SGC says it’s tackled the backlog of submissions it was facing as collectors and dealers flooded the company with submissions last year. The company says it’s now operating under normal turnaround times.
“In the blink of an eye, our 12 man team was absolutely overrun. Over just a seven-day period, our intake had increased 20x what it previously had been,” wrote company President Peter Steinberg in a notice to customers. “We were not only understaffed by about 70 or so employees, we also lacked the necessary policies, procedures, and infrastructure critical to effectively accommodate the new explosion of demand.”
Steinberg says SGC invested those extra profits into additional resources and has gone from a daily output of 200-250 cards to over 3,000. They’ve added 5,200 square-feet of work space for a total of nearly 20,000 and they’re hoping to push out 6,000 graded and authenticated cards per day by the end of the year.
That’s the good news for collectors, but it does come with a price. Just as PSA and Beckett have done in recent days, SGC has raised the prices of its services. The base rate for SGC to authenticate and grade a card has gone from $15 to $25 for cards valued at under $500.
“With more people made aware of our current turnaround time, our submissions have substantially increased,” Steinberg stated. “We will not take in more cards than we can handle.”
The first card graded by CSG, which opened for sports card submissions last month, is now on the auction block.
The 2003-04 LeBron James Topps Chrome rookie has been listed on eBay with bidding set to run through Thursday.
An original 1927 Charles Conlon portrait photo of Babe Ruth sold for $14,842 at RMY Auctions early Sunday.
The 5 ½” x 7 ½” Type I image was the top seller in the company’s 1,200+ lot sale. You can check out the full results here.
All-Sports Auctions will kick off Auction #32 on Monday, with a mix of cards and memorabilia across all eras.
Owner Andy Sandler has compiled a roster of hundreds of lots including complete sets dating back to the 1960s, some pre-War rarities and type cards, vintage Hall of Famers, high-grade basketball rookie cards and uncut sheets will be among the highlights.
Also included in the auction are game worn jerseys/jackets/caps from the likes of Joe Morgan, Don Sutton, Blue Moon Odom, Milt Plum, and others, PCL gamer bats, 1950’s basketball art, advertising and signs, vintage sports original superstar photos from the 1920’s-60’s.
The eclectic mix also includes pro and college sports programs, autographs, tickets, pennants, Spalding Guides, and media guides of defunct leagues and teams in the PCL, ABA, AAFC, NBL, BAA, etc., and some early hobby publications.
Bidding runs through March 18 at AllSportsAuctions.com.
The jerseys worn by LeBron James and Kevin Durant during Opening Night of the 2020-21 NBA season have sold through NBA Auctions. James’ gold Lakers shirt netted $93,608 while Durant’s jersey from his first game with the Brooklyn Nets ended at $45,180.
James’ Opening Night warmup jacket is among the dozens of new items now up for bids.
Canada’s Financial Post took a fairly deep dive into the booming market for sports cards.
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Notes: SGC Update; Doncic Jersey Nets $60K; Youngster’s Awesome Homemade Cards
SGC Grading Moves to Two Levels of Service
Numbers Game: Modern Cards Keep Crushing It
Suddenly Slammed, SGC Triples Base Submission Rate
Notes: SGC Lowers Costs; Koufax Selling Direct; ATL Show; Big Brady Pull; Panini on Retail Situation; Cubs Love Cards
Notes: Cards>Poker; CTV on Market; Bloomberg on Goldin; Giannis’ Happy Giftees; Last LeBron 23 Jersey
