CGC Cards Opens a Grading Operation Inside Fanatics Collect's Facility for $9 a Card

CGC Cards and Fanatics Collect launched a partnership that places a full-time CGC authentication and grading operation inside Fanatics Collect's Tigard, Oregon facility. Collectors who submit raw cards for grading through Fanatics Collect — whether for a Weekly or Premier Auction, Buy Now, or vault storage — get access to preferred CGC pricing of $9 per card, regardless of fair market value. The companies are also rolling out an authentication-only service in the weeks following launch, offering expert verification of card authenticity without full numerical grading and encapsulation, at a lower price point. Once graded, cards can move directly into the Fanatics Collect Vault or onto the marketplace without leaving the facility.

The $9 flat rate is the number that matters most here. PSA's entry-level tiers have climbed well above that for most submissions, and the ability to grade, vault, and list from a single facility removes the multi-week shipping loop that has always been the hidden cost of getting raw cards to market. For dealers moving volume through Fanatics Collect auctions, this is a structural cost and time advantage. The authentication-only tier is also worth watching: a lower-cost authenticity stamp gives buyers on the Fanatics Collect marketplace a trust signal without the premium of a full slab, which could meaningfully expand the pool of cards that trade with confidence. CGC is backed by Fanatics and Blackstone, so this partnership is less a vendor relationship and more a vertical integration play — and it is a direct challenge to PSA's dominance at the point where raw cards enter the graded market.