Holder Comparison: VGA vs Wata vs CGC

[inasuma | 1,203]

Now that I have at least one holder from each of the big graders, thought it would be cool to bring them all together (with pics) for discussion and opinions. I hope this is beneficial to some of you who are either grading or considering grading.

Which holder do you prefer? Lately I'm coming around to CGC because of how thoughtful the inner blister is. It's also crystal clear and protects those sweet, sweet, corners.

Okay, here's the round up:

VGA

• Material(s): Acrylic
• Bonding: Acrylic cement
• Inner blister: No
• Tamper-Evident: No
• Size: Form-fit (any console/game)
• Scale: CGA Grading Scale

Label

VGA's holder is pretty straightforward. It's a few pieces of acrylic held together using cement, and smaller acrylic pieces acting as guard rails to position the game. The depth inside the holder is about the same depth as the game, with some arbitrary extra space so the game isn't crushed.

One thing I've noticed is sometimes the rails are slightly too far from the game, causing it to shift around. While unlikely to damage the game in any meaningful way, it's still worth noting.

There's also very small grooves on each front corner. I'm guessing these are there to make it easier to pry open the top or bottom for re-slabbing.

---

Wata

• Material(s): Acrylic (outer holder) & Plastic (inner blister)
• Bonding: Acrylic cement & interlocking pins
• Inner blister: Yes
• Tamper-Evident: Yes
• Size: Standard width/depth w/ variable height
• Scale: Wata Grading Scale

Label

Wata's case has two main features: tamper-evident design and a secondary, inner blister to keep the game in position. The bottom piece is held in using acrylic cement, while the top piece (with the label inside) is held on via six interlocking pins. It's physically not possible to remove the top piece without destroying the pins, or so it seems. There are three pins around each side of the top piece (front, back, side).

The inner blister is two pieces. There are no corner bubbles, and the blister positions the game against the front surface of the holder.

Note: the width and depth of the holder is always the same. This was clearly meant as a manufacturing benefit, and as a result, DVD games take up about 3x their depth when accounting for the depth of the holder plus overhang of the top lid.

---

CGC

• Material(s): Polycarbonate (outer holder) & Plastic (inner blister)
• Bonding: Ultrasonic weld (no cement/agent)
• Inner blister: Yes
• Tamper-Evident: Yes
• Size: Semi-bulky
• Scale: CGC Video Games Grading Scale

Label

CGC's holder has a number of interesting features, and matches a few details with card/comic holders. Like Wata, CGC has an inner blister.

Instead of using pins or cement to bond the pieces of the outer holder, it's sealed using ultrasonic welding.

There's five additional small clips to help keep the holder pieces together: one on the bottom, two on the left side, and two on the right side. For horizontal games, I think there's two on bottom and one on either side. One clip is always welded.

(Below, top pic shows the welded clip, next two show the smaller, unwelded clips, although its hard to see even in person so apologies)

 

---

Again, hope this is helpful. Very curious about y'alls opinions!

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by inasuma

[dogbowl | 150]

A new challenger has appeared!

[final fight cd | 186]

18 minutes ago, dogbowl said:

A new challenger has appeared!

I can’t explain it, but that label looks bad.  Like leagues below the other 3.  Yikes.

[inasuma | 1,203]

33 minutes ago, dogbowl said:

A new challenger has appeared!

You wouldn’t believe it but I debated including P1G, then when I realized I had exactly one P1G game, my senses came back.

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

@inasuma I appreciate you showing the specifics, like the tamper status. 
 

I like CGCs design, and the ultrasonic welding. That will be very difficult to forge or replace the inside. So much to the point that it most likely isnt worth it. Top grading label visibility is cool and I think the only one of the bunch. 
 

I liked Wata’s tamper design, and over all case “look” but it isnt that practical to store.  It wastes a lot of space when next to each other on a shelf.  I still am a big fan of their tamper proof design and label tech, it makes it impossible to forge. 
 

