How PSA Grading Works: The Complete Process Explained
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) has been the dominant force in card grading since 1991. If you have spent more than a few weeks in the hobby, you have seen their red-and-yellow slabs. But the actual process that gets a card from your hand into that slab is more involved than most collectors realize, and understanding it matters when you are deciding whether to submit, which service tier to use, and what grade to realistically expect.
This is the full walkthrough, from submission to slab, with no steps skipped.
Step 1: Submission, Getting Your Cards to PSA
Before PSA sees your card, you have to get it there. There are two paths:
Direct Submission
You create an account at psacard.com, fill out the online submission form, specify your service tier for each card, package your cards per PSA’s guidelines, and ship directly to PSA in Santa Ana, California.
PSA’s packaging requirements are specific: cards must be submitted in card savers (not toploaders, which can cause cards to slide and accumulate corner wear in transit), wrapped in tissue paper, bundled in groups, and placed in a sturdy box. Submitting incorrectly packaged cards risks damage before a grader ever looks at them. Our card storage guide covers the difference between card savers and toploaders in detail, including why PSA specifies one over the other.
Through a Local Card Shop or Submission Service
Many card shops, including ORB, handle PSA submission intake for customers. We package your cards correctly, consolidate them into a batch submission, and handle the shipping logistics. For collectors who have never submitted before, or who do not want to deal with PSA’s online form and packaging requirements, this is the lower-friction option. Contact us about current PSA submission batches.
Step 2: PSA Intake and Authentication
When PSA receives your submission, the first step is intake: logging each card against your submission form, verifying card counts, and assigning tracking numbers. This is also when PSA conducts its initial authentication review.
Authentication asks: is this card genuine?
PSA’s authenticators check:
- Print quality and era-appropriate characteristics (printing technology has changed over decades; a claimed 1999 card showing wrong-era printing is a red flag)
- Stock and thickness (genuine cards have specific physical characteristics PSA has catalogued over 30+ years of submissions)
- Color registration and ink behavior (counterfeits often have slightly off color or different ink texture under magnification)
- Card dimensions (trimmed cards, cut down to remove damaged edges, are a form of alteration PSA detects and notes)
If a card fails authentication, PSA returns it as “Authentic-Altered” or “Not Authentic,” depending on the issue. Altered cards receive a note specifying the alteration type (trimmed, restored, chemically cleaned, etc.) and are not assigned a numeric grade.
Step 3: Grading, The Four Sub-Grades
Once authenticated, cards move to the grading floor. PSA assigns a single numeric grade from 1 to 10, but that grade is derived from evaluation across four distinct physical attributes:
Centering
Centering measures how evenly the printed image sits within the card’s borders. PSA expresses centering as a ratio: left border versus right border (or top versus bottom), where 50/50 is perfect.
Centering tolerances by grade:
| Grade | Front Centering | Back Centering |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 (Gem Mint) | 55/45 or better | 75/25 or better |
| PSA 9 (Mint) | 60/40 or better | 90/10 or better |
| PSA 8 (NM-MT) | 65/35 or better | n/a |
Centering is often the single most common reason a card misses a 10. You can evaluate your own card with a ruler or calipers before submitting: hold the card face-up and measure border widths on opposite sides.
Corners
Corners are examined under magnification. PSA is looking for:
- PSA 10: Four perfectly sharp corners with no visible wear under any lighting angle
- PSA 9: Slight wear on one or two corners barely visible under magnification
- PSA 8: Light wear visible on corners without magnification
- PSA 7 and below: Rounding, fraying, or significant corner damage becomes progressively more pronounced
Corners are where modern cards most commonly fail. Cards that have been stored in a binder pocket, slid across a surface, or handled without protection almost always have subtle corner wear. Under PSA’s magnification, subtle is enough to cost you a grade.
Edges
Edges are the four thin sides of the card. Common edge issues include:
- Chipping (small flakes of card material missing from the edge)
- Ruffling or roughness (edge not perfectly smooth)
- Nicks (small dents or indentations in the edge line)
Like corners, edge assessment is done under magnification. Vintage cards often show edge wear from storage in rubber-banded stacks or worn binder pockets.
Surface
Surface evaluation covers both faces of the card:
- Scratches (often from card-on-card contact or sliding against toploaders)
- Print defects (ink spots, printing lines, color skips, manufacturing flaws, not handling damage, but PSA still grades them down)
- Creases (any bending of the card stock)
- Stains or residue
- Gloss condition (a dull or hazy surface suggests prior handling or cleaning)
Surface is where vintage cards often lose ground. Decades of light handling accumulate. Surface is also where print defects (entirely out of the submitter’s control) can knock a factory-fresh card below a 10.
