CGC submissions at San Diego Card Expo via FGS, October 31–November 1

At the San Diego Card Expo, grading submissions for CGC will be taken by FGS Autographs, the company's facilitator. The show runs October 31 and November 1, 2026, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego in California.

What happens at the show

FGS Autographs is a CGC Facilitator and will accept all CGC submissions at its booth at the event. Paperwork for submissions, witnessing for CGC Signature Series books, convention drop-offs, and a direct line to CGC all fall under its duties.

Sarasota, Florida, is where CGC's headquarters sits, and every submission will be shipped there to be authenticated, graded, and encapsulated. According to CGC, collectors who bring items to the show instead of mailing them can enjoy quick turnaround times and avoid paying shipping fees in one direction.

JSA authentication on site

JSA staff will be present too. They will take in autographed memorabilia submissions and authenticate items on site.

There are two tiers, with different timing. The same day at the show, a JSA Basic Certification (COA) is both processed and finalized. For the JSA Letter of Authenticity (LOA), items are looked at on the day, while the final documented results arrive afterward by mail.

JSA submission pricing is listed at SpenceLOA.com/fees. No prices are given in the announcement.

About the show

Tenth Inning presents the San Diego Card Expo, a brand-new event billed as an inaugural show. Its purpose is to serve collectors in the southern California area.

Over two days, the first edition offers more than 300 vendor tables, where attendees can buy, sell, and trade cards and other pop culture collectibles.

Part of a run of CGC event submissions

The San Diego date fits a pattern of CGC convention coverage in North America. TCGKing has reported that CGC submissions at Collect-A-Con Dallas on October 24–25 also go through FGS Autographs, with JSA offering same-day Basic Certification (COA) on site. The East Bay Card Show on October 24–25 follows the same FGS and JSA setup. Other CGC events on the calendar use different partners, such as GalaxyCon St. Louis on October 23–25, where Agents of Slabs handles grading submissions.

What is still unknown

The announcement does not state specific CGC service levels, fees, or turnaround times for show submissions. The FGS booth number and the show's opening hours have not been announced, and neither have admission prices or a guest list.

Questions can go to Service@CGCgrading.com, or by call, text, or WhatsApp to (+1) 855-GRADE10 (855-472-3310).

What it means for players and collectors

• Note the dates: October 31 and November 1, 2026, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.
• Rather than shipping, card and comic collectors can drop off CGC submissions with FGS Autographs at its booth, which CGC says spares them the cost of shipping one way.
• Autograph holders who want a same-day result should look at the JSA Basic Certification (COA). The LOA route returns its final documented results by mail.
• Check SpenceLOA.com/fees for JSA pricing before the show, since the announcement itself lists no prices.

Starting in 2000, CGC set about transforming how comic books are graded. Today its certification covers trading card games, sports cards, magazines, video games, and home media, and it also runs CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services. The company belongs to the Certified Collectibles Group, and the group's companies have certified over 110 million collectibles since 1987.