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Contents hide
Is It Worth Getting Your Card Graded by PSA?
PSA Grading Cost
How to Submit Your Card To PSA
PSA Card Grading Locations
How to Package Your Card
Who to Send Your Card to (PSA Grading Address)
How to get cards graded for free by PSA?
PSA Grades Scale
Conclusion – You’re Ready to Have Your Cards Graded
PSA, shorthand for Professional Sports Authenticator, is a premier brand in sports card grading. Despite the controversy over rising prices, it offers a wide array of valuable services including:
- Single card grading
- Unopened pack grading
- Autograph authentication
- Price appraisals
- More
For our purposes, we’re delving into how PSA conducts its card grading process. The more familiar you are with this process and its benefits, the better equipped you’ll be to submit your own cards and packs to PSA for grades and appraisals.
Related: PSA Grading vs SGC Grading vs BGS Grading
Is It Worth Getting Your Card Graded by PSA?
If you believe that you have a potential high-value card, then it is probably worth submitting the card to receive a PSA grade.
Having the PSA stamp of approval does the following:
- Allows you to know that your card is authentic and is in good condition
- Increases your card’s resale value
- Allows you to enter your card on the PSA Set Registry
- Lets potential buyers know that your card is authentic
- Provides an official metric for the quality of your card
- Allows you to compete with other sellers who have had similar cards graded by PSA
- Entitles you to the PSA storage case, one of the most effective ways to protect and display your cards
Do some research on the card you are considering having graded (read: Should You Get Your Cards Graded). If it is a card valuable enough and in good enough condition, having the PSA stamp of approval could be very much worth the cost of grading.
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PSA Grading Cost
Prices for PSA grading services increased as of March 2021. This was to be expected based on the upsurge in trading card investment and popularity as well as the sale of PSA’s parent company, Collectors Universe.
The rate for all forms of PSA grading services doubled or nearly doubled. This was a big deal, especially for those who rely on PSA grading large sets of their cards. That said, the prices are what they are.
[irp posts=”10421″ name=”SGC Grading Moves to Two Levels of Service”]
The cost of having your card graded depends on the Declared Value of your card. This is the value that you believe your card will fetch after it receives a PSA grade. Prices are as follows:
- $20 per card for cards valued at $499 or less, with a ten-card submission minimum (note that this price is available only to PSA Collectors Club members)
- $50 per card for cards valued at $499 or less (this is the price for non-collectors Club members)
- $100 per card for cards valued between $500 and $999
- $150 per card for cards valued between $1,000 and $2,499
- $300 per card for cards valued between $2,500 and $4,999
- $600 per card for cards valued between $5,000 and $9,999
Valuation of cards with a Declared Value of $10,000 or more qualify for PSA’s Premium grading options. These options cost either $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $5,000, or $10,000 depending on the Declared Value of your card.
How to Submit Your Card To PSA
Your first step is to visit PSAcard.com. In the upper righthand corner of the site, you’ll see a green circular button that reads “Submit” (you can’t miss it).
Once you click the button, you’ll be brought to a Sign-In screen. If you don’t already have a PSA account, you’ll need to create one.
Following your sign in, you’ll fill out the following information:
- The type of item you are submitting (a regular card, jumbo card, packs, etc.)
- The service you are requesting (grading, autograph review, authenticity review, or reholder)
- The Declared Value of the card(s) you are submitting
- A description of each card that you are submitting
- Your shipping and billing information
And with this, you’re ready to submit your card to PSA for an official grade, or whichever service you are seeking.
PSA Card Grading Locations
A PSA Dealer can assist with getting your card ready for grading or can further help you with the grading process in person.
Please visit www.psacard.com/dealers to find a location near you.
The PSA Grading headquarters is based at 10 Woodbridge Center Dr., Suite 701, Woodbridge, NJ 07095.
PSA Grading phone number?: 1-800-325-1121.
The new PSA Grading landing page can be found at www.PSAcard.com/NewJerseyOffice.
