PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) is the most widely recognized card grading company. They grade cards on a scale of 1 to 10.
The PSA grading scale
| Grade | Label | What it means | |-------|-------|---------------| | PSA 10 | Gem Mint | Perfect or near-perfect. Sharp corners, no visible flaws under magnification. | | PSA 9 | Mint | One minor flaw allowed, a very slight imperfection barely visible to the eye. | | PSA 8 | Near Mint-Mint | Very light wear. A minor defect that doesn't detract from overall appeal. | | PSA 7 | Near Mint | Slight surface wear or a minor printing defect visible to the naked eye. | | PSA 6 | Excellent-Mint | Minor creasing, slightly off-center, or heavier surface wear. | | PSA 5 | Excellent | Rounded corners, possible light creasing, noticeable wear. | | PSA 4 | Very Good-Excellent | Heavier wear, rounded corners, minor staining possible. | | PSA 3 | Very Good | Noticeable creases, rounded corners, moderate wear throughout. | | PSA 2 | Good | Heavy wear, creasing, possible small tears or staining. | | PSA 1 | Poor | Major damage: tears, heavy creasing, writing, or significant loss. |
PSA 10 premium
A PSA 10 is the holy grail for modern card collectors. The premium can be dramatic:
- Common rookies: a PSA 10 might be worth 2-5x the raw price
- Star player rookies: PSA 10 can command 5-20x the raw price
- Key vintage cards: high-grade examples can be worth 50x+ raw
The exact premium depends on the pop count (how many PSA 10s exist) and overall demand.
What PSA looks at
PSA graders evaluate four main areas:
- Centering: how well the image is centered within the card borders
- Corners: sharpness of all four corners
- Edges: cleanness and absence of chipping along all edges
- Surface: freedom from scratches, stains, print defects, or creases
Unlike BGS, PSA does not publish individual sub-grades. You only get the final overall grade.
Using PSA grades in Cubbby
When adding a card to Cubbby, select the PSA grade from the dropdown. Cubbby will show you market prices specifically for that grade, based on recent completed sales data.