Craig Leyshon: Founder of Card Grading Australia

Faz: With well over 100 thousand cards graded, how long have you been grading cards, and how did it start for you as a card grader?

Craig: We started in July 2011 after researching the industry and grading processes for 3 years. So I started grading cards in 2008 and developed our 100-point system, which we still use today. We saw an opportunity to help the card-collecting community in Australia and decided to offer our services.

Faz: 'The Hobby' has a few different meanings and purposes for different people. Are you a collector, and did you grow up collecting cards or memorabilia?

Craig: Yes, I am a collector. The Scanlens footy cards in the seventies in Sydney were very popular, and all the kids collected, swapped, traded, and competed for footy cards. So that was how it started for me, and since then, I have collected many different types of cards and memorabilia. I mostly collect old tobacco and trade cards.

Faz: CGA has really become a household name in the Australian community for collectors; how has CGA changed from its early days through to the current day? 

Craig: When we started in 2011, it was my wife and I, and I was doing all the card grading on a part-time basis while still working full-time in the printing industry. Since then, we have grown into a full-time business and have employed many people. Some are full-time, and some are part-time. All of our graders have at least a decade of experience as printers. We are proud to support Australians from many different backgrounds, and supporting other Australian businesses is important to us, which is why our cases and boxes are all made right here in Sydney. We now receive submissions from all over the world, including many parts of Asia, Europe, and the USA.

Faz: The way the hobby market has evolved over time is fascinating. Do you think CGA will add services such as 'Authentication' (similar to PSA and SGC) or autograph grading (like BGS or SGC)?

Craig: Authentication of signatures is difficult. The only people properly trained to examine signatures are forensic document examiners, and even they will say that the signature matches a known exemplar in certain areas and is "likely" to be signed by that person. The only guarantee that a particular person signed a particular item is to witness the signing and mark the item before it leaves your sight. We have in the past and are again looking at authentication, but we won't rule it in or out at this stage. Autographs on cards, whether on cards or stickers on cards, are already graded as part of the overall grade. Scratches or imperfections will lower the grade.

Faz: Based in NSW, does CGA attend any hobby or collector events in the past or intend to in the future?

Craig: When we started, we attended many. From 2011 to 2015, we attended dozens of collectables shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Wollongong, and Newcastle. We may attend more shows in the future and will list any that we are attending on our website's "NEWS" page.

Check out Card Grading Australia's website here where you can view news updates and also submit your cards for grading with them! 

Visit CGA for all your local card grading needs! https://www.cardgradingaustralia.com