Concepts to Understand Before Submitting Your Card
PSA points out frequent points of confusion for those submitting cards for grading. To help the grading process go as smoothly as possible, you may want to research two concepts in particular:
- Minimum Grade (explainer from PSA)
- Declared Value (explainer from PSA)
Like so many things in life, these concepts are easy enough to understand with the proper guidance. These explainers from PSA should help tremendously.
Steps to Take Before Sending Your Card In
PSA requires you to include two copies of your completed submission form with the card(s) that you are mailing in. Go ahead and print three copies, two to be included in the package and one for your own records.
You may also choose to utilize one of the methods for cleaning your cards without damaging them. Doing so requires immense care, and may not be worth doing if you are concerned that you could damage the card in any way.
How to Package Your Card
PSA recommends storing each card in a flexible card pouch and then placing the card in a tougher, semi-rigid plastic sleeve (which it conveniently sells on its eStore). It explicitly states that you should not use screw-down or snap cases, as doing so can delay the time it takes for you to receive a grade.
Stack your cards (within their plastic sleeves) on top of each other. Place a piece of cardboard at the bottom of the pile. The cardboard barrier should be slightly larger than the size of your cards.
The card at the top of the stack should correspond with the first item on your card submission form. If your cards are not in proper order, PSA reserves the right of shipping your items back to you without a refund for the cost of shipping.
Place another cardboard barrier on top of your stack. At this point, your stack should be encapsulated by cardboard barriers on top and bottom.
Keep the cards in place by wrapping rubber bands around the stack. Use the Goldy Locks method—not too tight, not too loose.
Place your stack of cards in bubble wrap, packing popcorn, or other materials that prevent movement within a cardboard box. Remember to include two paper copies of your submission form. Seal the box, apply the shipping label, and also apply the Submission ID label that PSA will provide you.
Drop the package off at your shipper of choice (use the shipping method you choose through the PSA website), and wait anxiously for your cards to be graded.
Who to Send Your Card to (PSA Grading Address)
PSA operates out of Southern California. At the risk of providing information that is not specific to you, you should use the shipping address and method that matches the official PSA submission address as listed below:
TRENDING: TOP WAYNE GRETZKY ROOKIE CARDS
Addresses and shipping methods may be subject to change with time. International submissions may also require unique shipping methods. Use the most current, personalized information when shipping your cards to PSA.
How the Grading Process Generally Works / How Long It Takes
The level of service that you select, which is generally dependent on the value of the cards that you submit, will impact how long it takes to grade your card.
PSA will notify you via email when it has received your card. It will then:
- Enter your order into its grading system database
- Generate specific order numbers for your cards
- Update your Orders page with additional details about your submissions
- Notify you of any errors or issues with your order (if such issues exist)
- Apply stickers to each card, which allow PSA (and you) to track the progress of your grades
- Generate an estimated due date for your order
- Research each of your cards to ensure accuracy, then send you an email confirming that each card has been researched and confirmed as accurate
- Inform you of any errors or of cards that are not eligible for grading
- Grade your cards
- Generate an official PSA Lighthouse Label for each eligible card
- Seal your card and Lighthouse Label in the trademark PSA case
- Re-review your card and grade for accuracy
- Confirm your return shipping information
- Return your card to you
There is no way to accurately say how long it will take to grade your card. There are several variables. Once your card is received by PSA, order updates will be the surest way to project when the grading process will be completed.
Criteria PSA Uses to Grade Your Card
Your card is considered perfect until flaws come into play. Flaws that could decrease the grade of your card include:
- the card being miscut
- a defect in the way that your card is printed
- a card being stained
- a card having damaged edges or corners
- a card having blemishes, also known as marks
- a card image being out of focus
These are the primary criteria that PSA uses to grade cards, including any that you submit.
How to get cards graded for free by PSA?
Contrary to popular belief you cannot get your cards graded for free by PSA. They do however offer a service called PSA Photograde.
PSA Photograde is a free service that allows the user to gaina better understanding of thePSAGrading Standards and how they apply to theircards by providing a visual tour.
