Guides · Sports cards
Sports cards
Sports cards at auction: what to check, key sets and grades, red flags, and free Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC) and Beckett certificate and sold-price lookups.
What to check
- Year, set, card number and player (all printed on the card back).
- Graded cards: company, grade and certificate number; verify the certificate online.
- Raw cards: corners, edges, surface and centering; creases sink value.
- Qualifiers on a grade (such as staining (ST) or off-center (OC)).
Key marks and dates
- PSA, Beckett Grading Services (BGS), SGC and CGC are the main graders; each has a free certificate lookup.
- A certificate lookup should show the same player, year, set and grade as the slab.
- Population counts show how many copies exist at each grade.
- Reprints are often marked "reprint" or have a later copyright date on the back.
⚑ Red flags
- Slab labels that don't match the certificate lookup.
- Cracked, re-sealed or tampered slabs.
- Vintage stars sold raw with only one photo, or with the back hidden.
- Trimmed edges (cards that look slightly small or too sharp).
Common fakes: sports cards →Sourced screening tips.
Free lookups
PSA certificate verification ↗Check a PSA certificate number.PSA price guide ↗Values by card and grade.PSA population counts ↗How many copies PSA has graded.CGC cards certificate lookup ↗Check a CGC card certificate.SGC certificate lookup ↗Check an SGC certificate.Beckett Grading Services (BGS) card lookup ↗Check a Beckett-graded card.130point ↗Search sold card prices, including best offers.Trading Card Database ↗Identify sets and card numbers.eBay sold listings ↗Search completed sales, not asking prices.
These guides are general information, not appraisals. Links go to independent sites we don't control and aren't affiliated with.
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