Crazy how VGA is even still around,  their case is garbage and they have zero visibility to graders/ grading process (unless I missed something). I think they are only still around to pick up wata’s scraps they couldn't get too, but have a feeling  CGC will be the nail in their coffin. 

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

1 hour ago, dogbowl said:

A new challenger has appeared!

Is that an actual company or like a joke or something?

[Tyree_Cooper | 754]

why look for a job when you can insert a shitty condition game inside a plastic case and get money for it?

[GPX | 1,369]

1 hour ago, MrWunderful said:

Is that an actual company or like a joke or something?

Isn’t that the brand that someone made a thread of starting a competing grading company, VGG?

 

[inasuma | 1,203]

11 hours ago, GPX said:

Isn’t that the brand that someone made a thread of starting a competing grading company, VGG?

 

yes lol

[Link | 2,709]

13 hours ago, MrWunderful said:

Is that an actual company or like a joke or something?

 

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Not sure what is worse, that hideous case and label or the fact that somebody graded a 10 yard fight CIB with a box that beat. 
 

a 0-100 grading scale is something I can get behind though. 
 

 

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Just now, Link said:

 

Oh ok I remember that guy. Man I am not envious of starting a company like that thats already saturated, and while the bubble is bursting. Godspeed young man

[ApebitMusic | 130]

That VGG label is what you get when you don't want to pay an actual designer. Looks like default Word graphics from 2004.

[inasuma | 1,203]

6 hours ago, ApebitMusic said:

That VGG label is what you get when you don't want to pay an actual designer. Looks like default Word graphics from 2004.

Actually I’m pretty sure the guy paid a designer that’s what I remember anyway

[OptOut | 8,883]

Well, he had EVERY OPPORTUNITY to make those labels better... He rejected MY designs out of hand!!!

On 6/15/2021 at 2:05 PM, OptOut said:

Righto BOSS!!! I'm back to present a ground-breaking grading service product launch! I think we have something TRULY special here, a true USP... Introducing GRADED CUSTOMZZZ!!!

The market is CRYING OUT for something new. People are tired of grading a wide range of games for a variety of systems and selling them for unjustifiably huge profits. No, what people want these days is choice, and a personal touch! Here are just a few of the unique options GRADED CUSTOMZZZ has to offer:

1 - Ol' Faithful: Put a tear in Ronnie Reagan's cold dead eyes with this classy, patriotic choice.

2 - Benny Boy: It's why we're all here, isn't it?! What better way to celebrate the history and cultural relevance of video games than reducing them to a number on a box and a dollar in your bank account!

3 - SANIC: Attractive to the emotionally sub-normal and socially stunted. Our best-seller! 

4 - PERKERMEN: This is where the REAL whales know to park their investment capital! A beautiful, powerful artistic representation of CHARMANDER elicits the childlike joy of discovery, as well as the thrill of putting innocent animals to the slaughter for the purposes of entertainment.

5 - One for the ladies: This model is especially popular with the GAYMERS! Looking good fellas! 

6 - One for the lads: The female form has NEVER been so tastefully represented in art as with our finely crafted custom game cases.

These samples are a mere taste of the many MILLIONS of possibilities GRADED CUSTOMZZZ offer for you! You want YOUR face on a 68 1/2 graded CIB 4th print of Pokemon Yellow? YOU GOT IT! You want a jpeg of pixel Mario sexually assaulting Toadette on a 94 1/2 CIB World Class Track meet? IT'S YOURS!

Go nuts, I'm seriously! The possibilities are ENDLESS at VIDYAGARMEZZGRADERZLLC.COM! 

Some people just can't be helped!

[inasuma | 1,203]

On 1/4/2023 at 11:55 AM, ApebitMusic said:

That VGG label is what you get when you don't want to pay an actual designer. Looks like default Word graphics from 2004.

Have you seen cgcs label tho? Not much better. The big ass holographic sticker on the front doesn’t help either lol

[Hammerfestus | 3,837]

On 1/3/2023 at 8:30 PM, dogbowl said:

A new challenger has appeared!

It looks like its smudged lol.

[Level99 | 3]

On 1/4/2023 at 5:40 AM, MrWunderful said:

@inasuma I appreciate you showing the specifics, like the tamper status. 
 

I like CGCs design, and the ultrasonic welding. That will be very difficult to forge or replace the inside. So much to the point that it most likely isnt worth it. Top grading label visibility is cool and I think the only one of the bunch. 
 

I liked Wata’s tamper design, and over all case “look” but it isnt that practical to store.  It wastes a lot of space when next to each other on a shelf.  I still am a big fan of their tamper proof design and label tech, it makes it impossible to forge. 
 

Crazy how VGA is even still around,  their case is garbage and they have zero visibility to graders/ grading process (unless I missed something). I think they are only still around to pick up wata’s scraps they couldn't get too, but have a feeling  CGC will be the nail in their coffin. 

When I first got into graded games, I went with WATA, because of how popular they got amongst collectors, and I liked their label at first. Until I bought my first VGA graded game. For me the difference was clear, and made me sell all my WATA games. 

I felt that WATA rushed everything. I was seeing dust inside, with a bit of humidity. The cases look ugly and way too bulky/big with bubbles inside the acrylic. The label's corners were bent and doesn't look clean. 

On the other hand, I was really impressed with VGA. Although the label is simple, but it's well designed and looks much better. Straight to the point without any unnesseary information. The cases are sleek and clean. Looks so much better displayed on a shelf. Also, the fact that they grade consoles and accessories is a plus. I turst them more in terms of longevity, since they've been in the market for long, so the cases seems to be holding up good for all these years.

CGC however, their cases are clean and well designed, but the label man... looks stright out of a 90s law firm document or something. Also, I really dislike the comic book grading scale, I feel it doesn't work well with games. 

I don't agree that VGA is "garbage", I think they're the best option out of the "big" three. Haven't really tried any of the European companies like UKG or Pixel Grading, but it looks like both got inspired by VGA in terms of case design, which is good.

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

4 hours ago, Level99 said:

When I first got into graded games, I went with WATA, because of how popular they got amongst collectors, and I liked their label at first. Until I bought my first VGA graded game. For me the difference was clear, and made me sell all my WATA games. 

I felt that WATA rushed everything. I was seeing dust inside, with a bit of humidity. The cases look ugly and way too bulky/big with bubbles inside the acrylic. The label's corners were bent and doesn't look clean. 

On the other hand, I was really impressed with VGA. Although the label is simple, but it's well designed and looks much better. Straight to the point without any unnesseary information. The cases are sleek and clean. Looks so much better displayed on a shelf. Also, the fact that they grade consoles and accessories is a plus. I turst them more in terms of longevity, since they've been in the market for long, so the cases seems to be holding up good for all these years.

CGC however, their cases are clean and well designed, but the label man... looks stright out of a 90s law firm document or something. Also, I really dislike the comic book grading scale, I feel it doesn't work well with games. 

I don't agree that VGA is "garbage", I think they're the best option out of the "big" three. Haven't really tried any of the European companies like UKG or Pixel Grading, but it looks like both got inspired by VGA in terms of case design, which is good.

Except vga cases can be opened and resealed and have zero security. I did it myself for proof.
 

Do they even use archival plastic?  

Who are their graders and why should I trust their grades? At least the folks at Wata and cgc have some game and grading provenance.
 

They owners of VGA have been clear they don’t even want the business anymore.
 

But hey, do what you want with your money. 

[Level99 | 3]

1 hour ago, MrWunderful said:

Except vga cases can be opened and resealed and have zero security. I did it myself for proof.
 

Do they even use archival plastic?  

