CGC plans to raise their grading prices in 2026
Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) has announced that as of January 6, 2026, consumers will see a price increase for their grading services across the board. The increases include cards, comics, video games as well as home videos.
Although the changes take effect January 6, the information provided by CGC says that those who have entered a submission online prior to that date will still get the lower rate, but they will need to have their cards to CGC by January 20.
RELATED: PSA clarifies turnaround times as grading stays busy
It appears the increases in prices are different for each service level. For instance, the bulk grading service (which requires a 25-card minimum submission) was $14 and after January 6 will be $15. But when you look at the higher tiers, like the Standard Tier service, that price will go up from $45 to $55.
It's an interesting yet hardly surprising move by what has become the second most used grading company behind PSA. Just the day before the announcement, on their social media accounts they were touting their speed and accuracy.
Collectors deserve speed and precision.
— CGC Cards (@CGCCards) December 8, 2025
CGC delivers by decreasing turnaround times!
✅ Fastest in the hobby
✅ Fastest submission process
✅ Accuracy you can trust
Because grading shouldn’t take forever. pic.twitter.com/a2J4z5eU0g
Regardless of price, public relations, and turnaround times, it's clear that ever since the announcement that SGC would become a boutique grader, that CGC has stepped into the slot of the second most popular grading company.
Weekly Grading Recap: 12/1/25-12/7/25
— GemRate (@gemrate) December 9, 2025
Total items graded:
PSA -> 431.9k (+50%)
CGC -> 125.8k (+96%)
Beckett -> 18.1k (-44%)
SGC -> 8.6k (+56%)
TAG -> 8.2k (-66%)
Sports & misc items graded:
PSA -> 149.1k (+53%)
SGC -> 7.9k (+1%)
CGC -> 7.6k (-9%)
Beckett -> 5.0k (-78%)
TAG ->… pic.twitter.com/ySdZN1D4gv
As you can see from Gem Rate's weekly Grading Recap, that although SGC barely beat out CGC in the sports category, CGC is clearly leading overall totals. The overall totals include TCG and Sports grading. While the price increase in some cases are minimal, it's a clear sign of increased submissions and maybe a good sign for the overall market.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz