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BGS grading services, prices, turnaround times and locations

BGS card grading services

First of all, what does BGS grading stand for? According to their website Beckett is one of the most trusted source of collectors for more than 30 years.

And what kind of card grading services are provided? Beckett is offering four main grading service tiers. Two for modern cards, one for vintage cards and one for review:

  • BGS Grading Service – The most popular grading service at Beckett for modern cards (1981 to present). Consequently, including the half-point grading scale and sub-grades.
  • BGS Single Grade Service – Newly introduced service for modern cards (1981 to present). Also including the Beckett half-point grading scale but without sub-grades. Nevertheless, same turnaround times apply as for the regular grading service.
  • BVG Vintage Grading Service – Grading service for vintage sport cards (prior 1981). The service includes the half-point grading scale and sub-grades. However, only possible for vintage Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey cards.
  • BGS Raw Card Review – Detailed raw card review to find out the card grade before the submission to BGS.

What cards does BGS grade?

In general, Beckett Grading Services accepts and grades most licensed cards up to 8.5 inches by 11 inches. In other words, BGS grades all licensed Sports, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, MTG and other cards in any language.

BGS grading scale

When it comes to card grading, each grading company relies on their own grading scale and wording. Beckett makes use of a 1 to 10-point grading scale including half point increments and colored labels. For instance, a is called “Pristine” at Beckett whereas it is a “Gem Mint” at PSA. So let’s dive into Beckett grading scale basics.

Beckett half-point grading scale:

  • 10: Pristine
  • 9.5: Gem Mint
  • 9: Mint
  • 8.5: Near Mint-Mint+
  • 8: Near Mint-Mint
  • 7.5: Near Mint+
  • 7: Near Mint
  • 6.5: Excellent-Mint+
  • 6: Excellent-Mint
  • 5.5: Excellent+
  • 5: Excellent
  • 4.5: Very Good-Excellent+
  • 4: Very Good-Excellent
  • 3.5: Very Good+
  • 3: Very Good
  • 2.5: Good-Very Good
  • 2: Good
  • 1.5: Fair
  • 1: Poor

BGS grading labels

Beckett is one of the big grading players that is using colored labels to highlight the overall grade. In contrast, PSA and CGC are only using one label type. But what does each label color mean?

  • Black Label: only for “perfect” Pristine 10 graded cards
  • Gold Label: for Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 9.5 graded cards
  • Silver Label: for Mint 9 and Near Mint-Mint+ 8.5 graded cards
  • White Label: for or all other graded cards

Furthermore, a BGS graded card comes with a report card on the back of the holder to display its strengths and weaknesses for centering, corners, edges and the surface.

How much does it cost to get a card BGS graded?

When it comes to grading cost, Beckett’s service is currently offering the cheapest services for Economy and Regular without sub-grades compared to PSA, CGC and SGC. For example, prices for services without sub-grades vary between $20 and $125 per card.

Compared to CGC, Beckett is still the most expensive service if you want sub-grades. Even after CGC’s recent price increase for trading cards. Overall grading prices vary between $35 and $250 per card.

But how much does Beckett charge for grading in detail? In short, Beckett is offering four grading tiers with or without sub-grades. So each tier comes with its own fee and no maximum declared value per item:

Beckett Grading Service LevelCurrent fee per card
Premium$250
Premium | No Sub Grades$125
Express$150
Express | No Sub Grades$100
Standard$50
Standard | No Sub Grades$30
Economy$35
Economy | No Sub Grades$20
Overview of Beckett grading fees (source: BGS)

Also interesting to know, Beckett did not increase grading fees as other major grading companies recently. In contrast, PSA, CGC and SGC announced and introduced higher service fees for all tiers.

BGS card grading turnaround times

So how long does Beckett grading take? At the momment, Beckett grading turnaround time lies between 10-15 days and 10+ month depending on the service level tier. On the official Beckett website following information is provided about the turnaround times for each tier:

Beckett Grading Service LevelCurrent turnaround time (approximate)
Premium10-15 Business Days
Express20 – 30 Business Days
Standard8+ Months
Economy11+ months
Overview of Beckett turnaround times (source: BGS)

Where is BGS card grading located?

Address:

Beckett Grading Services

4635 McEwen Rd

Dallas, TX 75244

How do you submit cards to BGS?

Submitting cards to BGS is done in six steps:

Firstly, you obtain an online submission or one from the magazines. Secondly, fill out the submission form. Thirdly, you check if you have the current grading, shipping and insurance cost. Fourthly, you package each of your cards in a penny sleeve and a semi-rigid holder. Fifthly, choose payment form. Lastly, ship your cards to BGS.

Find more information about the submission at: https://www.beckett.com/grading/bgs_submission_form

Is it possible to drop-off / pickup cards at BGS?

Unfortunately not. Since July 27 2020, Beckett offices are currently closed for drop-offs and pickups.

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