Whether an SGC 10 to PSA 10 crossover works depends first on which SGC 10 you hold. SGC grades two kinds of 10, a Pristine 10 with 50/50 centering and a Gem Mint 10 with 55/45, and PSA’s single Gem Mint 10 asks for roughly the same front centering as the second. No grader publishes a pass rate, so the realistic odds have to be read from the standards.
As of October 23, 2026: PSA examines the card inside the SGC slab, moves it to a PSA holder only if it meets your minimum grade, and bills the fee either way. Fees climb with value, from $59.99 at Standard to Premium tiers in the thousands. The one SGC 10 Pokemon sale in our price research, a 1st Edition Base Set Charizard, brought $46,482 at Goldin in September 2024; a PSA 10 of that card had sold for $195,200 that February.
Check the label: SGC 10 PRI or SGC 10 GM
SGC’s own scale lists its top grades as 10 PRI and 10 GM side by side. Both read as a 10, and buyers scrolling listings can miss the suffix. They describe different cards.
SGC calls its Pristine grade a virtually flawless card with “50/50 centering, crisp focus, four sharp corners*” and goes on to require no visible wear under magnification. The Gem Mint grade reads “Grade 10 GM Quality GEM Description 55/45 or better centering, sharp focus, four sharp corners*”. SGC’s Gem Mint text also allows that “A slight print spot visible under close scrutiny is allowable if it does not detract from the aesthetics of the card.”
That two-tier top end is not unique to SGC. CGC’s scale has the same split, and CGC defines its top grade the same way: “A Pristine 10 is a virtually flawless card to the naked eye. The centering is 50/50”. PSA does not split its 10. CGC’s labels also changed in 2023, and CGC states that “Cards previously graded Gem Mint 9.5 are exactly equivalent to Gem Mint 10 under the updated grading scale”, so an older CGC slab reading 9.5 belongs with today’s CGC 10s. For the CGC version of this question, see CGC Pristine 10 to PSA 10.
SGC 10 to PSA 10, line by line
| Element | SGC 10 Pristine | SGC 10 Gem Mint | PSA Gem Mint 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front centering | 50/50 | 55/45 or better | About 55/45 or better |
| Back centering | Not stated on SGC’s scale page | Not stated on SGC’s scale page | About 75/25 or better |
| Corners | Four sharp corners | Four sharp corners | Four perfectly sharp corners |
| Printing flaws | No print lines; no visible wear under magnification | A slight print spot under close scrutiny allowed | A slight printing imperfection allowed if it does not hurt eye appeal |
PSA describes its 10 as “a virtually perfect card” whose attributes “include four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus and full original gloss.” It gives the same kind of print allowance SGC gives its Gem Mint 10: “an allowance may be made for a slight printing imperfection, if it doesn’t impair the overall appeal of the card”. On front centering the SGC Gem Mint and the PSA 10 use the same number.
Two differences are worth a close look before you ship. PSA publishes a back-centering limit and SGC’s scale page does not, so an SGC 10 with a lopsided reverse is an open question. And PSA’s corner wording adds the word perfectly. Neither company says how its graders apply those words, so treat these as places to inspect the card, not proof of a gap.
SGC 10 to PSA 10 odds, in words
No SGC population counts were collected for this batch, and no grader publishes crossover outcomes, so there is no pop-implied percentage here. The ranking below is our estimate, built only from the published standards:
- SGC 10 Pristine: the strongest case. Its 50/50 centering and its no-visible-wear rule are both tighter than anything in PSA 10’s published text.
- SGC 10 Gem Mint, modern card: a reasonable case. The front-centering and print-spot allowances line up with PSA 10; PSA’s back-centering limit and corner wording are the checks that remain.
- SGC 10 Gem Mint, vintage WOTC holo: the hardest case. PSA 10s are scarce on these cards, which leaves little room for any disagreement between graders.
