The sports card industry is hot as any collectibles industry in the World including within European Countries. As the boom in sports card prices continue to push record historic sales prices including some of the most expensive baseball cards and most expensive football cards we have ever seen. The more sports card collectors continue to turn to sports card grading to help increase the value of their collections while also helping sports card investors make insane profits. While sports card grading is huge within the United States, a few key European Sports Card Grading Companies stand out for sports collectors in Europe.

Now before we start to look at some of the Top European Sports Card Grading Companies that are out there, collectors in Europe can still submit to the Top Sports Card Grading Companies. These third-party sports card grading companies include Beckett Grading Services (BGS), Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Sportscard Guarantee (SGC), and Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG). Nonetheless multiple grading service options are available in Europe to give sports card collectors additional options when looking to grade their sports cards.

These European Sports Card Grading companies include European Grading (EG), AP Grading, Gold Standard Grading (GSG), and Diamond Grading Services. Here is a look at the Top European Sports Card Grading companies.

Top European Sports Card Grading Companies

When it comes to sports card grading taking the time to know which companies stand out is key to deliver you the customer the best results. Asking questions such as who the best sports card grading company is, or which third party grading company delivers the highest sale prices, and even which European sports card grading company is the best. Whether you are looking to submit one of the hot sports cards right now or an entire set, sports card grading is extremely popular. Have no idea what cards to submit? Read our hot sports cards right now July 2022 or hot soccer cards to collect leading into the World Cup for ideas. With no further do here is a look at a handful of sports card grading companies located in Europe.

European Sports Card Grading Companies – Top European Sports Card Grading Company

European Grading (EG)

Possible one of the largest and well-known third-party trading card grading service in Europe is European Grading (EG). EG grading has been a staple among the sports card and trading card community in Europe for over 7 years while providing reliable grading services. As the other Top European Sports Card Grading companies are located within Germany, EG is located in Spain.

Alpha Professional Grading (AP)

A second European sports card grading company is Alpha Professional Grading or AP Grading. AP Grading located in Lower Saxony, Germany and is the first German sports card grading company. Depending on your grading needs, AP Grading has you covered from sports cards to Pokemon cards while being considered one of the largest third-party sports card grading companies in Europe.

Gold Standard Grading (GSG)

A third European sports card grading company is Gold Standard Grading or GSG grading. Like AP Grading, GSG grading is located in Germany within Schwegenheim and is one of the most recognized grading companies within Europe.

Diamond Grading Services

Rounding out the list of the Top European Sports Grading Card companies is Diamond Grading Service. Diamond Grading Service is located in the Northern part of Germany and is filled with a solid team filled with avid card collectors.

European Sports Card Grading Companies: Characteristics of Sports Card Grading

Corners – Top European Sports Card Grading Characteristics

When it comes to “Corners” it is talking about the four corners on most cards as well as additional corners on Die-Cut cards. A perfectly sharp corner is required to land a perfect score or a Gem MT rating. Sports card grading services use high-definition magnification tools to examine each corner from both the front and back of the card. Any ding, imperfection or what looks to not be a perfect sharp corner will see a reduction in grading. Rounded corners and bent corners will result in either fair or poor sports card grades.

Centering – Top European Sports Card Grading Characteristics

Sports card centering means that the actual border of the card on all four sides measure the same from the edge of the border to the edge of the sports card. If the card does not have the same margin on all four sides, the card will be graded lower depending on the actual grading company. Off-Center cards or cards that land an OC qualifier will have lower grades.

Surfaces

One sports card grading characteristic that gets overlooked is the actual surface of the card. However, this is a key component that is inspected by any of the top grading companies. Issues on surfaces that can impact grades could include debris or dirt that is in the card during printing, fingerprints (chrome, metallic and refractor cards mostly), as well as any scratches or flaws that might be present.

Edges

Edges of the card are the outside border of the sports card that connects to each corner. Much like the corners, edges are examined for potential dings, chips or separation within the cardboard that is applied together.

Top European Sports Card Grading – Sports Card Grading Scales

For sports card collectors, and sports card investors looking to have sports cards graded in Europe, the same approach will be as that of Top Sports Card Grading Companies in the United States. One of those key aspects of sports card grading is the type of sports card grading scale that is used during the grading process. Here is a look at the various grading scales used by the Top European Sports Card Grading companies.