Step 4: The PSA Grade Scale, 1 Through 10
PSA uses a numeric scale where a higher number means better condition. Here is what each grade signifies in practical terms:
| Grade | Label | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Gem Mint | Near perfect in every respect. Extremely well-centered, no detectable wear under magnification |
| 9 | Mint | Excellent condition with only minor imperfections visible under close inspection |
| 8 | Near Mint-Mint | Very light wear, may have very slight corner wear or slight print imperfection |
| 7 | Near Mint | Slightly more wear on corners/edges, but an attractive card overall |
| 6 | Excellent-Mint | Light surface wear or minor corner/edge defects |
| 5 | Excellent | Surface wear is noticeable but modest; original gloss mostly retained |
| 4 | Very Good-Excellent | Noticeable wear, may have minor crease or heavy corner rounding |
| 3 | Very Good | Evident wear, possible light crease, moderate corner wear |
| 2 | Good | Heavy wear, possible heavy creasing, significant corner/edge damage |
| 1 | Poor/Authentic | Heavily damaged but authenticated as genuine |
PSA also issues qualifier grades when a card has one specific deficiency that would otherwise grade higher. The complete qualifier list:
- MK (Marked): A mark or writing on the card surface
- ST (Stained): Residue or staining present
- OC (Off-Center): Centering is the specific limiting factor
- MC (Miscut): Card was cut abnormally from the sheet
- OF (Out of Focus): Image is excessively blurry
- PD (Print Defect): Notable factory print defect
A qualifier grade might look like “PSA 7 (OC),” meaning the card is Mint-condition in every respect except centering. These have a different market than clean grades of the same number. PD qualifiers show up regularly on modern Pokemon cards where factory print defects occur; nothing the submitter did wrong, but PSA grades the card as-received.
PSA also issues half-grades (e.g., PSA 8.5) in some cases, typically for higher-value vintage submissions where the distinction between adjacent grades is financially significant.
Step 5: Encapsulation
After grading, cards move to the encapsulation station. PSA’s slab is a tamper-evident hard plastic case. The label inside the slab shows:
- Card name, year, and set
- The assigned grade
- PSA’s certification number (unique to that specific slab)
The encapsulation process is designed so that opening a PSA slab to remove or swap a card destroys the case (you cannot reseal it without it being visually obvious). This is core to the authentication value of a slab.
After encapsulation, completed slabs are sorted, matched to submission orders, packaged, and shipped back to the submitter via FedEx or UPS with declared value coverage up to the limit of your service tier.
2026 Service Tiers: Time and Cost
As of February 10, 2026, following PSA’s pricing update:
| Tier | Cost per Card | Est. Turnaround | Max Declared Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value Bulk* | $24.99 | 95 business days | $500 |
| Value | $32.99 | 75 business days | $500 |
| Value Plus | $49.99 | 45 business days | $500 |
| Value Max | $64.99 | 35 business days | $1,000 |
| Regular | $79.99 | 25 business days | $1,500 |
| Express | $149.00 | 15 business days | $2,500 |
| Super Express | $299.00 | 7 business days | $5,000 |
| Walk-Through | $599.00 | 7 business days | $10,000+ |
*Value Bulk requires PSA Collectors Club membership ($99/year) and a minimum 20-card submission.
For declared values above a tier’s maximum, you either need to upgrade tiers or purchase additional insurance. Cards sent at Value tier with a true value above $500 are underinsured if something goes wrong in transit.
Current turnaround estimates are always available at psacard.com/info/submission-updates, check this before submitting because PSA adjusts them as submission volume changes.
Why Cards Grade Lower Than Expected
After handling thousands of cards through the grading process, these are the most common reasons cards come back below the submitter’s expectation:
Centering missed on the back: Collectors often check front centering but ignore the back. PSA grades both. A card that looks perfectly centered face-up may have badly off-center backs, which kills PSA 10 eligibility (PSA requires 75/25 or better on the back).
Print defects on modern cards: Modern Pokemon and sports cards sometimes come from the factory with print lines, ink spots, or surface speckling. These are not handling damage, but PSA grades them down. There is no way to control for this before submission; it is the inherent risk of modern printing.
Invisible corner wear: Under PSA’s grading magnification, what looks like a pristine corner raw can show micro-fraying. Cards pulled from packs and immediately placed in a penny sleeve have the best shot at clean corners; cards that have been slid in and out of binder pockets rarely do.
Edge nicking from toploader storage: Cards stored in hard toploaders for years can develop subtle edge damage from repeatedly being inserted and removed. PSA’s recommended submission holder is a card saver (semi-rigid), not a toploader.
Stacking pressure and humidity: Cards stored under weight (a heavy stack in a box) can develop subtle surface impressions or bowing. Cards stored in high-humidity environments (garages, attics, storage units) develop surface issues that grade poorly.
