Collectors, PSA acquire card-grading rival SGC
Collectors, the parent company of leading card-grading company PSA, has purchased one of its biggest rivals, acquiring grading company SGC.
SGC, an authentication and grading company based in Boca Raton, Fla. announced the acquisition Thursday morning.
“SGC has been a mainstay in the hobby for over two decades, and in recent years our team has made a very aggressive push to expand the SGC footprint and offer collectors the best grading experience possible,” SGC President Peter Steinberg said in a video posted to social media. “This will make SGC, our supporters and the hobby as a whole even stronger moving forward.”
SGC graders grade cards at The National.
Greg Bates
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SGC, which has been grading and authenticating trading cards for more than 25 years, will continue to operate independently within the Collectors portfolio and be led by its current management team. Steinberg will continue to run the day-to-day business operations and guide the long-term vision for SGC, including adding to and enhancing SGC’s services.
“SGC will remain an independent grading brand and no changes are contemplated,” Steinberg said. “Joining forces with the Collectors team will allow SGC to double down on our strengths while greatly enhancing our capabilities to innovate and modernize our offerings moving forward. Our customer service, turnaround time, grading standards, and deep commitment to the community we serve will not be changing. Rather, we will be building upon these pillars even further.
“With the resources and expertise of collectors behind us, the sky is truly the limit as to what SGC can achieve.”
PSA is the hobby's largest card-grading company, with 78 percent of the market, according to Gem Rate. It is followed by CCG, SGC and Beckett.
Collectors wait to submit cards to be graded at the PSA booth at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago.
Jeff Owens
Collectors has acquired multiple hobby companies during its recent expansion, including auction house Goldin Co., WATA Games, Card Ladder, PCGS coin grading and the Long Beach Expo collectibles trade show.
Collectors CEO Nat Turner said SGC will only add to Collectors wide range of collecting services.
“Our portfolio focuses on service providers that bring expertise, quality and value to hobbyists, and SGC has built a strong reputation on these three fronts,” Turner said in a company release. “We recognize that every collector has their own preferred authentication and grading provider, and we look forward to providing expertise that will continue to enhance SGC’s customer offering.”
“This is all about our customers, and we are excited to take this major step forward as we continue to improve SGC’s products and services that collectors have come to love,” Steinberg added. “We can’t imagine a more like-minded partner than Collectors to help innovate SGC’s overall offering as a trusted brand and authority in the collectibles industry.”