European Grading Grading Scale

European Grading (EG) Grading Scale is like most of the top third-party grading scales within the sports card grading industry using the standard 1-10 grading scale. However, while other European grading companies group various grades together, EG hands out individual marks for each numerical grade for example 1 – Poor, 1.5 – Fair, 2 – Good, etc. Here is EG Grading Scale:

1 Poor

1.5 Fair

2 Good

2.5 Good+

3 VG

3.5 VG+

4 VG-EX

4.5 VG-EX+

5 EX

5.5 EX+

6 EX-NM

6.5 EX-NM+

7 NM

7.5 NM+

8 NM-Mint

8.5 NM-Mint+

9 Mint

9.5 Gem Mint

10 Perfect

AP Grading Grading Scale

Like many of the best sports card grading companies AP Grading uses the standard 1-10 grading scale that is accustomed within the trading card grading standards. In addition to the standard card grade, AP grading delivers direct sub grades scores for centering, corners, edges, and surface on cards grading higher than seven like BGS. Here is AP Grading Grading Scale:

1 – 1.5 Poor

2- 2.5 Good

3 – 3.5 Very Good

4 – 4.5 Very Good-Excellent

5 – 5.5 Excellent

6 – 6.5 Excellent-Mint

7 – 7.5 Near Mint

8 – 8.5 Near Mint-Mint

9 – Mint

9.5 – Mint+

10 – GEM Mint

Gold Grading Standard Grading Scale

As a leader in sports card grading within Europe, GSG grading follows other leaders within the industry using the standard 1-10 grading card scale. Sitting at the top of their grading scale is the Gold Standard Certificate for any card grading perfect that also receives an additional forensic assessment. In additional for an additional fee GSG offers trading card collectors the opportunity to have cards graded with subgrades. Here is GSG grading scale:

1 – 1.5 Poor

2 – 2.5 Good

3 – 3.5 Very Good

4 – 4.5 Very Good-Excellent

5 – 5.5 Excellent

6 – 6.5 Excellent-Mint

7 – 7.5 Near Mint

8 – 8.5 Near Mint-Mint

9 – Mint

9.5 – Mint Plus

10 – Gold Standard Certificate of 10

Diamond Grading Services Grading Scale

DGS grading follows suit with many of the other top sports card grading companies using the standard 1-10 grading sports card scale. In addition, DGS offers sub grades on any card that received a grade of 5 (EX) or better. Here is Diamond Grading Services grading scale.

1 – 1.5 Poor

2 – 2.5 Good

3 – 3.5 Very Good

4 – 4.5 Very Good-Excellent

5 – 5.5 Excellent

6 – 6.5 Excellent-Mint

7 – 7.5 Near Mint

8 – 8.5 Near Mint-Mint

9 – Mint

9.5 – Mint Plus

10 – GEM-MT

10 – Perfect

Top European Sports Card Grading – Costs of Sport Card Grading

European Grading (EG) Grading Prices

As the cost of sports card grading is a driving force for many sports collectors’ decision on who to use. EG offers sports card investors and sports card collectors options for four level of grading prices based on the quantity of cards submitted. EG Grading fee starts at €19.95 (19.95 USD) per card no matter the value, type of card, or language of card. Here is EG grading prices:

€19.95 EUR Per Card ($19.95 USD)/ 1-19 cards submitted

€18.95 EUR Per Card ($18.95 USD)/ 20-49 cards submitted

€17.95 EUR Per Card ($17.95 USD)/ 50-99 cards submitted

€16.95 EUR Per Card ($16.95 USD)/ 100 plus cards submitted

AP Grading Grading Prices

When it comes to sports card grading prices, the prices will vary based on the third-party grading company of choice. For AP Grading, they use a standard one price fee for all sports cards and non-sports cards such as Pokémon cards. AP Grading fee is €20 EUR per card no matter the grade, type of card or language of the card.

