The cost to grade baseball cards depends on several factors, including which third-party grading company you use, how quickly you need the cards returned (turnaround time), and how many cards you are submitting.
The three largest and most well-known companies that provide third-party grading for baseball cards are Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Beckett Grading Services (BGS), and Hawaii Graded Collectibles (HGC). Each company has different pricing tiers based on factors like turnaround time and number of cards submitted.
Let’s break down the pricing for each company in more detail:
PSA is likely the most well-known grading company. Their standard grading service typically takes 4-6 months to complete and has the following pricing structure: $10 per card for submissions of 1-9 cards, $8 per card for 10-49 cards, and $7 per card for 50+ cards. For express services with faster turnaround times, pricing starts at $15 per card for a 30-day turnaround up to $100+ per card for same day or next day service. PSA also offers bulk submission discounts on large collections.
BGS also has different pricing tiers based on turnaround time. Their standard service called Tier 1 takes approximately 12 weeks to complete cards and costs $12 per card for submissions of 1-9 cards. The price drops to $10 per card for submissions of 10 cards or more. For faster 7-day and 14-day turnaround express services, BGS charges $30 and $20 per card respectively. They also have same day and next day grading options that range from $75-150 per card.
HGC focuses primarily on modern sports card grading. Their standard service called Fast Action takes around 4 weeks and costs $10 per card for submissions of 1-9 cards. The price drops to $8 per card for submissions of 10 or more cards. For a quicker 5 business day turnaround, HGC charges $15 per card. They also offer 1-3 day grading options starting at $35 per card.
In addition to the per card fees, each company also charges submission or shipping/handling fees. PSA charges a $25 minimum submission fee plus return shipping costs. BGS charges a minimum $25 submission fee but includes return shipping. HGC charges a flat $25 submission fee that covers return shipping as well.
Some additional factors that influence grading costs are special holder/label requests, insurance for valuable submissions, and membership levels/repeat submission discounts some companies offer. Cards requiring extended research may also have added fees. Reholdering an existing graded card into a new slab also has associated costs.
Once grading fees, submission/shipping costs, and special requests are accounted for, the typical costs to grade a modern baseball card in the standard 4-6 month range breaks down as follows:
PSA: $10-15 per card plus $25 submission fee and return shipping
BGS: $10-12 per card plus $25 submission fee (includes return shipping)
HGC: $8-10 per card plus $25 flat submission fee (includes return shipping)
For a standard bulk submission of 50+ cards to be graded with the major companies, total costs will typically range between $400-600 before potentially added fees. Faster turnaround express services can double or triple the per card costs. Proper research into company policies and pricing structures is important to determine the best option based on individual needs and budget. Regular monitoring of special promotions can also help save on grading expenses over time. That covers the basics of how much it costs to get baseball cards graded through the major third party authentication and grading companies. Let me know if any part of the answer needs further explanation or expansion.