PSA vs. BGS, SGC, and CGC: A Comparison
PSA is not the only grading company. Here is how the major players compare as of 2026:
| Factor | PSA | BGS (Beckett) | SGC | CGC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resale premium | Highest overall | Moderate | Moderate | Growing in TCG |
| Sub-grades on label | No | Yes (4 sub-grades) | No | No |
| Grade scale | 1-10 | 1-10 (Black Label = perfect 10) | 1-10 | 1-10 (Pristine = perfect 10) |
| Specialty | All cards | Modern chrome, TCG | Vintage sports | TCG (Pokemon, MTG, Yu-Gi-Oh) |
| Budget tier starting price | $24.99 (Bulk) | Varies | ~$15-18 | ~$15 |
| Corporate owner | Collectors | Collectors (announced Dec 2025) | Collectors | Independent |
The most significant 2026 development in grading: Collectors (PSA’s parent company) announced an agreement to acquire Beckett in December 2025, following its earlier acquisition of SGC in February 2024. PSA, BGS, and SGC are moving toward the same corporate umbrella. CGC remains independently operated. An antitrust review of the consolidation was also requested by at least one member of Congress following the announcement.
Which grader should you use?
- PSA: Best resale value, highest liquidity, most recognized brand. Choose PSA when you intend to sell at maximum market price.
- BGS: Choose BGS when you want granular sub-grade data or are chasing the BGS Black Label (a perfect 10 in all four sub-grades). Commands a premium for pristine modern cards.
- SGC: Strong reputation for vintage sports cards. Faster and cheaper at budget tiers. Less liquid resale market for Pokemon and TCG.
- CGC: Growing market share in Pokemon and MTG specifically. Competitive pricing and faster turnaround than PSA at similar price points. Worth considering if PSA’s longer Value tier turnaround is unworkable for your timeline.
ORB’s PSA Submission Service
We handle PSA submissions for customers at ORB Trading Cards in Oregon City. The process:
- Bring your cards to the shop (or ship them to us per our intake instructions)
- We assess cards, log them, and package them per PSA’s current requirements
- Cards join the next batch submission
- When PSA ships the return, you pick up your slabs (or we ship to you)
Batch submissions help reduce per-card shipping overhead compared to individual submissions. We also do a pre-grade assessment during intake and flag cards that are unlikely to grade well, better to know before you spend the submission fee. If you’re trying to decide whether a specific card is even worth the cost, our Pokemon grading decision guide works through the ROI formula in detail for both modern and vintage cards.
Contact us to ask about the next submission batch or to discuss whether your cards are worth submitting.
FAQ
Does PSA grade all cards, or only specific brands and sets?
PSA grades virtually all major trading card brands: Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, sports cards (baseball, basketball, football, hockey), non-sports cards, and many other collectible card types. They maintain an extensive registry. If you have an unusual card, PSA’s grading submission page has a searchable category list.
What happens if PSA loses or damages my card?
PSA provides insurance up to the declared value limit of your service tier. Value tier covers up to $500. If your card is worth more than your tier’s limit, you need to upgrade or accept the risk of underinsurance. Document the condition of your cards before shipping (photos) and use a shipping service with tracking and declared value coverage.
Can I track my submission while it is at PSA?
Yes. PSA’s customer portal at psacard.com shows submission status. Cards typically move through stages: Received, Research & ID, Grading, Assembly, and Shipped. The tracking is not real-time but updates regularly.
What does PSA do with cards that fail authentication?
Cards that fail authentication are returned to the submitter labeled “Not Authentic” or with an alteration notation. PSA does not retain or destroy cards (they come back to you).
Is there a way to get cards graded faster without paying for Express?
Not through PSA directly. The only way to reduce turnaround is to pay for a higher service tier. Third-party shops that batch submit may offer slightly improved per-card economics, but turnaround is controlled by PSA’s processing queue. If time is critical, Express ($149/15 business days) or Super Express ($299/7 business days) is the only reliable path.
Will PSA grade a card that has been previously graded by another company (BGS, CGC, etc.)?
PSA will grade cards removed from other companies’ slabs (often called “cracking”). The card must be submitted raw; PSA does not grade inside another company’s case. Cracking and resubmitting makes sense when a card graded well by a secondary company and you want PSA’s label for resale purposes.
Ready to Submit?
If you have cards worth grading, we handle intake, packaging, and submission logistics at ORB. Bring your cards in, and we will tell you honestly whether they are worth sending and which tier makes sense for your specific cards.
Contact us about PSA submissions or stop by the shop at 1900 McLoughlin Blvd, Suite 127, Oregon City, OR. We are open 11am–7pm, seven days a week.