ROSEMONT, Ill. — The backlog of cards yet to be graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) and the pause of more affordably priced card submission tiers already served as one of the industry’s prime issues leading into the National Sports Collectors Convention last Wednesday.
The discussion surrounding PSA snowballed by the end of the show Sunday.
First, PSA announced earlier this week an increase in the company’s backlog of cards submitted for grading to 12.4 million after it previously went from 15 million when PSA began limiting its most affordable grading service levels in June to 11 million.
When the National opened on Wednesday, the cheapest on site service (where cards are graded and returned at the event, avoiding the usual process of shipping cards to and from PSA’s offices) offered by PSA was $230 per card graded. Despite that price point, there was still record-setting demand and by Thursday, the industry’s largest trading card grading company had to announce a pause to that service tier as well, leaving the cheapest option at $400 per card before halting submissions for on-site service entirely. This angered many customers, some of whom attended the National primarily for those on-site services. Customers who had already submitted cards were initially told they’d receive them back graded at the National, only to have PSA backtrack to say some customers will have them sent back weeks later.
PSA president Ryan Hoge canceled a scheduled in-person interview with The Athletic at the convention set for Friday through a spokesperson, saying Hoge had been pulled away for operational matters. Hoge sent responses to some questions via email Sunday.
“The demand for grading at the National exceeded our most ambitious projections, with submitted items up 160 percent from last year,” Hoge said via email. “When we saw demand exceeding our capacity at the show, we adjusted service levels. First, by closing our lowest tier of on-site service, and then by not accepting any additional on-site grading submissions, while continuing to support those at the show by accepting orders that would be graded at our facilities and shipped back to our customers following the show.
“As a result of those service adjustments, we were able to grade 99.5 percent of items submitted for on-site service. And to those customers for whom we were unable to complete same-day or next-day on-site turnaround, we apologize and have provided reduced-price service levels with free return shipping.
“Going forward, we will always look for new ways to innovate and serve the hobby in person and on-site at shows we attend, because we understand the importance of these services to all collectors, from dealers to someone who just found a card they’ve chased for years.”
The results of the weekend’s customer experience with PSA depended on when you caught someone in line.
Father and son Chris and Xavier Fernandez felt fortunate to receive their one-card submission by Saturday, given the unpredictable shifts in PSA’s service offerings lately. The Chicago area residents waited specifically for the National to have a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie graded because of the on-site grading option.
Chris Fernandez called the process, “Smooth and stressful.”
The father said he tried to make the show Wednesday but couldn’t. His one-day delay cost him a little more to grade the one card, because PSA had already shut down the lower priced option Wednesday morning, announcing via social media at 10:43 a.m. CT: “Please note that on-site express service is no longer being offered due to overwhelming demand.” PSA’s “Super Express” level remained open, which cost $399 per card.
“We really didn’t know what we were doing, but we got here early on Thursday morning,” Chris Fernandez said. “That was the key, I think. We had a good experience. This card actually means a lot to us because it’s been in our family since, oh my gosh, since (1986).
“So it got a 4.5 (grade), which we know isn’t the best, but it’s huge (for the family).”
A 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan in a PSA 4.5 grade last sold for almost $9,000 on July 13 via eBay.
The Fernandezs lucked out given this message came from PSA’s social media channels on Thursday at 9:15 p.m. ET: “Thank you to those who have trusted PSA with your collectibles at The National. Due to record-breaking submission volume, we are closing the on-site Super Express grading tier. This heightened volume may also delay the completion of Super Express orders. Any such orders will be ready by show’s end on Sunday.”
Corey Merriman, a collectibles contributor for The Athletic, explained his unsatisfactory experience with PSA at the National in an X post on Sunday:
Paid $400 to have card graded, stated completion Friday- before I left the show. Actual completion Sunday- after I left show. Still cost $400, except now will have to incur extra shipping charge because I won’t be able to pick up since I already left show. So tilty.
— SlabSquatch Sports Cards (@WaxMetrix) August 2, 2026
Speculation throughout the National also centered around PSA never bringing back its more cost-friendly submission tiers with the level of volume still going strong at much higher prices.
Hoge said PSA will bring the paused tiers back in “a thoughtful way that prioritizes our customers’ experience” while highlighting the opening of PSA’s new grading center in Plano, Texas, which is the company’s fourth domestic facility.
Meanwhile, lawsuits stacked up against PSA as the National commenced.
Noted collector Steve Lichtman filed a suit against PSA in California alleging bad faith, unfair treatment and fraudulent business practices surrounding the grading of his 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. Nicholas Funk added another suit against PSA in Maryland claiming the company operates as a monopoly, which basically added to the previous monopolistic claims against the grading company made by Congressman Pat Ryan, among others.
“PSA will never compromise our grading independence — undeserved grades cannot be bought or compelled,” the company said in a statement about the Lichtman suit. “Steve Lichtman’s allegations are without merit, and PSA will defend against them vigorously because they threaten to undermine the hobby itself. This is a case about a single collector who is unhappy that PSA’s experts would not assign his cards the grades he requested.
“When PSA’s graders reached independent, professional opinions he did not like, Mr. Lichtman demanded different results, threatened litigation, and has now sued. PSA evaluated Mr. Lichtman’s submissions exactly as agreed, under the same published standards and processes applied to every collector and every item.
“A grade is an expert opinion. Its value to the hobby rests on the fact that specific grades cannot be bought, pressured, or litigated into existence. A grade obtained only by threatening a lawsuit would be worthless — to the market, and to the millions of collectors who trust PSA to treat every submission the same, whether it comes from a first-time hobbyist or a seasoned collector submitting a rare and sought-after item. … We stand behind our graders, our standards, and our guarantee — and we will not assign undeserved grades merely because someone demands a different result.”
PSA didn’t comment on the Funk lawsuit.
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