There are a few different options for getting your baseball cards graded locally depending on where you live. The top two most accessible grading services with local submission centers are PSA and BGS/SGC.
PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) is considered the gold standard in the card grading industry and commands the highest prices for highly graded cards. They have numerous authorized local dealers that can accept submissions on your behalf to send to PSA’s headquarters. To find an authorized PSA dealer near you, go to PSAcard.com and enter your zip code into their dealer locator tool. The dealer will have submission forms and guidelines on their various service levels from economy to express. You can work directly with the local dealer to prepare your cards for submission, which generally involves enclosing each card in a plastic holder with the submission form. The dealer then batches submissions from various customers and sends them off to PSA periodically. Turnaround times vary but economy bulk submissions usually take 4-6 months to be graded and returned to the dealer, where you can pick up your cards. Express services are much faster but more expensive.
Another more localized option is BGS/SGC, which stands for Beckett Grading Services and Sportscard Guarantee Company. BGS specializes more in vintage cards while SGC handles modern issues. They have authorized submission centers across the U.S. where you can take your cards directly for same-day grading review and turnaround. To locate a BGS/SGC submission center, go to Gradingcard.com and search their center map and listings. You would bring your cards enclosed in sealable holders along with completed submission forms to a center during business hours. A grader would then review each card, assign a numeric grade on the BGS 1-10 or SGC 1-4 scale, and usually have the cards labeled and returned to you within 48-72 hours. Same-day service is available at most centers for an additional fee.
Some other potential local options include sending cards to a large local hobby shop that may periodically batch submit to PSA or going to larger card shows and conventions that sometimes have on-site express PSA/BGS/SGC grading offered. You could also check Facebook marketplace or meetup groups in your area to find any local collectors or hobbyists that may periodically make group submissions and allow you to piggyback your cards onto the batch.
The two most easily accessible and established companies for local baseball card grading are PSA through an authorized dealer or BGS/SGC directly at one of their submission centers. Checking their websites dealer/center locators is the best way to find options near you for getting cards graded through authorized and trusted grading authentication services. With some research, you should be able to find a convenient solution to professionally grade any cards in your collection within your local area. Let me know if any part of the process needs further explanation after reviewing the detailed overview provided.
