Grading

Do graded card boxes and sleeves fit every grader's slabs?

Published · By the Cards from Japan editors

Summary

Not necessarily. Storage makers name the graders each product is meant for, and the lists differ. BCW's cardboard graded box and its resealable graded sleeves name PSA, BGS, SGC, CSG, and HGA but not CGC, while BCW's slotted box names PSA, CSG, CGC, and PCG but not BGS. The holders vary too: CGC gives its holder as about 3.15 by 5.30 inches, and PSA changes holders depending on how thick the card is.

What the product pages claim

ProductExterior sizeHoldsGraders named
BCW Graded Trading Card Box (cardboard)8 7/8 x 5 3/4 x 3 5/8 in.About 30PSA, BGS, SGC, CSG, HGA
BCW Slotted Graded Card Box3 5/8 x 5 7/8 x 14 1/8 in.26PSA, CSG, CGC, PCG
BCW Resealable Graded Card Sleeves3 3/4 x 5 1/2 in., 100 per packOne slab eachPSA, BGS, SGC, CSG, HGA
Guardhouse PSA Graded Card Storage Rail Box3 3/4 x 12 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.25Regular-size PSA only

The Guardhouse box stands slabs on flocked rails so they don't rattle or touch each other in transit. None of these pages says a slab from an unlisted grader won't fit. The graders named are the ones each maker vouches for.

Holders differ by grader and by card

CGC describes its holder as about 3.15 x 5.30 inches and "similar in size to other holders on the market," with a shape that lets holders lock together when stacked. It also makes holders in five thicknesses for cards up to 7.25 mm, and odd-sized cards go in a slightly thicker version of the standard holder. PSA says it now uses new holders for cards between 25 and 40 point stock and puts anything above 40 point in its thick slabs. PSA picks the holder size itself and doesn't take requests, noting that the same card from the same set and parallel can vary in thickness.

Sources

  1. BCW Graded Trading Card Box
  2. BCW Slotted Graded Card Box
  3. BCW Resealable Graded Card Sleeves
  4. Guardhouse PSA Graded Card Storage Rail Box
  5. CGC General Holder FAQs
  6. CGC Card Holders
  7. PSA FAQ

Details are as published on these pages on the date above and can change. Check the official page before you buy or submit.

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