All About the CSG Reholder Service

Out with the old, in with the new. Well, in sports cards it’s usually more like, let’s just cram all of the old stuff in boxes and out of sight so I can buy and enjoy the new stuff!

Either way, I’m not here to talk cards, exactly, and instead want to focus on our favorite topic—card grading, and more specifically, the reholder service with CSG.

What is a Reholdering?

Reholdering, also known as reslabbing, is the process of removing a graded card from its original slab or “holder” and placing it into a new, often times more current slab or holder. This process is often used by collectors to upgrade their cards to the most current look, feel, and grading standards of their favorite grading company.

For instance, PSA famously updated their slabs to protect against fake holders. While the new slabs look and feel a lot like the old, the typeface is more modern, and the new holders feature a handful of security features which add to their appeal.

When Did CSG Change Their Labels?

Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG) rolled out a new label for sports cards and updated its card grading scale on Friday, March 25th, 2022.

Why Did CSG Update Their Labels?

Besides updating the design of the label, CSG also changed their grading scale—most notably replacing their “CSG Pristine 10” with the “CSG Gem Mint 10.” As CSG notes here, the updated naming falls more in line with notable grading companies PSA and SGC. For example, a PSA 10 is referred to as “Gem Mint” and a SGC 10 is also a Gem. (BGS reserves their 10 for the “Pristine” labeling and awards “Gem Mint” to a grade of 9.5).

As CSG notes here:

“CSG will continue to assign the CSG Perfect 10 grade to the best of the best, which will have flawless centering, corners, edges and surface.”

This is a system similar to SGC, which can award either a “10 GEM” or in the case of a “virtually flawless” card, and “10 Pristine.”

An important call out from that same article notes that with little demand for subgrades, CSG has removed them all together, and in doing so, improves turnaround time. (It’s no coincidence that SGC offers some of the fastest grading in the game.)

How Much Does CSG Reholdering Cost?

Currently, cards valued up to $10,000 cost $10 for a reholder, with an estimated turnaround time of 15 days. If the card is valued over 10,000, it would fall under the “High Value Reholder” service in which case the cost increases to $30 with the same 15-day turnaround.

A card in a CSG holder will be placed in a new holder. Cards valued up to $10,000.

How do People Feel About the Reholder Service?

I’ve personally never reholdered a card with CSG, so I’m drawing from other sources in order to help paint the picture here. I’m also going to stay away from what “general consensus” says and instead point out specific features or issues others have had with the CSG reholdering experience.

For instance, the “automatic” upgrade from a 9.5 to a 10 just has to feel inherently good, right? Couple that with a slab you already enjoy and it’s a great recipe for a win.

And then perhaps no matter what one thinks of the new labels, the reholder process, etc., what might be most important is that we are seeing innovation from these different companies, and every step by one is met with a new step by another.