PSA stands for Professional Sports Authenticator and they are the largest and most prestigious of the major sports card grading companies. Owned by Collectors, PSA was established in 1991 to bring the concept of grading to the sports card industry. Learn more about the history of PSA and Collectors here.
PSA offers many services including sports card authentication and grading, autograph authentication and grading, plus similar services for other collectible memorabilia.
Learn more about grading sports cards here.
What does PSA actually do to a card?
When you send a card to PSA, three things happen:
- Authentication: PSA checks that the card is genuine and hasn’t been altered, for example trimmed, recolored or had its corners reshaped.
- Grading: Graders assess the card’s condition (centering, corners, edges and surface) and assign a grade from 1 to 10.
- Encapsulation: The card is sealed in a tamper-evident plastic holder, known in the hobby as a slab, with a label showing the card, its grade and a unique certification number.
PSA grades at a glance
The two grades you’ll hear about most are PSA 10 (Gem Mint) and PSA 9 (Mint). Because PSA is the most widely recognized grading company, a PSA 10 of a popular card can sell for many times more than the same card raw or in a PSA 9. For a breakdown of every grade and what graders look for, see the PSA grading scale explained.
PSA pop reports and cert numbers
PSA publishes a population report showing how many copies of each card it has graded at each grade. That’s where terms like Pop 1 come from. A low population in a high grade can make a card much more valuable.
Every PSA slab also has a certification number on its label. Before buying a PSA-graded card, look that number up on PSA’s website to confirm the card, grade and images match the slab in front of you. Fake slabs and swapped labels do exist.
Is PSA the only option?
No. Other well-known grading companies include Beckett (BGS), SGC and CGC. PSA is usually the default choice for cards you might sell, because buyers recognize the brand and PSA-graded cards tend to have the most sales history to comp against. Compare the options in our guide to card grading companies.
Buying graded cards? Here’s how to spot a fake PSA slab, even one with a real cert number.