PSA Grades Scale
PSA grades cards on a 1 through 10 scale. Individual grades include:
1 – Poor (PR 1)
1.5 – Fair (FR 1.5)
2 – Good (GOOD)
3 – Very Good (VG 3)
4 – Very Good-Excellent (VG-EX 4)
5 – Excellent (EX 5)
6- Excellent-Mint (EX-MT 6)
7 – Near Mint (NM 7)
8 – Near Mint-Mint (NM-MT 8)
9 – Mint (MINT 9)
10 – Gem Mint (GEM-MT 10)
The higher the score, the higher you can expect the market value for your specific card to be.
Conclusion – You’re Ready to Have Your Cards Graded
Should you choose PSA as your card grading service of choice, you now have the information you need to get the process started.
FAQs
How long does PSA grading take 2021? ›
They also do not grade cards in the order they were received which makes it much harder to predict when a specific order will come back. These are the approximate turnaround times as of October 2022. Approximately 3-4 weeks.
Is there an alternative to PSA grading? ›Beckett Grading Services has a lot more bells and whistles than PSA: they offer color-coded tags for the cards based on their grade (gold is a 9.5 or 10, for example), they award subscores so you can see exactly how your cards faired in their four subcategories, and they have a “Black Label” offering for the rare ...
How far behind is PSA grading? ›Currently the average turnaround time listed on the PSA website is 42 business days (or the equivalent of 8 1/2 weeks).
Does PSA clean a card before grading? ›Does PSA Clean Your Cards? No, PSA and other grading services do not clean your cards as they get them. They will grade your cards as they receive them, which means that you should pay extra attention to the cleanliness of your cards before sending them out to these services.
Will PSA prices go down 2022? ›PSA prices have decreased in 2022, with the latest update being a $18/card special for July to celebrate the National Convention. This comes shortly after the June announcement that the Value service level of $30/card has returned.
Is a Beckett 9.5 a PSA 10? ›A BGS 9.5 is not the same as a PSA 10. While the conditions of the cards graded as such might be similar or even identical, there is a large and obvious difference in value between the two grades. Another argument for the difference between the two grades could be based on the grading scales of the two companies.
Is Beckett grading better than PSA? ›The general consensus seems to be that BGS is a bit cheaper and faster than PSA, and it's also the preferred option for newer, modern cards. Most of their services include collectible cards, but also other types of collectibles. BGS uses an algorithm to help them determine the grade of the card.
Is PSA 10 the highest grade? ›10 is the highest overall grade a sports card can receive, though BGS also offers a Black Label Pristine 10, which means the card received a 10 for all four subgrades. While a Black Label Pristine 10 and PSA 10 are the highest grades a card can obtain, that isn't to say that other grades aren't of value.
How hard is it to get a PSA 10? ›How hard is it to get a PSA 10? It's hard to get a PSA 10 rating for your card. To get that rating, your card would have to be perfect in almost every regard when it comes to grading standards. This means that it would have to have perfect corners, centering, surface, and all other aspects also need to be perfected.
How much does a PSA 10 increase value? ›Compared to raw cards, the PSA 10 sells for about 7x more. That's a big difference! Comparatively, the BGS 9.5 only sells for about 3.5x as much. PSA 9s are worth 2x as much as the raw card.
What is a good PSA grade? ›
There is no specific normal or abnormal level of PSA in the blood. In the past, PSA levels of 4.0 ng/mL and lower were considered normal. However, some individuals with PSA levels below 4.0 ng/mL have prostate cancer and many with higher PSA levels between 4 and 10 ng/mL do not have prostate cancer (1).
Is PSA price guide accurate? ›PSA Price Guide is only meant to be a guide. PSA Price Guide and Professional Sports Authenticator do not guarantee the accuracy of the prices listed in the PSA Price Guide.
How often is PSA price guide updated? ›Updated each week, SMR Online (www.psacard.com/SMRPriceGuide) is the only official price guide for PSA-certified collectibles, and it includes over 350,000 prices for sports and non-sports trading cards, autographs, unopened packs, tickets, professional model bats and graded baseballs.
Is there an app that scans sports cards for value? ›CollX (pronounced “collects”) answers the question every collector has: “What's it worth?” The app lets you scan any baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, or wrestling card and instantly identify it and get the average market value.