On scarcity, Goldin’s own lot descriptions give a rough picture for the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard, using population figures as they stood when each lot was posted. The SGC lot said: “Among a total of just 43 copies of this piece recorded in SGC’s census reporting, this is one of only three examples to achieve this commendable tier, with only one graded higher.” That is about 7.0% at Gem Mint 10 and about 9.3% at 10 of either label. The March 2026 PSA lot said: “Among a total of more than 5,300 copies of this piece recorded in PSA’s census reporting, fewer than 3 percent have achieved this supreme tier.” Those figures are from different dates and tiny samples, and Goldin itself warns that “the population report information cited in a product description is accurate at the time a lot is posted for auction and is subject to change.” They do show how few 10s either company has given this card.
The price gap that makes people try
The reason anyone crosses an SGC 10 is the market spread between holders. These are Goldin results, the buyer’s total including the house premium, which Goldin lists as “Buyer’s Premium 22% ($19 min)”.
| Base Set 1st Edition Charizard | Sale price | Auction end |
|---|---|---|
| CGC Gem Mint 10 | $38,430 | 12/20/23 |
| PSA Gem Mint 10 | $195,200 | 2/17/24 |
| SGC GM 10 (ex-Funhouse Collection) | $46,482 | 9/21/24 |
| CGC Gem Mint 10 | $105,400 | 2/15/26 |
| PSA Gem Mint 10 | $518,500 | 3/08/26 |
Within the 2023-2024 window, the PSA 10 sold for about 4.2 times the SGC 10, a gap of $148,718, while the SGC 10 sold $8,052 above the earlier CGC Gem Mint 10. By 2026 both the PSA and CGC prices had jumped, with the PSA 10 at about 4.9 times the CGC 10, but no 2026 SGC 10 sale was captured, so the current SGC price is unknown. The SGC lot also carried a named-collection pedigree, which may have helped it. One sale per holder, months apart, cannot set a rate. Our 1st Edition Charizard price history follows the card over time, and our note on why PSA 10s rise faster in hot markets explains why the spread at the top can widen in a rally.
What PSA charges when the card is worth six figures
PSA’s crossover page states the downside without hedging: “Full grading fee is charged even if item does not meet minimum grade.” At the top of the market, that fee is large. On PSA’s fee schedule as of October 23, 2026, Premium 2 costs $1,999.00 for cards up to $50,000 and Premium 5 costs $4,999.00 up to $250,000. Above that, “Premium 10 pricing starts at $9,999 for any item with Max Insured Value of $350,000 or less, and increases by $399 for each $10,000 (or fraction thereof) of Max Insured Value over $350,000.”
Here is a worked example from those published prices, using the SGC Charizard. Declared at its 2024 sale price, it fits Premium 2 at $1,999.00, which is the cost of a miss. Should it cross, PSA’s FAQ notes that once a graded item’s value outgrows its tier, “PSA will upgrade the service level for that item (not your entire order).” Priced like the PSA 10 that sold in March 2026 for $518,500, the card sits 168,500 dollars over the $350,000 line, which PSA counts as 17 steps of $10,000 because a fraction counts as a full step. Our arithmetic puts that fee at $16,782. PSA does not say how it values a freshly crossed card, so this is our reading, not a quote.
Insured shipping and the long wait at the cheaper tiers come on top. Our older guide to crossover versus crack-out costs and risks covers why few owners would crack a card like this themselves.
Before you ship: five checks on an SGC 10
Because a miss costs the full fee, the useful work happens before the submission form. These are the checks the published standards point to, in the order we would do them:
- Read the suffix. PRI and GM are different grades. A Pristine label is the stronger starting point; a Gem Mint label means the card was judged short of 50/50 or short of flawless somewhere.
- Measure the back. SGC’s scale page gives no reverse-centering number for either 10, while PSA allows about 75/25 on the back of a 10. A reverse that is far off is the one centering problem SGC’s text would not have screened out.
- Look at the corners under magnification. PSA’s 10 asks for perfectly sharp corners. Any softness you can see through the slab is a reason to expect a 9.
- Find the print spot. SGC’s Gem Mint grade allows a slight one, and so does PSA’s 10, as long as eye appeal holds. A spot in the art or on a face is a bigger risk than one in the border.
