How to grade sports cards: CGC, SGC and TAG compared

Grading a sports card starts with three checks. First, does the grader take that kind of card? TAG grades only licensed cards made from 1989 on and turns away relic and jersey cards, while CGC takes older and thicker cards within its size limits. Second, how will the autograph be handled? CGC can authenticate an in-person signature through JSA, TAG grades only autographs certified by the card’s maker, and it is not clear how SGC handles them. Third, which price level fits the card’s declared value?

Which sports cards does each grader take?

SGC takes any trading card, including cards made before 1989. Custom cuts to the insert may cost extra on thick patch cards, oversized prices apply above 3-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches, and crossovers are priced on its main grid. TAG does not accept die-cut or metal cards, and it encapsulates acetate cards and printing plates without a grade (TAG V).

A few rows need more detail:

• Thickness. CGC’s thick holder comes in five thicknesses up to 7.25mm. It warns that a thick card with irregular dimensions may not fit, in which case it goes back raw and the fee is refunded. TAG accepts cardstock up to 50pt and advises against anything thicker than standard Chrome, Optic or Prizm stock.
• TAG’s other exclusions. It encapsulates Action Packed’s embossed, round-cornered 1990s cards without a grade. Since July 2025 it has not accepted 2024 Donruss Downtown inserts, refunding the fees on those already in its queue, and it returns 2025 Downtown cards ungraded for now, because of a fogging pattern that develops on the surface.
• CGC’s named refusals. CGC lists sports cards it will not grade, including unlicensed issues and some specific cards, plus unofficially stamped cards and cards cut larger than their catalog size. Any card it finds altered, cleaned or restored gets no numeric grade.
• SGC’s rules. Customers may submit any trading card, but SGC can decline any item. Its definition of an altered card covers trimming, recoloring, bleaching, power erasing, cleaning, waxing and rebacking.

Our guides to patch cards and RPAs and memorabilia cards explain what these cards are.

How does each grader handle autographs?

Start by sorting the autograph card into one of two kinds: signed for the card’s maker and certified in the pack, or signed later, often in person.

Pack-certified autographs. CGC grades most of these under its regular services and puts them on its standard black label. Autograph grades for sports cards with manufacturer-certified autographs appear on the back of the label, and you can name a minimum autograph grade on one only if you add JSA authentication. CGC also lists pack-certified autographs that must go through JSA, such as McDonald’s autographs from every year and Upper Deck buyback autographs without their original certificate; if you leave JSA off, CGC adds and charges for it. TAG accepts pack-certified autographs, buyback autographs included, but an Upper Deck buyback issued with a certificate card must come with that card.

Signatures collected later. CGC sends these to JSA. An unwitnessed signature that JSA finds genuine gets the CGC x JSA Authentic Autograph label. A signing watched by a CGC or JSA representative gets the Signature Series label instead. TAG does not grade in-person autographs at all, even with a certificate from PSA/DNA, JSA or Beckett.

At CGC, autographs are graded from 5 to 10 with no half grades. A signature below 5 is labeled Authentic. Cards with more than two autographs get no autograph grade, and with two the grade covers both. If JSA finds a signature not genuine or altered, the card is not encapsulated, the JSA fee stands and CGC refunds its grading fee. If the signature cannot be verified, both fees are refunded except a $9 processing charge.

Our guides to sticker and on-card autographs and checking an autograph card cover what collectors look for.

What does a sports card cost to grade?

CGC and SGC price by declared value. TAG charges a set price for each paid service level, and the level decides how much of the card’s value its built-in cover reaches. The table prices one card in each case, before shipping.

For an in-person autograph declared at $800, CGC charges Economy $20 plus JSA $20, so $40, and TAG does not accept it.

The $40 is Rip.fan’s arithmetic: CGC charges JSA fees on top of grading, and its JSA levels follow the grading tiers, from $15 at Bulk to $70 at Standard and $150 at Express, each adding about 10 working days. CGC’s estimates for the grading itself run about 150 working days at Bulk, 90 at Economy, 10 at Standard and 5 at Express, and its paid memberships take 10% or 20% off grading and JSA services. SGC’s figures are as of October 12, 2026: its $50 Standard level, at 40 or more business days, covers cards up to $1,500, and above $3,500 it offers only its faster levels. TAG’s levels, as of September 30, 2026: STANDARD at about 45 business days, PRIORITY at $79.95 and 30 days, EXPRESS at $149.95 and 10 days, and PREMIER at 3 to 5 days. There is also a BASE level, at about 60 business days with cover up to $500 a card. A lower TAG level can be paired with extra cover, sold at $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000.

Our grading cost calculator picks the cheapest and fastest CGC and SGC level for any value and card count, and our guide to whether a card is worth grading works through the decision.

How do the scales treat centering on a sports card?

CGC sets centering figures for sports and non-sports cards, and SGC sets one for most grades. The figures below are the widest front split each allows.

SGC’s ratio at 8.5 is 65/35.

Two sports details stand out. CGC allows very slight wax staining on the back of a card at 7.5 and 7. SGC counts print lines and refractor lines among the flaws it weighs, which matters for chrome and refractor cards. TAG’s Pristine 10 needs front centering generally no wider than 51/49 on any single measurement, and back centering no wider than 54.5/45.5 on sports and other non-TCG cards. Enter a card’s borders in the centering checker to see the highest CGC and SGC grades its centering meets.

What does each label show?

• CGC prints a description of the card, the grade, and a unique cert number and barcode, with microprinting, UV ink and holographic foil against copying. A QR code on the back of the label opens the card’s images. A hand-cut card, such as a strip card, carries a Hand Cut attribute. The standard holder measures about 3.15 by 5.30 inches. Our guide to reading a CGC label decodes the rest.
• SGC grades on its own scale, which includes 10 PRI and 10 GM, and its site has a cert verification page. Its holder has a black insert, and SGC warns that holders are not waterproof or UV-resistant. See our guide to reading an SGC label.
• TAG puts a QR code on every slab that opens its DIG report. From STANDARD up, the report includes a TAG Score out of 1,000, and PREMIER adds the fuller DIG+ report with eight subgrades: front and back centering, corners, edges and surface. The standard slab measures 5.25 by 3.125 inches. Our guide to TAG grading covers the report.

How should you get a sports card ready?

1. Check the table first. A card TAG cannot take, or one CGC lists as refused, costs postage and time for nothing.
2. Send TAG raw cards only. It takes cards in a penny sleeve and semi-rigid holder, cracks no other company’s slabs, and delays orders that include them.
3. Choose the autograph service up front. At CGC, pick JSA for any signature not certified in the pack, and for the pack-certified cards it lists.
4. Expect a grade, not a floor. TAG offers no minimum grade service. CGC lets you name a minimum card grade only with CGC x JSA or Signature Series for now.
5. Declare the real value. CGC moves a card to a higher tier and charges the difference if it values the card above your figure, and SGC can raise fees on the same grounds.

Our guides to packing cards for grading, submitting to CGC, submitting to SGC and crossover grading walk through each order. Once a card comes back, selling sports cards covers where slabs sell, and the sports cards hub lists every sports guide.

Frequently asked questions

Which sports does CGC grade?

Nearly all of them: CGC grades cards from baseball, basketball, football and hockey to soccer, boxing, tennis, racing, golf, cricket, rugby, wrestling and MMA.

Does CGC grade Michael Jordan's 1984 Olympic cards?

No. CGC lists two 1984 US Olympic basketball team cards of Michael Jordan among the sports cards it will not grade.

Can CGC authenticate a signed index card?

Yes. CGC's JSA service takes signed index cards and cut autographs up to 148mm by 98mm.