PSA Grading Standards (2024)

FAQs

PSA Grading Standards? ›

For a card to earn a 10, the edges of a card must be flawless to the naked eye and virtually perfect when looked at under magnification. Surface. The final criteria looked at by card graders is the surface of the card.

For a card to earn a 10, the edges of a card must be flawless to the naked eye and virtually perfect when looked at under magnification. Surface. The final criteria looked at by card graders is the surface of the card.

A PSA EX-MT 6 card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect which does not detract from its overall appeal. A very light scratch may be detected only upon close inspection. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register.

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.

A PSA EX-MT 6 card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect which does not detract from its overall appeal. A very light scratch may be detected only upon close inspection. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register.

Earning a PSA 10 grade on average is quite hard, but is highly dependent on a card's age, scarcity, and condition sensitivity. Newer cards generally have a higher probability of earning a PSA 10, since a collector will immediately protect a card after pulling from a pack.

Some cards are extremely difficult in getting a PSA 10, while others are relatively easier. For instance, there isn't a PSA 10 1971 Reggie Jackson in existence according to the PSA pop report. On the other hand, there are 476 PSA 10 2022 Topps Chrome Refractors (out of 837 total graded, for a “gem rate” of 57%).

As the grade number gets lower, the flaws on the trading card become more and more noticeable. PSA Near-Mint 7, Excellent-Mint 6, and Excellent 5 graded trading cards display poor focus, printing issues, chipping on the edges, surface scratches, and rounded corners.

PSA is the premier grading company, and many collectors don't even buy other grading companies. But, as you know, PSA does not have half grades on cards. So Ins, a PSA preference means you're most likely looking at a 9 or 10 on modern cards. After all, lower grades are often worth less than raw cards.

Does PSA give 9.5 grades? ›

Both PSA and BGS use a 10-point grading scale to evaluate a card's condition, but there are some differences. While the grades range from "Mint 9" to "Poor 1," with half-point markers for near-mint cards (8.5), PSA doesn't issue a 9.5 grade like BGS does.

The most expensive Pokémon card is the Pikachu Illustrator which sold for $5.275 million in July 2021. It's the true Holy Grail of Pokémon card collecting and only one PSA 10 is known to exist.

Around 2.5 percent of them are PSA 10s.

The 1957 Topps Baseball set has 308,933 total cards graded and a gem rate of 0.1%. That leaves just 308 total PSA 10s available in the market. 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.

Then a PSA 8 is worth $100. A PSA 9 is worth $300. A PSA 10 is worth $700. I'm having a hard time finding comps for some of these newer cards.

Professional Sports Authenticator - Wikipedia

PSA grading is expensive because they use a 10-point grading process to grade and value cards. Not every grading company has such an extensive grading process. Since PSA does, it makes its services a bit more expensive.

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).

PSA 10 cards scored anything from 91 – 100 on the grading scale, while BGS 9.5 cards received 91 – 96. BGS reserves the perfect 10-score grading for really “perfect” cards without blemish, while PSA leaves a greater leeway.

Is PSA grade 8 bad? A PSA NM-MT 8 is a super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the card can exhibit the following: a very slight wax stain on reverse, slightest fraying at one or two corners, a minor printing imperfection, and/or slightly off-white borders.

The Trading Card Authentication & Grading Process

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.

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.

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.

Nice and simple. If you submit a card for grading with a minimum grade of 8, and if the graders evaluate your card as an 8 or higher, it will be encapsulated in a PSA holder. If the graders evaluate your card to be less than an 8, it will not be encapsulated in a PSA holder.

I've seen PSA 10s with edge wear/silvering/holo scratches before. It's possible.

Pokemon cards that receive the gem mint 10 grade are straight from the pack into a penny sleeve and top loader. They have never been played or handled. Even pulling them from packs in gem mint condition can prove very difficult.

If your card gets a grade of 9, you should be very happy. You'll be able to earn book value – or more – for your card. It is also referred to as “mint 9” and is considered the condition that it was in when it was in the pack. If it gets a score of 9.5, it's called a “gem-mint”, signifying that it's nearly flawless.