- Price the miss. Work out the tier from the card’s value and accept that the fee is gone if the card comes back in its SGC case.
If the card fails, nothing about its SGC grade changes: PSA returns it in the original holder, still an SGC 10. What you lose is the fee, the shipping and the months. That makes the minimum grade on an SGC 10 almost always 10, because a PSA 9 would turn a top-grade slab into a lower one.
Where else an SGC slab can go
PSA’s page describes crossover as being “for cards previously graded by other companies that you wish to cross over into a PSA holder,” and adds that “PSA will evaluate the card inside its current holder.” It does not print a list of accepted holders, so confirm with PSA before sending.
CGC is explicit where PSA is not: its CrossOver service says “A card in a PSA, Beckett* or SGC holder is evaluated for CGC Cards certification.” That gives an SGC owner a second published route, though the sale data above show CGC 10s trading well below PSA 10s on this card. For the grade just under this one, see SGC 9.5 to PSA 10, and our crossover grading hub compares every grader’s route to PSA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an SGC 10 cross over to a PSA 10?
It can, and on paper an SGC Gem Mint 10 asks for the same 55/45 front centering as a PSA 10. Nobody publishes how often it happens, and SGC 10 has two labels, Pristine and Gem Mint, which are not equally strong candidates.
What is the difference between SGC 10 Pristine and SGC 10 Gem Mint?
SGC’s scale gives the Pristine 10 50/50 centering and no visible wear under magnification, while the Gem Mint 10 allows 55/45 centering and a slight print spot under close scrutiny. Both show as a 10 on the label, with PRI or GM beside it.
Is SGC 10 equal to PSA 10?
Not by price. A 1st Edition Base Set Charizard in SGC Gem Mint 10 sold at Goldin for $46,482 in September 2024, while a PSA 10 had sold for $195,200 that February. The grading texts are close; the market treats the labels very differently.
How much does PSA charge to cross an expensive SGC 10?
PSA prices by value. On October 23, 2026 Premium 2 was $1,999.00 for cards up to $50,000, Premium 5 was $4,999.00 up to $250,000, and Premium 10 started at $9,999 for values to $350,000, plus $399 per extra $10,000 beyond that. PSA bills it even when the card stays in its SGC case.
Can I send an SGC slab to CGC instead?
Yes. CGC’s CrossOver service lists SGC holders among those it evaluates. PSA’s crossover page does not list which holders it accepts, so ask PSA before sending anything unusual.
Sources
- SGC Grading Scale — SGC, read October 23, 2026
- Grading Standards — PSA, read October 23, 2026
- Crossover — PSA, read October 23, 2026
- Trading card grading: pricing and services — PSA, read October 23, 2026
- Frequently asked questions — PSA, read October 23, 2026
- Grading Scale — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- CGC Cards merger — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- CGC Grading: services and fees — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Rare Holofoil #4 Charizard – Ex-Funhouse Collection – SGC GM 10 — Goldin, auction ending 9/21/24, read October 23, 2026
- 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Rare Holofoil #4 Charizard – PSA GEM MT 10 — Goldin, auction ending 2/17/24, read October 23, 2026
- 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Rare Holofoil #4 Charizard – CGC GEM MINT 10 — Goldin, auction ending 12/20/23, read October 23, 2026
- 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Holo #4 Charizard – PSA GEM MT 10 — Goldin, auction ending 3/08/26, read October 23, 2026
- 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Holo #4 Charizard – CGC GEM MINT 10 — Goldin, auction ending 2/15/26, read October 23, 2026
- About Goldin — Goldin, read October 23, 2026
No grading company publishes crossover pass rates. Any crossover odds on this page are Pokemon Pricing’s estimate, labelled as one, built from the published grading standards and population reports on the dates shown. Fees, populations and sale prices change; check the grading company’s current price list before submitting. This article is collector information, not investment advice. Pokémon and all card names are trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc. and GAME FREAK inc.; Pokemon Pricing is not affiliated with them or with any grading company.