How much does it cost to get 1 card graded from PSA? ›PSA grading costs range anywhere from $22 per card all the way up to $10,000 per card, depending on the value of the card, the age of the card, how many cards you're submitting at one time, how fast you want the turnaround to be, and other factors.
What is the rarest PSA card? ›In April 2022, it was confirmed that Logan Paul paid $5.275 million for a PSA grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card. The Illustrator card, given out to 39 winners of the 1997 and 1998 Pokémon illustration contests, is extremely rare. Only 23 have been certified by the PSA, and only one has been given a PSA rating of 10.
How much is a PSA 6 worth? ›The price range for PSA 6 or 7 examples of this card is between $160 and $290. As this card falls below the $499 threshold, it should be submitted at the Economy level.
Can you get cards graded for free? ›Likewise, as an Amazon Associte I earn from qualifying purchases. I'll just get this out of the way now—when it comes to getting cards graded for free, you can't.
Who is the best card grading service? ›PSA is well regarded in the card grading industry. Collectors and investors regularly pay significant premiums for PSA 10-Gem-Mint cards even compared to Gem-Mint graded cards from other grading companies. As a result, PSA grading is in high demand which has impacted turnaround times significantly in 2021.
How much does it cost to get 100 cards PSA graded? ›PSA Grading Cost
Value: $30/card. Economy: $50/card. Regular: $100/card. Express: $200.
How much does it cost to get 10 cards graded at Beckett? ›
Beckett grading costs range anywhere from $20 per card all the way up to $250 per card (or more), depending on the value of the card, the age of the card, how many cards you're submitting at one time, how fast you want the turnaround to be, and other factors.
What is the hardest card grading company? ›PSA is known for their tough grading standards and their registry which allows collectors to register their PSA graded baseball cards along with the grade. This is both a way to "keep score" and a way to market your cards.
Is BGS 10 worth more than PSA 10? ›PSA 10 vs BGS 10
So these three well known cards on average increase 1239% when graded BGS 10 vs PSA 10. While this value increase is of course extremely attractive, it is also indicative of the extreme scarcity of the BGS 10 grade.
Even if its surface was graded an 8, the 9.5 grades on corners and centering are strong enough to push its overall grade to an 8.5 level. According to Beckett, the final grade rarely, if ever, exceeds two levels above the lowest sub-aspects grades.
Is it worth getting your cards graded? ›Truth is, the answer isn't usually the one that most want to hear. Much to the surprise of novice collectors, getting cards graded does not always increase their value. In fact, most cards, once graded, will return less than if they were sold raw.
Is PSA 6 GOOD? ›Excellent to Mint or EX/MT (PSA 6 or SGC 80):
A more common “higher” grade for vintage cards, an EX/MT card may have slightly fuzzy corners, color or print imperfections, a slightly skewed cut or slightly out-of-focus image. Centering must be 70/30 or better all around.
The highest graded card in the set is the #95 Mickey Mantle, and only 1 PSA 10 exists out of 6,874 submitted copies of the card.
Is there a big difference between PSA 9 and 10? ›The Price Differences In Graded Pokémon Cards
Using the PSA Price Guide, a PSA 10 of this card is valued at around $375,000. In comparison, a PSA 9 drops down to around $20,000. That is a huge drop in value for just one number, and depending on the collector, a 9 could be just as good as a 10.
Many people who buy graded PSA cards only focus on 9s and 10s. Those are the 'Mint' and 'Gem Mint' grades. Some people claim that a PSA 8 — 'Near Mint' — holds significant value compared to lower numbers but historically it doesn't perform well at all when compared to PSA 9s and 10s.
Is PSA 9 a good grade? ›MINT 9 (Mint): A PSA MINT 9 is a superb condition card that exhibits only one of the following minor flaws: a very slight wax stain on the reverse, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off-white borders. Centering must be approximately 60/40 to 65/35 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.
What is the highest PSA can go? ›
Aging Affects PSA Levels
Even without any prostate problems, your PSA level can go up gradually as you age. "At age 40, a PSA of 2.5 is the normal limit," says John Milner, MD, a urologist in the Chicago area. "By age 60, the limit is up to 4.5; by age 70, a PSA of 6.5 could be considered normal."
