PSA grading dominance shapes Pokémon card resale values

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PSA grading shapes Pokémon values

Highlights

PSA reduced its grading backlog to 7.2 million items by Oct. 20 from 12.4 million in July after suspending cheaper submissions in June.
A 1999 Base Set Charizard graded PSA 9 sold for $3,440 on Sept. 29, while a comparable CGC 9 sold for $1,890 the same day.
PSA’s grading standards and submission policies exert significant influence over secondary market pricing, maintaining its dominance and dealers’ preference despite turnaround delays.

Backlog and pricing power in grading

As reported by CNBC, Professional Sports Authenticator, or PSA, continues to dominate card grading even as it works through a large submission backlog that affects turnaround times for collectors and dealers.

PSA reports a backlog of 7.2 million items on Oct. 20, down from 12.4 million in July. The company suspends cheaper submission services in June to ease the backlog before reopening its Value service on Oct. 29.

Dealers say many sellers still prefer waiting for a PSA label instead of using a competing grader. Geoff Wilson, founder and CEO of CardsHQ, says the choice is driven mainly by secondary market values, with PSA-graded cards typically commanding higher prices than equivalent grades from rivals.

That premium gives collectors and investors an incentive to use PSA in hopes of a stronger return. It also gives the company’s fee decisions and submission policies outsized influence over resale pricing across the trading card market.

Resale premium supports market leadership

A recent price comparison illustrates the gap. A 1999 Base Set Charizard graded PSA 9 sells for about $3,440 on eBay on Sept. 29, while a CGC 9 copy sold the same day changes hands for roughly $1,890, based on CNBC’s review of PriceCharting records.

Grading companies verify authenticity, assess condition and seal cards in protective plastic cases known as slabs. PSA uses a 10-point scale, with Gem Mint 10 as its top grade for cards it describes as virtually perfect.

That grading system functions much like a credit rating in bond markets by giving buyers and sellers a shared benchmark for condition. In practice, the standard can reduce transaction friction and support higher confidence in pricing, especially for vintage sports cards and Pokémon cards increasingly treated as alternative investments.

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