grade will always be equal to the two lowest subgrades, if identical. That being said, shouldn't this card have been a 9, not a 9.5?

Get out of here with all that common sense, reason, and facts. Did you miss the memo that this forum is just for complaining and trashing CSG?

This is the only part of my CSG experience that has frustrated me. I know TATs and prices will need to change given the junk flippers and newbies are sending them. But when you bill me, my cards better be a week or two away from my door, not a month. That being said, they are tough but fair graders with reasonable pricing and the best slab in the industry so I will be a repeat customer.

This. I don't understand why people on this forum constantly compare CSG to PSA. By now, everyone in the hobby should realize and understand CSG is much tougher and has much higher grading standards compared to PSA. PSA's lax grading standards is one of the main reasons they're so popular and yet people continue to overpay for PSA cards. PSA is for the casuals and flippers.

If this were true (and it isn't), you would have received a lower Corner score than an 8.

They just did breaks and giveaways. No grading.

Agreed. I think SGC understood this and that's why they did what they did at The National.

This...the Blackstone acquisition ensures that CSG isn't going anywhere and they are probably the only grading company with the resources now to go toe to toe with PSA. The future is bright for CSG despite the constant complaining and whining on this forum over their first four months in business.

I follow CSG cards pretty closely on eBay (I think they're significantly undervalued right now) and cards with subgrades nearly always sell for more money than cards without. The same is true for BGS cards. It sucks because collectors don't seem to care that PSA and SGC cards don't have subgrades, yet if it's a BGS or CSG card, it almost needs to have them. Seems like a double standard.

This. I can’t believe the junk people are submitting for grading. Call me a gatekeeper all you want, but search for CSG on eBay and check out the absolute garbage people are sending them to grade. The same people are then the first to complain when TATs and grading costs blow up. Go find a different hobby to destroy.

By far the easiest slab to crack. And the 9.5 (Mint+) on their grading scale is totally a cover for Gem Mint population control.

They have an attribute for Image Variation. I've got two cards in Grading status right now that are SP variants and they have Image Variation listed as a card attribute. I think you need to specify it on your submission form. It would be pretty difficult for them to know or memorize the various image variation cards across all sports, all years, and all products.

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I guess you could say 3lewsers "Excels" with spreadsheets...

Definitely. People need to chill out. We're in unprecedented times in the hobby and CSG has been in the game for less than six months. Everyone needs to take a breath, relax, and be patient.

Shhh...this forum is only for bashing and criticizing CSG. Get out of here with your good news and positive comments.

CCG Aquired By Blackstone Wow...didn't see this coming. That's huge! Congrats CSG!

This can't be stated enough for new collectors to hear. It doesn't matter if you just pulled a 2021 card out of a fresh pack, that doesn't mean the condition is Gem Mint, especially to meet CSG Gem Mint standards. Even today, Panini and Topps leave much to be desired in their printing and quality control. The average pack pulled card today is likely an 8.5-9. I actually think CSG sending so many older cards back ungraded with a label of Altered/Trimmed isn't exposing fake or fraud, it's exposing inconsistent and poor manufacturing from decades ago. CSG and their tough standard is going to be the company that makes 9s cool again and I'm totally here for it.

That was a great interview, but he pulled a lot of punches to avoid criticizing or insulting flippers. He also said another big problem is people not realistically reviewing the condition of the cards they submit. Everyone thinks every card they pull out of a pack is a Gem Mint. If only it were that simple...

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. It sounds like you should just stick with PSA's half-assed and lax grading.

I don't see them changing this soon given they've already graded two months worth of cards. Hopefully, they take this feedback to heart and in a couple years, make some label changes like PSA and SGC did.

Million dollar question, just don't hold your breath.

It does because collectors aren’t always very smart. Collectors demand subgrades from the companies that offer them (BGS and CSG), but for some stupid reason, will pay more for a card that doesn’t have them (PSA). I’ve always said there’s more money than brains in this hobby.