If you want the highest return value for valued grading, do PSA. It is only about $20 at PSA itself, but if you want it to be even cheaper, go to a hobby store, or a person that grades FOR people, and submit something you want. Generally, this cost me about $8–$10 per card, and results were usually good.
What should you not do before a PSA test? ›Before having a PSA test, men should not have ejaculated during the previous 48 hours. Semen released during sexual activity can cause PSA levels to rise temporarily, which may affect the test results. For the same reason, before having a PSA test men should not have: exercised vigorously in the previous 48 hours.
Does age affect PSA levels? ›Besides cancer, other conditions that can raise PSA levels include an enlarged prostate (also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH ) and an inflamed or infected prostate (prostatitis). Also, PSA levels normally increase with age.
Can a PSA be too low? ›“Just because you have a low PSA doesn't mean it's always good news. You may have a serious hormonal deficiency besides low testosterone or a life-threatening condition. If you have less than . 1 PSA, you should be evaluated for hormonal deficiencies including low testosterone.
How long does it take to grade cards in 2k22? ›Card grading is an RNG system where you submit your cards and after about 2 hours you get them back with a grade. The grade just gets you an MT bonus.
Does PSA grade on Saturdays? ›PSA, like millions of other businesses, primarily staffs Monday through Friday. While they don't outright say they never work on Saturdays, we recommend you don't bank on it. Because grading is a skilled trade, PSA works within the confines of what working professionals want.
Is PSA grading still backlogged? ›Clearing a backlog of 12 million cards.
PSA has just announced that it has officially caught up with all its backloaded cards for grading. What began as a temporary suspension in March 2021, has now ended thanks to a capacity expansion.
How hard is it to get a PSA 10? It's hard to get a PSA 10 rating for your card. To get that rating, your card would have to be perfect in almost every regard when it comes to grading standards. This means that it would have to have perfect corners, centering, surface, and all other aspects also need to be perfected.
Is it worth grading your cards? ›You should ONLY get your cards graded IF it will increase the value or make the sale of the card(s) easier. You should NOT get your card graded just because you THINK it will improve the value. Grading cards costs money.
Are 2k grading cards worth it? ›
There's a huge discount when you have cards graded this way, and they get returned to you at a faster rate than when you would rate cards individually.
What is minimum grade PSA? ›Submit the card in the existing holder and indicate a minimum grade of 9. PSA graders will review your card while it's still in the current holder. If the PSA graders evaluate your card as a 9 or higher, it will be removed from its current case and encapsulated in a PSA holder.
What is the lowest grade PSA? ›If your cards pass authentication, PSA grades the condition of each card on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being best.
Is PSA shutting down? ›You may lose a little bit of business there, but the ones that will submit with you, you will definitely earn and keep those customers, which that is going to be the most critical thing right here these next three months while PSA is shut down.
Why did PSA stop grading cards? ›To ensure that they get back up to speed, PSA used the shutdown to upgrade their grading capabilities by using new technologies and hiring more people. In turn, this will increase their capacity to reduce the submission backlog they are facing.
Why is PSA grading suspended? ›With the card collecting industry continuing to surge, pushing card values to an all-time high, PSA announced this week that it is temporarily suspending most of its card-grading services due to an avalanche of submissions. The news comes after PSA announced early this month a price increase for most of its services.
Are PSA 10 worth it? ›10 is the highest overall grade a sports card can receive, though BGS also offers a Black Label Pristine 10, which means the card received a 10 for all four subgrades. While a Black Label Pristine 10 and PSA 10 are the highest grades a card can obtain, that isn't to say that other grades aren't of value.
What does a PSA 8 look like? ›Near Mint to Mint or NM/MT (PSA 8 or SGC 88):
A NM/MT card will appear as a MINT card to the naked eye, but may have a little lesser centering and a light touch of wear that may be visible on a corner upon close examination. A NM/MT card should have no surface flaws, bends, creases or stains on the front or back.