So, I’ve been collecting football cards for a while now, and I finally decided it was time to get some of them graded. I’d heard a lot about grading, but I wasn’t really sure where to start. Here’s how I got my football cards graded.
First, I did some digging around to figure out which grading service to use. There are a few big names out there, but I ended up going with PSA. They seemed to have a good reputation, and a lot of collectors recommended them.
Once I picked PSA, I had to figure out which service level I needed. They’ve got a bunch of options, each with different prices and turnaround times. Since I wasn’t in a huge rush, and I didn’t want to break the bank, I decided to go with their Regular service. It was $100 per card, which is a bit steep, but it’s worth it for cards that have a declared value under $999. They also have a Super Express service for $300 per card. I also looked into their Express service, which is $200 per card with a declared value under $2,499. These higher tiers like Express and Super Express are faster, but they also cost way more. If you’ve got really valuable cards, like worth up to $9,999, there’s a Walk-Through service for $600 per card. I don’t know who uses this service. It’s way too expensive for me.
Then came the fun part – picking out which cards to send in. I went through my collection and chose a few that I thought had the best chance of getting a high grade. These cards looked the best to me – good centering, sharp corners, clean edges, and no surface damage that I could see.
Next, I had to prep the cards for shipping. I put each card in a soft sleeve and then into a semi-rigid holder. This keeps them from getting bent or damaged during transit. Then I packed them up securely in a box with plenty of bubble wrap. I made sure they weren’t going to slide around in there.
I filled out the submission form on PSA’s website, which was pretty straightforward. I had to list each card I was sending, along with its declared value. Then I printed out the form, packed it up with the cards, and shipped the whole thing off to PSA.
Now, all I had to do was wait. The waiting is the hardest part! It took a few weeks, but finally, I got an email saying my grades were ready. I logged into my account, and there they were. I was pretty happy with most of the grades. A few were lower than I expected, but a couple were higher, so it all evened out.
Getting my cards back was exciting. They came in these nice, sturdy holders with the grade clearly displayed. Now they’re officially graded, and I feel a lot better about their condition and value.
So, that’s how I did it. It wasn’t too complicated, just a bit of research, some careful packing, and a lot of patience. If you’ve got some football cards you think are worth grading, I’d say go for it! It’s a cool process, and it’s pretty neat to see your cards in those official holders.