With PSA, $50 is for grading at the Economy level, which means your card will be returned 45-90 days after being processed. Have time? There is a Value option for $30 with a 90-120-day turnaround time, and a Bulk option for $20 with a 120-day turnaround time.

The average value of "rainbow charizard psa 10" is $268.70. Sold comparables range in price from a low of $54.00 to a high of $3,355.85.

The difference between the SGC 9.5s and PSA 9s might not seem like much, but for an average $50 raw card assuming $25 grading costs, one would net $10 buying, grading, and selling for a PSA 9 but $30 with an SGC 9.5.

Then a PSA 8 is worth $100. A PSA 9 is worth $300. A PSA 10 is worth $700.

Is Beckett or PSA better? ›

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 ...

The first significantly controversial card grade was in fact the first card ever graded by PSA. This was the T206 Honus Wagner card. Originally It achieved a NM-MT 8 grade. This card was originally owned by Sotheby's Sport's Consultant Bill Mastro, and purchased by Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall.

On August 28 of 2022, a Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps Card sold for $12.6 million to an anonymous buyer.

The average value of "PSA 7 Charizard GX" is $31.57. Sold comparables range in price from a low of $9.50 to a high of $329.99.

The highest priced PSA 10 condition card from the 1970 Topps baseball set is currently the Thurman Munson. The rookie card last sold for over $33,200 and remains the highest valued and most sought after card from the set to date.

For instance, a POP 1 PSA 10 card would mean it's the only one in existence. a POP 18 would mean there are 18, and so on. Thus, “low pop” means low population, and is a term used when a card is scarce in terms of that particular issue and grade.

With only 58 PSA 10s in existence, the value of the Carddass Prism Charizard isn't driven so much by nostalgia, instead it's more about owning a piece of Pokemon history from the place it all began. What is this?

PSA Grading Cost Per Card

To grade cards with PSA: Value Bulk: $19/card. Value: $25/card. Value Plus: $40/card.

PSAcard.com has the answer.

Whether you're looking to find the value of a cardboard classic like the 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle or a modern release like a 1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan rookie card, the resources on PSAcard.com will give you accurate pricing information on your card of interest.

Is there a minimum or maximum number of cards I can submit on each service level? A4. No, you can submit 1 card at a time or as many cards as you would like.

What is the average cost of a PSA? ›

Total PSA Test Cost will be between $27.00 and $49.00.

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.

PSA 10 cards scored anything from 91 – 100 on the grading scale, while BGS 9.5 cards received 91 – 96. BGS reserves the perfect 10-score grading for really “perfect” cards without blemish, while PSA leaves a greater leeway.

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). In addition, various factors can cause someone's PSA level to fluctuate.

One notable exception are grade 10 cards. BGS issues very few Pristine 10 cards. This rarity can lead to pricing for BGS 10 trading cards trending a bit higher than PSA grade 10 cards, but this isn't consistent based on our research.

Is PSA grade 8 bad? A PSA NM-MT 8 is a super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the card can exhibit the following: a very slight wax stain on reverse, slightest fraying at one or two corners, a minor printing imperfection, and/or slightly off-white borders.

Overall Comparison

While a BGS 9 barely pays off the price of grading, a PSA 9 doubles the value of the raw card.

How much value does PSA 9 add? PSA 9s are worth 2x as much as the raw card.

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 ...

What is the highest PSA level ever? ›

In this study, the highest PSA detected was 23,162 ng/mL.

The difficulty of obtaining a PSA 10 depends on the specific card being graded. Some cards are extremely difficult in getting a PSA 10, while others are relatively easier. For instance, there isn't a PSA 10 1971 Reggie Jackson in existence according to the PSA pop report.

A Mint 9, as defined by PSA, is a card that is in “superb condition” and has only one minor flaw. This flaw can be a range of things, but most commonly PSA will grade a card a Mint 9 if there is simply a “minor printing imperfection”.

They're graded using 9 to 1, rather than A* to G. Grade 9 is the highest grade. Ofqual's GCSE grading diagrams outline the changes and also provide some useful guide for parents.

Then a PSA 8 is worth $100. A PSA 9 is worth $300. A PSA 10 is worth $700.