SGC entry price jumps $18 to $50 as PSA, Beckett reshuffle tiers
SGC's entry tier reportedly rose from $18 to $50, PSA added a $59.99 Standard tier and raised Express to $199, and Beckett closed Base and Standard again on Sept 25, 2026.
Grading got more expensive and more complicated in September 2026, according to reported figures. SGC raised its entry price from $18 to $50, PSA launched a $59.99 Standard tier, and Beckett left only its Express tier open. The figures come from PregradeCards' tracking of the companies' pricing pages.
What changed at SGC and PSA
On Sept 2, 2026, SGC moved its entry price from $18 to $50 for a Standard tier with a turnaround of 40+ days. SGC Expedited costs $150 with a 2–3 day turnaround, and SGC does not offer sub-grades.
PSA launched a Standard tier at $59.99 with a 90–100 business day turnaround, dated Sept 9/14, 2026.
PSA also renamed its Regular tier to Priority, at $79.99 and 70–80 days. Walk-Through became Premier, at $599 and 7–10 days. The rename is dated Sept 14.
PSA raised Express to $199, about $50 higher than before. PSA Super Express is listed at $349.
PSA's paused Value tiers and backlog
PSA's Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max tiers remain paused. PSA is said to plan reopening them only once the backlog falls below 5 million cards.
PSA's public backlog tracker showed about 9 million cards on Sept 22, 2026, down from a peak of about 12.4 million. At a burn rate of about 450K cards per week, the tracker projects the Value tiers returning no earlier than Q1 2027.
Beckett, TAG, CGC and HGA
Beckett briefly reopened Base ($17.95) and Standard ($34.95) on Sept 15, then closed both on Sept 25, 2026. Only Express is open, at $79.95 with a 15-day turnaround, and Beckett's site and app remain on a temporary submission form.
TAG Grading lists Priority at $149 and Walkthrough at $299 (5–7 days). Its Regular tiers are paused and Standard is de-listed.
CGC lists Bulk at $17 (25-card minimum, 150 working days), Economy at $20 (90 working days), Standard at $55 (10 working days), and WalkThrough at $300, with all tiers open. HGA lists Standard at $25, Express at $40, and Priority at $75, all open.
Market context
PSA handled 2.20M cards in August 2026 (about 65% share), ahead of CGC with 937K (about 28%), Beckett with 159K (about 5%), TAG with 58K (about 2%), and SGC with 42K (about 1%), per GemRate. The industry total hit a record 3.61M cards in July 2026 and was 3.40M in August 2026.
PSA offers direct EU submissions via Frankfurt from Sept 15, and opened a new plant in Plano, TX in late July 2026.
Beckett's situation has since moved on: TCGKing reported that Beckett's phase 1 restoration reportedly went live October 15, 2026, with US and EU submissions, while the Price Guide and Marketplace have no date.
What it means for collectors
- CGC's $17 Bulk and $20 Economy tiers are listed as open.
- PSA's Value tiers are not expected back before Q1 2027 on the tracker's projection, and no date is announced.
- European submitters can use PSA's Frankfurt route from Sept 15.
- Beckett's Base and Standard were closed as of Sept 25, 2026, and no reopening date is announced.
What is still unknown
No official date exists for PSA's Value tiers returning, and no date was given for Beckett's Base and Standard. The figures come from PregradeCards' tracking of the companies' pricing pages and may have changed since; check each grader's site before submitting.
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