Who are their graders and why should I trust their grades? At least the folks at Wata and cgc have some game and grading provenance.
 

They owners of VGA have been clear they don’t even want the business anymore.
 

But hey, do what you want with your money. 

 

Never tried to break one myself, nor did I hear about anyone buying a fake resealed VGA game. I don't know about what you said 100%, but keep in mind they have been grading toys and video games for over a decade (please, correct me if I'm wong). So, there would be at least a story of someone buying a fake VGA game. If there is, I'm interested in hearing about it.

Not saying that VGA is perfect. Every one of these 3 have their own flaws. There is a video on youtube of a guy receiving his game in a different conditin of what he sent 

 

CGC have some bad rep as well. There are stories of some graders giving high grades for their friends...

As for VGA cases, here are some info from their website:

Why is the AFA case sealed everywhere except the back?

The acrylic case is sealed on all sides except for a slight opening at the back of the case at the bottom. We do not seal this edge to allow for air circulation inside the case. If we did not allow for this air circulation, the case would be subject to a “Terrarium” effect. In other words, depending on the temperature, the inside of the case could start to sweat. The unsealed edge alleviates this possibility. The acrylic cases are still considered sealed and the contents cannot be tampered with without being broken open.

 

I guess this is the unsealed edge to allow for air circulation? Not for breaking it to re-casing as OP have said.

Are the cases UV-Resistant

Standard AFA cases are slightly UV-resistant. They will also protect your items by sealing them in hard acrylic to keep them in the same condition as when they were graded. They will not be touched by human hands and the hard acrylic prevents it from sustaining any additional creases, bubble dings, or other damage.

In addition, 99% UV-Resistant acrylic cases are available for extra light protection. You can pay a fee to upgrade your case to the 99% UV Resistant acrylic or you can submit your items under the archival tier, which includes UV-resistant acrylic. For more information on UV-Resistant cases, click here.

 

"They owners of VGA have been clear they don’t even want the business anymore." Can you please tell me from where you got this info?
 

At the end, I guess it all comes down to taste and trust. There are thousands of VGA graded games way before WATA and CGC existed. And many of them sold for a lot, so I'm sure they are trusted amongst collectors (I would even argue that they are more trusted/favored now after the WATA and HA drama that happened in the last two years), and I don't think they will go anywhere anytime soon.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Level99

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

49 minutes ago, Level99 said:

 

Never tried to break one myself, nor did I hear about anyone buying a fake resealed VGA game. I don't know about what you said 100%, but keep in mind they have been grading toys and video games for over a decade (please, correct me if I'm wong). So, there would be at least a story of someone buying a fake VGA game. If there is, I'm interested in hearing about it.

Not saying that VGA is perfect. Every one of these 3 have their own flaws. There is a video on youtube of a guy receiving his game in a different conditin of what he sent 

 

CGC have some bad rep as well. There are stories of some graders giving high grades for their friends...

As for VGA cases, here are some info from their website:

Why is the AFA case sealed everywhere except the back?

The acrylic case is sealed on all sides except for a slight opening at the back of the case at the bottom. We do not seal this edge to allow for air circulation inside the case. If we did not allow for this air circulation, the case would be subject to a “Terrarium” effect. In other words, depending on the temperature, the inside of the case could start to sweat. The unsealed edge alleviates this possibility. The acrylic cases are still considered sealed and the contents cannot be tampered with without being broken open.

 

I guess this is the unsealed edge to allow for air circulation? Not for breaking it to re-casing as OP have said.

Are the cases UV-Resistant

Standard AFA cases are slightly UV-resistant. They will also protect your items by sealing them in hard acrylic to keep them in the same condition as when they were graded. They will not be touched by human hands and the hard acrylic prevents it from sustaining any additional creases, bubble dings, or other damage.

In addition, 99% UV-Resistant acrylic cases are available for extra light protection. You can pay a fee to upgrade your case to the 99% UV Resistant acrylic or you can submit your items under the archival tier, which includes UV-resistant acrylic. For more information on UV-Resistant cases, click here.

