For collectors who fanatically coat their cards in glassy slabs, a new roadblock is on the horizon, and its name is PSA—or, more formally, Professional Sports Authenticator. The company, famous as the arbiter of card condition, has stirred the pot again with another round of grading price hikes and exasperatingly long turnaround times. If you’re thinking of sending your precious paperboard treasures or stacks of speculative Pokémon to PSA, prepare to practice not just patience, but perhaps mindfulness.
PSA announced today they’re upping the ante with fresh grading times that could test the resolve of anyone less than zen. Here’s the breakdown of the new Catch-22: both Value and Value Bulk cards are facing a wait of 65 business days, and if you’re venturing into the realm of Value + Bulk Dual Service, you’re looking at a 75-day sentence. It seems patience is the new PSA grade they should be issuing.
What’s behind this move? The company cites a “continued high demand” for their services. It appears there’s no end in sight to the card craze boom that surged during the pandemic, with every second person seemingly grading something shiny. But this is not just growing pains; it’s a seismic shift. The price for TCG (Trading Card Game) Bulk service has also leapt from $16.99 to $18.99 per card, a subtle nudge to our wallets that might spark more grumbles while we grip our limiting budgets a little tighter.
This marks the second alteration to their modus operandi within the year. Back in mid-January, PSA had already stretched their bulk turnaround window to 45 business days. Now adding three weeks to this, the 65-day estimate feels like an eternity to the avid collector, akin to waiting for mint condition in an oven.
For those already in PSA’s queue, or rather backlog purgatory, patience has become the staple of this hobby. Submissions from as early as January still languish in waiting limbo. Collectors are collectively clutching their pearls—and presumably their spreadsheet apps—as they watch timelines extend further into the conjectural future.
If collectors are thinking about jumping ship for grading solace elsewhere, they might be in for another disappointment. Rising tides lift all boats, and in this case, booming demands have SGC—the other large fish in the pond—wading through similar delays. The grading world is uniformly embraced in an ever-expanding conga line of submissions.
Adding spice to the brew are stricter grading standards recently enforced by PSA. Centering, the fine art of not-too-left, not-too-right, but just-so perfection, is allegedly being applied with a sterner gaze. This shift towards rigid standards means that Gem Mint 10s, the Holy Grail of card grading, may be even more elusive, and many collectors are now receiving a closely shaved near-mint numbers shelfed in a brisker category.
The consequence of a harsher grading eye and drawn-out waits? Collectors may think twice before tossing every Tom, Dick, and foil Harry for grading. In lieu of inundating PSA with borderline examples, hobbyists could begin weighing their options more carefully, leniently sidestepping what seems like a high risk-low reward scenario that gives birth to 9s easier than 10s. Ultimately, fewer speculative submissions may, in a twist of hobby fate, ease the backlog.
Despite reinterpretations of submission strategies, PSA still reigns unparalleled in the grading kingdom, and demand seems unwavering. Our collective itch to grade remains unrelieved, even as cautious card shufflers may plot new paths amid sundered strategies. The appeal of those glossy numbers persists, shimmering tantalizingly, even if they are now harder to come by.
So, if you’re in on this elaborate, graded game and envisioning sending in your prized possessions to PSA, remember: patience is your new ally. Choose your cards with an eagle eye, and brace yourself for the wait after the submission—the thrill of anticipation could add to the joy of the reveal.
Your next strategy? Pace yourself. And perhaps indulge in another hobby—spoon collecting sounds appealing in the meantime.