€20 EUR Per Card ($20 USD)

Gold Standard Grading (GSG) Grading Prices

Whether you are a sports card collector or a sports card investor, the fees associated with sports card grading are extremely important. GSG sports card grading falls in line with other Top European Grading Card companies offering one standard price for all submissions while also offering the option have your cards graded with subgrades. GSG grading fee is €20 EUR per card and €23 EUR per card with subgrades no matter the grade, type of card or la

nguage of the card.

€20 EUR Per Card ($20 USD) – No Subgrades

€23 EUR Per Card ($23 USD) – Subgrades

Diamond Grading Services Grading Prices

Standing out from the rest of the sports card grading companies in Europe regarding prices is Diamond Grading Services. Diamond Grading services offers three grading options as well as package prices for card collectors looking to grade more than a few sports cards. Sports grading prices for Diamond Grading Services begin at €18 EUR per card. Here are Diamond Grading Services grading prices:

Standard          €18 EUR Per Card ($18 USD) – Subgrades on graded 5 EX cards and above

Blue Diamond   €28 EUR Per Card ($28 USD) – Subgrades on graded 5 EX cards and above

Red Diamond   €33 EUR Per Card ($33 USD) – Subgrades on graded 5 EX cards and above

5 Card Package             €85 EUR Per Package ($85 USD)/ €17 ($17 USD) per card

10 Card Package           €160 EUR Per Package ($160 USD)/ €16 ($16 USD) per card

25 Card Package           €385 EUR Per Package ($385 USD)/ €15.4 ($15.40 USD) per card

50 Card Package           $730 EUR Per Package ($730 USD)/ €14.6 ($14.60 USD) per card

Turnaround Times for Top European Sports Card Grading Companies

The last key component when looking at sports card grading companies is the turnaround times provided by those companies. For example, a company might deliver better prices but have longer turnaround times. However, turnaround times might not have the same impact on each sports card collector or sports card investor. A trading card collector may not mind waiting for the better grading company, whereas as someone looking to buy, grade, and flip a sports card wants to do it fast. Here is a look at the turnaround times for the Top European Sports Card Grading Companies.

European Grading (EG) – Top European Sports Card Grading Company

Turnaround times are key when it comes to deciding on which sports card grading companies are at the top of the list. This is truly important for sports card investors looking to make money with sports cards and are looking to flip a sports card fast. EG turnaround times for 49 or fewer cards falls inline with an average return day mark of 15 days (business days). Here is EG turnaround times.

15 Business Days on Average (1-49 cards)

30-45 Business Days on Average (50-99 cards)

45 Business Days on Average (100 plus cards)

AP Grading

While cost and quality of the grading are also key components another key component of the grading process is the turn around time. This turnaround time starts when the company receives the card, grades, and encapsulates the card, and returns it to the customer. AP Grading is currently operating at a fast turn around time with most cards returned to customers within 10 business days upon arrival. Here is AP turnaround times.

10 Business Days on Average

Gold Standard Grading (GSG)

When it comes to having your sports cards graded multiple aspects play a role in why you choose one grading company over another. One of those aspects is turnaround time especially for sports card investors looking to flip sports cards for a profit. For GSG grading the average turnaround time currently is approximately six weeks. Here is GSG turnaround times.

6 Weeks on Average

Diamond Grading Services

As a sports grading card company, Diamond Grading Services offers multiple turnaround time options based on the various types of grading options (Standard, Blue Diamond, Red Diamond & Packages). Turnaround times range from 4 days on average (Red Diamond) to 22 days on average for packages consisting of 25 or more cards. Here is Diamond Grading Services turnaround times.

Red Diamond               4 Business Days on Average

Blue Diamond              7 Business Days on Average

Standard                      14 Business Days on Average

5 Card Package             14 Business Days on Average

10 Card Package           14 Business Days on Average

25 Card Package           22 Business Days on Average

50 Card Package           22 Business Days on Average

How to submit sports cards for grading with these Top European Sports Card Grading Companies

When looking to submit your sports cards for grading, all you have to do is proceed to the third-party grading service you have elected to have grade your cards and follow the process outlined on their website. Here is the direct link to the grading submission process for each of the European Grading Card Companies.

EG Grading

AP Grading

GSG Grading

Diamond Grading

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