How do you know if your card is PSA?

If your cards pass authentication, PSA grades the condition of each card on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being best. PSA encapsulates each card in its own sonically sealed, tamper-evident case. The card's grade and certification number are displayed on the PSA LightHouse™ label.

How do you tell if a card is a PSA?

A PSA Good 2 card's corners show accelerated rounding and surface wear is starting to become obvious. A good card may have scratching, scuffing, light staining, or chipping of enamel on obverse. There may be several creases. Original gloss may be completely absent.

How can you tell if you have a real PSA?

According to PSA, their preferred method of determining the authenticity of their graded cards is to hold the label in front of a bright light. Once this is done, the label's text should be deciphered by the naked eye. If not, there's a chance the PSA slab is a fake.

Can PSA DNA be faked?

In many cases, the holder requires no pressure at all as one or more of the edges are already open. Another possible telltale sign of a counterfeit PSA-certified item has to do with the label found at the top of the holder.

How much money does it cost to grade a card?

PSA grading costs range anywhere from $20 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. Below is a complete rundown of the PSA grading cost levels.

How to Inspect Cards for Grading - Pokemon PSA Tips

Are PSA 9 worth buying?

PSA 9s are worth 2x as much as the raw card.

Much like the BGS, the Steve Nash rookie had the most significant difference in value. In that case, the 9 was worth 2.5x as much as the raw.

Is PSA grading worth it?

Even mid-level cards aren't worth the time, money and effort it takes to get them graded by PSA at the current time of writing. Consider the 2021 Celebrations Charizard seen below. It would undoubtedly be worth it with the Value tier, but it's still not valuable enough to make it worth the effort.

Does PSA clean cards 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.

Do PSA grades expire?

The label will expire within 30 days of issuance. If it is determined that the item(s) have no errors, then you will be responsible for the full return shipping fee. If your order is still in process with PSA, you will receive an email to “Review Your Order” once it finishes Research and ID.

What does PSA look for when grading cards?

A series of PSA graders review your cards for authenticity. If genuine, PSA looks for evidence of doctoring, such as re-coloring or trimming. If your cards pass authentication, PSA grades the condition of each card on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being best.

What are the best cards to get graded?

You should grade superstars numbered and rare insert cards.

Generic inserts found in regular packs should be avoided, as should non-superstar players. Older numbered cards have high numbers (eg. /1000) and should be avoided as well. I own a Freddie Freeman 1/1 Donruss Baseball card.

Does grading cards increase value?

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.

What does PSA 7 mean?

PSA is secreted into seminal fluid in high concentration and it is also found in low concentration in blood. PSA levels under 4 ng/ml are generally considered normal, while levels over 4 ng/ml are considered abnormal. PSA levels between 4 and 10 ng/ml indicate a risk of prostate cancer higher than normal.

Is it worth it to grade Pokémon cards?

While you may prefer to sell your cards elsewhere, highly valuable cards should always be graded before being sold. This will ensure the buyer receives a card in the condition they expected and is therefore satisfied with the purchase.

Will PSA prices go down?

PSA recently announced that its Standard grading service would reopen to collectors, at a new price point of $100 per card. Recall that PSA shut down everything aside from its premium grading services in early 2021.

Where is PSA grading located?

PSA is a division of Collectors Universe, which has offices in California, New Jersey, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo. As the only third-party grading service to offer a guarantee on its services, PSA has emerged as the clear leader in authentication and grading for trading cards and other collectibles.