The sports and trading card hobby just hit a seismic moment.

This week, PSA’s parent company — Collectors — announced it has acquired one of the hobby’s legacy grading services, Beckett Grading Services (BGS). That follows last year’s acquisition of Sportscard Guaranty (SGC). Along with PSA itself — already the dominant grader by volume — that means one corporate umbrella now controls three of the top grading services in the hobby.

Industry trackers estimate that PSA, SGC, and now BGS combine for roughly 79% of card grading share — with only CGC standing outside the Collectors family at major scale.

For many collectors, this feels less like “choice” and more like a grading monopoly in the making.

Why This Matters to You

Card grading isn’t just a service — it’s one of the biggest influences on card value. A PSA 10 can sell for many times what the same card graded elsewhere would fetch. That pricing power isn’t just perception — it’s been reflected across the market for years.

Now imagine one company having — or controlling — the grading world’s narrative:

• Deciding service fees (they’ve already been rising).

• Setting turnaround times.

• Driving which slabs are “most desirable”.

• Potentially sidelining competition under the guise of “brand independence”.

Even if Beckett and SGC keep their names and separate grading processes, their future as true competitors is suddenly uncertain — especially if pricing or service “choices” steer collectors back toward PSA slabs anyway.

A Wake-Up Call to the Community

Critics of PSA have long griped about:

• slow turnaround times

• nickel-and-dime fees

• artificial scarcity on service tiers

Now, with the grading landscape consolidating, those complaints carry more weight. But even PSA loyalists should ask: Is this good for the hobby long term? Do we want one organization calling the shots on the cards we all trade, value, and collect?

How We Can Push Back

If you’re uneasy about one company controlling the grading market, here are a few ways the hobby can fight back:

1. Support Alternative Graders: Sending more cards to companies like CGC, TAG, HGA, RCG, or others helps keep competition alive — and gives collectors choice.

2. Demand Transparency: Encouraging independent audit of grading practices and pricing can help ensure fairness across all graders.

3. Hobby-wide Standards: Collectors, dealers, and platforms could work toward agreed-upon grading benchmarks so slabs from different providers are more comparable.

4. Speak Up: Share your experiences with grading services. Community feedback matters — and the bigger voices get, the more these companies listen.

Your Thoughts?

Is this consolidation inevitable? Is it a monopoly, or just natural industry evolution?

Drop a comment — especially if you disagree — because this debate needs to be had by the whole hobby.