Hi all, I’m new here and just got back into collecting.
I had a quick question about PSA. Let’s say I bought a graded card for several hundred or even thousand dollars and wanted to make sure it was authentic and nothing had been tampered with (counterfeiters are getting better every day). Does PSA offer an ‘authentication-without-regrade’ service? Or do they only authenticate cards if they also regrade them? I ask because it makes no sense to spend $1000 on a PSA 10 card, send it in, and it comes back an 8 or 9, etc.
On a related note, do they authenticate cards that you send in for re-holdering, or do they just close their eyes and re-holder without checking?
I’m not exactly sure what you are onto, PSA offers both authenticating+grading and authenticating services, the fact that you have a card that has been graded by PSA means that at least two employees of PSA have thought that the card is authentic.
If you would be sending it in again then it would only mean that two other employees will need to check the authenticity, but they will not take the card out, and I believe you could even submit it with a min grade being equal to the current grade, but I’m not sure on that.
I don’t actually know if it’s possible what you want, but I don’t really see the point of it.
You should be able to tell if a psa case has been tampered with without sending it in. Frosted edges are easy to spot and indicate that the case was open. Shining a light thru the label is also a good way of showing if the label is authentic. There are fake psa cases out there but if you are familiar with the real psa cases you will be able to tell the difference. If a case shows any signs of tampering then it is best just not to buy it. If you buy one and it looks off then contact the seller and file a claim on ebay if need be.
As for them authenticating a card that needs reholdering I’m not really sure. If the case shows signs of tampering tho they would probably not reholder it without authenticating and regrading.
You can send any PSA card in for review. Costs the same as grading services. They will review the grade to make sure it is appropriate. Through the case this will be done. If it looks like it may require a different grade (higher or lower) they will crack it out and inspect it closer. Upon closer inspection it will be graded lower, higher or the same. If lower, then you will be due the difference in market value between the grades.
This would also be the case if somehow they were to determine that it was a fake card encapsulated by PSA originally. They would crack it out and cover you for the entire value.
If it had a higher grade than originally, it would be re-encapsulated at the higher grade and congratulations are due because you made a good buy.
One part that it feels like you are also asking is this: If you bought an entirely fake card in a fake PSA case I am sure they would get in touch with you and let you know. You would be due no financial reimbursement from them however. I wonder if they would send it back so you could pursue the original seller for the money you paid. I could see them not wanting to return it however though as it is a fake of their product.
You can send a card in and notate that you want it authenticated only. They will encapsulate the card and the label will read “Authentic”.
Keep in mind all psa graded items are first authenticated. I have never seen an outright fake Pokemon card graded by psa. There are very rare occasions where they miss a fake stamp. In over 10 years, I think I have only witnessed 3-4 graded cards that had fake stamps. If for some reason you think you have a fake card, you should post photos and we can take a look.
smpratte, I did not know authentication labeling was possible outside of autograph grading through PSA. It’s my understanding that if the label says ‘Authentic’ that it will no longer have the grade.
My question stems, not from the ‘PSA making a mistake’ side of the discussion but instead from a ‘worst case scenario’ counterfeit scheme where a counterfeiter has found a way to seal slabs with fake PSA labels in them. I don’t think this is outside the realm of plausibility as prices begin to go up. If you buy a PSA 10 card for $5000 or something and want to make sure that the case and card are authentic without re-grading, I was wondering whether or not that was possible.
Reading further about PSA, I think you could send the card in for review and mark the minimum grade as PSA 10. That way they would authenticate it but not regrade it.
Thanks, however this is more of a hypothetical. I’m thinking about getting pretty serious with collecting so I’m trying to learn about how authentication and grading work for more expensive pieces as well as the risks involved, etc.
You can’t fake a genuine PSA slab though. If you are ever in doubt, ask for a picture of the card, specifically a close up of the front or back bottom right corner like so;
As you can see, they have the PSA logo embossed on the casing. I think you have very little to worry about. If in doubt, post it here =)
