CGC Trading Cards and CSG to Merge With Updated Label and Scale

The Certified Collectibles Group announced on Tuesday plans to merge CGC Trading Cards and Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG) later this summer.

According to a press release, the companies will officially combine in July to form CGC Cards. Based on grading population data from GemRate, the merger would make CGC Cards the second largest grading service behind only PSA.

The merger between CGC Trading Cards and CSG will also bring a new label and grading scale. The new label will feature a more simple design and will no longer include sub-grades. According to CGC, less than 5% of submissions requested sub-grades.

CGC Cards’ new grading scale will also shift to the industry standard 10-point grading scale where a 10 represents a Gem Mint grade. According to CGC Cards’ research, 79% of collectors surveyed equated the Gem Mint grade with a 10 score.

Cards that were previously graded Gem Mint 9.5 will be considered Gem Mint 10 and the population reports will be updated to reflect the changes. CGC also announced it would be introducing the Pristine 10 grade with a gold label while sunsetting the Perfect 10.

“The card market needs strong competition because competition makes us better, and that’s good for collectors and dealers,” CCG CEO Steven R. Eichenbaum said in a statement. “CGC Cards will win by providing best-in-class grading services with fast turnaround times, affordable prices and strong prices realized.”

CGC Cards expects to start accepting submissions in mid-July while its first major show will be at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. Cards previously graded by CGC Trading Cards and CSG with a value of less than $10,000 can be reholdered at a discounted fee of $5 until September 30. Cards previously graded a Gem Mint 9.5 will be updated to the new Gem Mint 10.

Established in 2000, the CGC brand has certified more than 10 million collectibles while CSG was formed in 2020. In total, the CCG companies have graded more than 75 million items since 1987.

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