Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) – PSA is widely considered the gold standard in third-party grading for collectibles like sports cards and memorabilia. They have several physical locations around the United States where you can drop off cards to be graded, including offices in California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan. When you submit in-person, you’ll fill out a submission form providing details about the cards and service level requested. PSA offers different turnaround times and pricing based on the tier of service selected. For standard grading which takes several weeks, there is no additional cost to submitting in person versus sending by mail. PSA representatives will inspect the cards when you drop them off to ensure the order is correct before they are securely packaged and sent to their main grading facility. You’ll receive an email notification when the grades are complete and then can make arrangements to pick up the cards.

Beckett Grading Services (BGS) – Like PSA, BGS is a leader in the industry and known for their transparent grading standards. They have two physical offices located in Texas where you can submit cards for grading – one in Dallas and one in Houston. The submission and pickup process is very similar to PSA’s in-person system. BGS also offers different turnaround times from expedited to economy, with mailing generally costing a bit more than submitting in person. Bringing the cards to the BGS office allows you to ensure they are in the order requested and discussed any special grading notes or concerns with a representative directly.

Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) – While PCGS is better known for coin and currency authentication, they do also accept sports cards for grading. They have over a dozen authroized PCGS grading centers across the U.S. that are equipped to accept in-person card submissions on consignment. Like the other top companies, you’ll fill out a detailed order form and pay the grading fees upfront based on the tier of service. In-person submissions have a nominal drop-off fee but no postage charges. At the designated grading center, trained numismatists will organize and package your order securely for shipping to the main PCGS facility. Once the grading process is complete, you will be notified and can arrange to pick up your cards from that same center.

Sportscard Guaranty, LLC (SGC) – Having grown significantly in popularity since their founding in 2000, SGC has established themselves as a leading third-party grader. Their main office that serves as the drop-off and pick-up point for in-person submissions is located in Illinois. The basic submission process mirrors the others mentioned, with form completion, pre-paying fees based on turnaround time needs, and an inspection of the cards upon drop off. SGC prides itself on fast return times even for bulk submissions, making them an efficient option when quick grading turnaround is a priority. For individual collectors or those with smaller orders, the in-person route provides the reassurance of verifying cards are as described before shipping.

There are a few other regional independent authentication companies as well that accept hand deliveries, but the four outlined above represent the most reputable national grading services. Taking cards directly to a grading company’s physical office helps ensure your submission goes smoothly and allows an extra layer of quality control and communication during the process if needed. For high value cards or collections, using an in-person grading option is often preferable to trusting them to the postal system for delivery. With care taken in preparing your order forms and packaging, submitting in person is a reliable way to get vintage or modern sports cards authenticated and encased by the experts.