Q & A: baseball card grading

This past March, I hosted a webinar about the marketplace for baseball cards with sports appraiser Michael Osacky, Founder of Baseball In The Attic.

During the lively Q&A that followed, callers were especially eager to demystify the baseball card grading process. Their curiosity sparked a deeper discussion, leading us to host a follow-up conversation dedicated to unraveling the details of this essential step in card collecting. Below, find unique insights from that conversation and answers to some of your biggest grading questions! Missed the webinar, click here to watch it now.

Katja: Grading is the process of assessing a trading card’s condition and authenticity, with its final grade determined by factors like surface quality, corner sharpness, edge integrity, centering, and overall preservation. Of course, leading grading companies include PSA, BGS, and SGC, but what sets them apart? Which do you prefer or use most often when grading baseball cards?

Michael: I always direct people to PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator). They have been grading cards since 1991, and they are the industry leader. Cards usually sell for higher value when they have been graded by PSA. (Full Transparency: I am the lead appraiser at PSA and oversee the appraisal department.)

Katja: Many callers to the webinar were concerned about sending in their beloved cards and were seeking more information on the process. Can you please walk us through that?

Michael: Certainly, people are always concerned that a card grading company is going to do a bait and switch (i.e., you send in one Michael Jordan card, and you get an inferior Michael Jordan card back). So let me answer that question before I kind of talk about the eight steps. First, there are cameras everywhere on the grading floor of card grading companies. Second, you aren’t allowed to bring in a bag or suitcase or anything, and people get checked when they enter or when they leave, so there is very tight security.

If this type of “bait and switch” happened even once, you would hear about it on social media and the card grading company would be out of business overnight.

Another concern people have is the possibility of cards getting lost or damaged during shipping. Many customers chose a shipper that offers tracking and insurance during transit.

Katja: Yes, a collector can be very proactive in taking the right precautions to ensure the beloved cards are sent in the best possible method. Now, there are other options besides shipping the cards to the PSA, correct?

Michael: Absolutely. Across the country, PSA and its representatives go to various card shows where they accept submissions for grading. Additionally, in October 2024, PSA announced a partnership with GameStop.

GameStop has hundreds of locations across the country, so now you can just walk into a store and drop off your cards, and then they will facilitate getting the cards shipped to PSA for grading. This alliance is very strategic.

Katja: Okay, so through one method or another, your cards get to PSA. What happens next? Can you walk us through the grading process?

Michael: Sure. It’s an 8-step process that you’ll see below.

Step 1:

You will automatically get an e-mail saying your order has arrived. But let’s say your e-mail goes into a spam folder or you don’t see it.  As long as you have the tracking number from the shipping company, you can go to the PSA website and type in that tracking number, and it will tell you if the package has arrived or not arrived.

Step 2:

This step is about Order Prep. So, let’s say you send 50 cards in 50 cards. You will now have to fill out a form describing each card. Even if you don’t know what it is, PSA will look at it and identify it.

Step 3:

This step is about the Research ID, which is kind of an extension of Step 2. I will say back in 2020 and 2021, the PSA had a huge backlog during these first steps. They were trying to organize, label, and categorize all the incoming shipments of cards. As far as I know, there is no longer a backlog, and current turn-around times could average anywhere from 5 days to 90 days.

Step 4:

This step is Grading. Each card is graded right there on the grading room floor. It’s like a cold, dim space that feels more like a science lab, with special lights and precision tools. Your card won’t just be evaluated by one person; typically, a $25 card might pass through the hands of two or three graders.

Step 5:

This step is Assembly. Your card has been graded and now needs to be put in a plastic holder.  A label is printed and then it is sealed together before it can be shipped back to you.

Step 6:

At this step, your grades are ready. You can login to the PSA website and review what grade each card received.

Step 7:

This step is for Quality Assurance Checks. Does everything look okay? Is there any damage to the holder or scratches on the case?

Step 8:

The process is complete. At this stage, you have three options:

1. 1. You can have the cards shipped back to you.
   2. You can sell the cards through PSA on the Ebay platform.
   3. You can vault the cards with PSA.

Katja: That seems like a very logical process. Why might someone choose to store their cards at PSA rather than have them at home? Also, is there an advantage to selling cards through the PSA?

Michael: Storing your cards in the PSA Vault is a great option if you’re not ready to sell just yet but may consider it in the future. Or, if you live in a floodplain or a hurricane-prone area, you could consider the PSA Vault, a service where you can store graded cards. One major advantage of selling through PSA on the eBay platform is convenience. The cards are sold directly from the vault and there are no shipping costs to the seller.

Katja: What was the last card that you had graded by PSA?

Michael: The last cards I had graded by PSA were a few T206 baseball cards with rare backs. Most recently, I submitted a T206 Christy Mathewson card; he’s pictured wearing a dark cap as a member of the New York Giants. As a Hall of Famer, Mathewson’s cards carry added value, and with over 500 cards in the T206 set, many feature advertising from different tobacco companies.

The back of my Mathewson card has an ad for “Piedmont Cigarettes,” a relic of an era when tobacco branding was common in baseball cards. That trend faded by the 1930s.

Despite its rarity, the condition of the card was rough; it had heavy creasing and soft corners, so it was only Graded as a 2/10, which put its value around $500. To emphasize the importance of proper card care: in mint condition, this exact Mathewson card could be worth nearly $500,000!

Katja: Ah, that story proves that once again, in the world of collectibles, it’s condition, condition, condition! Thank you, Michael, for an enlightening discussion as always. To learn more, check out our webinar in which Michael speaks in depth on more aspects of baseball card collecting.

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Michael Osacky is the President of Baseball in the Attic, a company that appraises vintage sport card and memorabilia collections for private individuals, museums, historical societies and auction houses. Michael is also the lead appraiser for Professional Sports Authenticator and appraises all sports cards, autographs, ticket stubs and photos for PSA’s customers. In 2017, Forbes magazine named Michael the Dean of Cracker Jack baseball cards.

Katja Zigerlig is Vice President of Art, Wine + Collectibles Advisory at Berkley One (a Berkley Company).