 

"They owners of VGA have been clear they don’t even want the business anymore." Can you please tell me from where you got this info?
 

At the end, I guess it all comes down to taste and trust. There are thousands of VGA graded games way before WATA and CGC existed. And many of them sold for a lot, so I'm sure they are trusted amongst collectors (I would even argue that they are more trusted/favored now after the WATA and HA drama that happened in the last two years), and I don't think they will go anywhere anytime soon.

I think you are confusing your personal experiences and opinions with facts. Just because you personally didn’t see something, doesn’t mean it doesn't exist.  
 

If you are interested, please google “VGA graded fake game” to see examples. It has been discussed and documented quite a bit. 
 

VGA cased games are only sealed with a cyanoacrylate on the bottom. With the right solvent, it can be opened and resealed.  Im not saying that it has ACTUALLY happened, but I have proven it to be true. The other two companies at least have a way to prove their cases have been opened, as tamper evidence. 
 

I got the info about VGA from the guys that started Wata, in an interview that I did with them prior to starting the company. Believe me or not, the other guys still kicking around here that interviewed with them might have heard the same thing. 
 

Last thought- just because someone has done it for a long time, doesn’t mean its correct. VGA is silent about their grading criteria , and who their graders are. They have proven to be inconsistent with grading (again, see google). 
 

In the end though, do what you want with your stuff. If you want to pay a company to make your game unplayable, and most likely be worth less than what you paid for it by slabbing it, be my guest
 

 

 

[mlbfan10 | 340]

Any time I hear of a fake VGA game, I immediately think of the Halo CE black label reseals they graded (to provide an example). VGA was my go to for a long time but with competition they have not kept up with the curve. WATA is my favorite with CGC in 2nd and VGA all the way down to the 3rd. 

[Level99 | 3]

2 hours ago, MrWunderful said:

I think you are confusing your personal experiences and opinions with facts. Just because you personally didn’t see something, doesn’t mean it doesn't exist.  
 

If you are interested, please google “VGA graded fake game” to see examples. It has been discussed and documented quite a bit. 
 

VGA cased games are only sealed with a cyanoacrylate on the bottom. With the right solvent, it can be opened and resealed.  Im not saying that it has ACTUALLY happened, but I have proven it to be true. The other two companies at least have a way to prove their cases have been opened, as tamper evidence. 
 

I got the info about VGA from the guys that started Wata, in an interview that I did with them prior to starting the company. Believe me or not, the other guys still kicking around here that interviewed with them might have heard the same thing. 
 

Last thought- just because someone has done it for a long time, doesn’t mean its correct. VGA is silent about their grading criteria , and who their graders are. They have proven to be inconsistent with grading (again, see google). 
 

In the end though, do what you want with your stuff. If you want to pay a company to make your game unplayable, and most likely be worth less than what you paid for it by slabbing it, be my guest
 

 

 

 

Everything I said was from my personal experiance with owning from all 3 companies. I didn't confuse anything with facts. At the end of the day I'm here to learn.

As I said, all companies have flaws, and everyone make mistakes. WATA just graded a rom hack, and they got exposed then apologized and said they're not doing it again. I'm pretty sure CGC will make mistakes down the road as well. These things happen, so it makes all 3 of them equal in that regard.

I absolutely have no idea about the tampering/security issues with VGA. As I said, never heard anything bad about it, so I will take your word for it and keep that in mind.

Wata is a competitor, so why should I believe anything from them about OTHER competitors? I need something to come out from VGA themselves. Yes, them not caring about releasing pop reports, have a dated website and not engaging on social media marketing could be an indications of selling out. I honestly don't know... If it's true, then I'm sure they will be bought just like Collectors Universe buying WATA.

