Collectors Asked, CSG Answered: What to Know about the New CSG Label and Grading Scale Updates

Certified Sports Guaranty® (CSG®) recently revealed a new label and revised grading scale, and the overall response has been extremely positive. The awesome feedback on social media and the CSG Chat Boards is great to see. The CSG team has also seen your questions related to the new label and grading scale updates. Here, you’ll find some answers from the CSG experts.

Question: How is a CSG Gem Mint 9.5 and a CSG Pristine 10 now equal to a CSG Gem Mint 10 with the new label?

Answer: CSG understood that by realigning its grading scale and removing subgrades — based on numerous focus groups and in-depth market research — that adjustments to CSG grading terminology would be required. CSG moved the grade “Gem Mint” to 10 and retained the CSG Perfect 10 grade. In our original grading scale, “Gem Mint” and “Pristine” were only one sub-grade apart. Without sub-grades, the additional “Pristine” grade is not needed.

Cards already encapsulated with the original green label can be resubmitted for the new CSG label for a reduced ReHolder fee of just $5 per card until June 30, 2022. If the original green label had sub-grades, they will be removed when the card is reholdered to the new CSG label (unless the card is a Perfect 10).

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Question: If I have a grading credit, can I use my credit to pay for the discounted ReHolder service?

Answer: Yes. However, the shipping fee cannot be covered by credit.

Question: Why get rid of the green label? I really liked it. I have some cards that would look great with the green label.

Answer: While the green label was our first label and had its fans, the new CSG label is designed to complement the majority of sports cards on the market. CSG reached out to many sports card collectors and dealers to get their feedback on what would be the ideal sports card label.

Question: Is the Autograph grade still on the back of the label?

Answer: Yes, the Autograph grade is still printed on the back of the label, along with a QR code that enables you to quickly look up a card and its images on the CSG website.

Question: How do you determine the grade without putting sub-grades on the label?

Answer: The grading process has not changed. With or without sub-grades printed on the label, each card is still subject to our rigorous grading standards. The sub-grades are simply not printed on the label for a cleaner presentation, which also helps to streamline the certification process and ultimately improve turnaround times.