Inside CGC's Grading Room: Robots, Ultrasonic Welders, and 35,000 Cards a Day

CGC granted cameras access to its grading facility, offering the most detailed public look yet at how the company processes cards from submission to slab. The feature follows a Topps Kobe Bryant card through verification, the grading floor, ultrasonic welding, and automated robotic slabbing — before reaching a shipping department that moves more than 35,000 cards per day. The piece also documents CGC's push into high-end grading, with the company now handling cards like the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, the 1979 Topps Wayne Gretzky rookie, and the 1909–11 T206 Honus Wagner.

Collectors have long debated what actually happens inside grading company walls — how decisions get made, how slabs get built, and whether high-volume operations can coexist with the precision required for a six-figure card. This access answers some of those questions directly. CGC is clearly positioning itself as a credible player at both ends of the market: the mass-submission hobbyist and the vintage card investor. For anyone deciding where to send their next submission — or their most valuable card — this is the most concrete operational transparency CGC has offered.