For many baseball card collectors, there is nothing more exciting than finding a rare or valuable card in their collection. Without having cards professionally graded, it can be difficult to truly know the condition and value of these vintage pieces of sports history. This is where third-party grading companies come in. By having cards graded, collectors gain an objective assessment of a card’s condition from experts. They also get the card authenticated and enclosed in a tamper-proof holder for long-term preservation.
While there are several reputable card grading companies, the two industry leaders are Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) and Beckett Grading Services (BGS). Both have offices located across the United States that allow collectors to submit cards to be graded in-person. Here are some of the top card grading locations near major metropolitan areas:
Los Angeles Area – With its large collector base in Southern California, both PSA and BGS have offices conveniently located in the Los Angeles area for walk-in submissions. The PSA office is in Santa Ana, just east of LA. BGS has two nearby locations – one in Anaheim near Disneyland and one in Pasadena. Being able to drop cards off and pick them up completed is ideal for West Coast collectors.
New York City Area – As the media and financial capital of the country, not surprisingly both PSA and BGS have offices in the NYC area as well. PSA’s East Coast headquarters is located in Bohemia on Long Island, a quick train ride from Manhattan. BGS has a location in Edison, NJ right across the river. The proximity to the large Northeast collector population makes these East Coast offices very useful.
Dallas/Fort Worth Area – Texas has become a hotbed for the trading card industry in recent years. To accommodate collectors in the Lone Star State, PSA opened an authentication center in nearby Irving back in 2015. This location is extremely convenient for submissions from collectors throughout North Texas and beyond.
Chicago Area – Situated in Schaumburg, IL, the PSA Midwest authentication center serves the card collecting communities of Illinois and surrounding states like Wisconsin and Indiana. The location provides a grading option much closer than having to ship cards to either coast.
Seattle Area – While not quite as large as the other metro areas, Seattle has a very active card collecting community in the Pacific Northwest. Recognizing this, BGS opened an authentication center in nearby Kent, WA in 2013. This allows local collectors to grade cards without needing to ship long distances.
In addition to these major metropolitan areas, both PSA and BGS will also travel to large card shows around North America with mobile grading units. This provides another opportunity for on-site submissions. Collectors can also always ship cards to any of the companies’ locations for grading by mail as well. But for those wanting a more convenient experience, utilizing one of the many walk-in offices spread nationwide is ideal. Being able to physically drop cards off and pick them up once graded provides peace of mind and saves on shipping costs. It also allows the opportunity to discuss submissions with the experienced graders. For any serious collector looking to authenticate and assess the condition of vintage cards, utilizing a local card grading service is highly recommended. It takes the guessing game out of a card’s value and puts certified grades in the hands of those seeking to build sets or find treasures in their personal collections.