WATA is inconsistent as well, espically with their seal grades. So many people have sent and re-sent their games and got different grades. That has been known since froever. Also, a lot of their grades are confusing. Sometimes you see a A+ seal grade on a B seal, or an A++ on a A+ and so on sometimes you can't even tell the difference!!!... I don't know anything about the graders, but I heard that they're reputable. WATA and CGC are known because of the marketing they did, and they're also reputable.

I only own 3 so far, and not planning on passing 6, 2 left to be graded + a console. I only grade the rare items I own. I know this stuff will outlive me anyways, so I'm only slabbing them cause I want to keep them clean and protected. Also a second opinion on authenticity won't hurt. And don't worry, I have a million ways to play the game, so this unplayable-playable argument is stupid. 

 

[Level99 | 3]

1 hour ago, mlbfan10 said:

Any time I hear of a fake VGA game, I immediately think of the Halo CE black label reseals they graded (to provide an example). VGA was my go to for a long time but with competition they have not kept up with the curve. WATA is my favorite with CGC in 2nd and VGA all the way down to the 3rd. 

Fair enough. As far of the mistake of grading a fake game, WATA did the same, and CGC will do as well I'm pretty sure. So that is not enough of a reason to make me want to stop using them.

I prefer them because of their case look, label, grading scale, and the fact that they grade consoles and accoserise (I like to keep everything unified if that make sence). 

I honestly was waiting for CGC to surprise me, but I was disappointed with their ugly label, and them only grading NA games.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Level99

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

7 minutes ago, Level99 said:

 

Everything I said was from my personal experiance with owning from all 3 companies. I didn't confuse anything with facts. At the end of the day I'm here to learn.

As I said, all companies have flaws, and everyone make mistakes. WATA just graded a rom hack, and they got exposed then apologized and said they're not doing it again. I'm pretty sure CGC will make mistakes down the road as well. These things happen, so it makes all 3 of them equal in that regard.

I absolutely have no idea about the tampering/security issues with VGA. As I said, never heard anything bad about it, so I will take your word for it and keep that in mind.

Wata is a competitor, so why should I believe anything from them about OTHER competitors? I need something to come out from VGA themselves. Yes, them not caring about releasing pop reports, have a dated website and not engaging on social media marketing could be an indications of selling out. I honestly don't know... If it's true, then I'm sure they will be bought just like Collectors Universe buying WATA.

WATA is inconsistent as well, espically with their seal grades. So many people have sent and re-sent their games and got different grades. That has been known since froever. Also, a lot of their grades are confusing. Sometimes you see a A+ seal grade on a B seal, or an A++ on a A+ and so on sometimes you can't even tell the difference!!!... I don't know anything about the graders, but I heard that they're reputable. WATA and CGC are known because of the marketing they did, and they're also reputable.

I only own 3 so far, and not planning on passing 6, 2 left to be graded + a console. I only grade the rare items I own. I know this stuff will outlive me anyways, so I'm only slabbing them cause I want to keep them clean and protected. Also a second opinion on authenticity won't hurt. And don't worry, I have a million ways to play the game, so this unplayable-playable argument is stupid. 

 

All grading is inherently subjective, so of course the differences are going to be apparent. Its someone deciding the condition of something based on their personal feelings. Thats one of the main problems with Grading. 
 

Don’t mistake me for a Wata apologist, as they have their own issues. As soon as they started grading anything other than sealed, it shows they don’t actually care about the community and car far more about turning out as many slabs as possible. 
 

You don’t have to believe anything I say, so it doesnt matter if you don’t trust Wata or not. You obviously trust them enough to send them money to get games graded.  Funny how people “know” their grading is inconsistent, but still send their games in (people in general, not you). Hard to pass up on that sweet, sweet flipper cash

 

PS. Saying an argument is “stupid” doesn’t make it less true. Grading a cart only game makes it useless (technically CIB/sealed too), outside of perceived collector value. Its irrelevant if you have flashcarts, emulators, etc.