CGC Expansion: Manga Grading & New Hong Kong Grading Capacity
- SLAB-Z
- Jun 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 5
Disclosure: We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through our links.
A recent member recruitment blast from Certified Collectibles Group (CCG) reveals a massive, two-pronged infrastructure scaling effort. Fueled by Blackstone Inc.—the private equity giant that acquired a majority stake at CCG in 2021 in a USD 500 million deal—CGC is aggressively positioning itself to exploit massive market gaps left open by their competitors.
CGC vs. Beckett: Disrupting the International Manga Market
Ever since Beckett launched its manga grading service in early 2024, the market for graded Manga Magazines (Zasshi)—the phonebook-sized "True First Appearances" printed on cheap newsprint—and high-quality Tankōbon (Individual Volumes) has exploded in both population and value.
However, Beckett's international logistics remain a costly roadblock for these heavy books. If you are an international collector looking to preserve your grails from outside the US or Japan, the compounding costs of import tariffs, shipping insurance, and authorized representative markups routinely inflate Beckett's grading costs up to four times the baseline fee—pushing totals close to USD 120 per book.
To seize on this massive collector frustration, CGC is officially institutionalizing a dedicated manga evaluation branch at its Sarasota, Florida global headquarters. Bringing this specialized print media expertise in-house signals that a standardized, market-ready CGC Manga slab is imminent—primed to challenge Beckett's monopoly by offering a more accessible alternative.
The Talent Bottleneck: Finding qualified manga talent is a notorious hurdle. CGC originally opened the hunt for a permanent "Manga Expert" over two years ago in February 2024. Even after bringing on prominent vintage Zasshi collector Rui Couto as a launch consultant in July 2024, the fact that the full-time role remains active in their latest job index underscores how rare true expertise is in this niche field.
Beyond Shanghai: CGC Cards Eyes Full Asian Autonomy in Hong Kong
While Florida scales its print media department to take on Beckett, CGC’s card division is making a direct logistical play to capture the rest of the Asian trading card market.
It is worth noting that CGC Cards already established full-time, year-round card grading in Shanghai back in July 2024. However, that facility was strictly built to service the highly insular, domestic Mainland China market. Meanwhile, the rest of the Asian region was left out in the cold—their Hong Kong branch functioned strictly as a drop-off center, shipping raw collectibles across the Pacific back to Florida for evaluation.
That dynamic is officially changing. CCG is now aggressively hiring for these specific on-site graders and verification specialist directly in Kowloon.
By staffing actual card grading and verification professionals inside its Kowloon regional headquarters, CGC is building true regional autonomy outside of its Mainland infrastructure. Instead of just being a mailbox, Hong Kong will now serve as the central grading hub for the entire Asian region. This move will effectively kill the brutal turnaround times, eliminate international transit friction points, and allow Asian collectors to bypass hyper-inflated third-party middleman fees entirely.
Subscribe to the Slab-Z Weekly Newsletter
Stay ahead of the TCG & sports card market with graded card trends, rookie investment alerts, and exclusive industry insights—delivered straight to your inbox. Don’t miss updates that could turn your collection into gold.
Why wait? Knowledge is the ultimate gem mint. 🔍✨
Comments