Where Can You Get Vintage Hockey Cards Graded?

From time to time, collectors will ask me at VHCR how to go about getting hockey cards graded. The truth is, I’ve collected all my life and am obviously still rather obsessed with the hobby. But, I’ve never gone about the process of getting a card graded. So, I figure, it’s about high time I did some learning.

Why get your cards graded, anyway? Authenticity is important, especially with fakes out there for high priced cards like the Gretzky RC and Lemieux RC. Professional grading can also significantly increase selling prices. Once graded, the cards are encapsulated in a tamper proof casing that will provide protection from the outside world for years to come.

I’ve found six companies that do grading in North America. These six range in familiarity and each has their strong points. What seems to make a major difference is whether the company is located in the United States or Canada and whether you are located in the United States or Canada. Grading costs differ little but cross border shipping and shipping costs can be a major expense and a pain in the ass.

Let this article serve as a bit of a directory for you to find which company might suit you best. This article does not serve as a review or a rating of any of the six companies. It’s simply a look at the different options. In the future, I am going to go through the process with some of these companies and share the experience.
Which grading service do you use?

Beckett Grading Services

Beckett is everything sports trading cards and has been since 1979. Their card grading service hasn’t been around as long but is one of the most reputable in the business. Pricing ranges anywhere from $8 to $30 per card, depending on service, turnaround time and quantity submitted.

The company uses the now industry standard of a 1-10 grade scale with .5 increments. The grade is based on centering, corners, edges and surface.

Beckett has five different and unique grading services. The Beckett Grading Service is the full monte. Beckett Vintage Grading specializes, obviously, in older cards and is more focused on authentication and grading with an allowance for time.

Beckett Collector’s Club grading is a high volume grading service. If you run a shop, online or brick and mortar, this is the service for you. Beckett raw card review is somewhat of an express service that is available at shows. This is a quick grading that will help you decide whether the card is in need of more detailed grading or not.

Create-A-Card is a unique service where your card is graded then, in the encapsulation process, is given a value add of your choice in the form of an additional piece of game used memorabilia. Examples would be a piece of a jersey of a chunk of a hockey stick.

Beckett is located in Dallas, Texas. Cards can only be shipped to Beckett via FedEx or USPS. Shipping from Canada or Europe might possibly cost more than the card is worth. However, the company does do on-site grading at shows throughout Canada and this would be the best option if you’re from the country and insist on using Beckett.

Official website: Beckett Grading

KSA Sportscard Grading & Memorabilia

Canadians – this is your alternative. KSA is top quality and has been in business since 1996. They are located in Elmira, Ontario (just north of the Kitchener/Waterloo area) and also have offices in Vancouver and New York.

KSA uses the basically the same 10 point certification as Beckett with .5 increments from six and up. There is also an ‘A’ grade for cards that are authentic but are in too poor of shape to be graded. Grading is based on centering, corners, cut, colour, borders, enamel, focus, picture quality and micro imperfections.

Regular service is $15 per card for up to 25 cards with a ten business day turnaround. For two day service, the price is upped to $25 per card, regardless of the quantity. Bulk discounts apply over 25 cards. For 25 to 49, the price drops drastically to $10 per card. For 50 to 99 it’s reduced further to $8.50 and for 100 or more it’s $7 per.

Submission seems straight forward. There is a detailed online form to fill out and submit. From that point, an email response will be sent back with further instructions on shipping and payment.

KSA intrigues me and I will be looking into their service further.

Update: I did take KSA for a test drive. Read all about it here.

Official website: KSA Grading

Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA)

Beckett might get a lot of attention because of their name and position in the trading card world. However, it’s PSA, I believe, that is the leader. They have been around since 1998 and claim to be the largest and most trusted in the world. This is an American company with offices in Newport Beach, California and Woodbridge, New Jersey.

What caught my attention about PSA was their outstanding (and free) online price guide. It was certainly more detailed than Beckett’s monthly print guide. Their official website also had an extensive image gallery – yes, more extensive than our own Virtual Hockey Card Collection.

PSA uses a standard 10 point scale and will grade pretty much anything from trading cards, unopened packs, autographs to items like baseballs, gloves and bats. Fees range fro $7 to $500 with the $500 fee for same day service on any card with a declared value of $10,000 or higher.

It pays to join the PSA Collector’s Club as members get complimentary submits periodically, along with other bonuses. Like Beckett, PSA only accepts submissions via USPS and FedEx. Their website gives no indication that they accept submits from outside the United States.

Official website: PSA Grading

GMA Grading

The trading card grading discounter. GMA has a low, low fee of $2.50 per card for submissions of 99 cards or less. For 100 or more cards at a time, the fee is reduced to $2 per card.

The pride of Alan Karpuch offers a five business day turnaround and uses a 10 point grading scale with .5 point increments. There is also a ‘pristine’ grade that is above a 10.

This is another site that features a pretty cool searchable price guide. Alan and GMA Grading are located in Odessa, Florida. They do accept submissions from Canada but Canadians must call ahead for shipping fees.

Official website: GMA Grading

ACA Grading (Autographs and Cards Authentication)

Another Canadian company, ACA is located in Saint-Jerome and Sherbrooke, Quebec. Pricing is reasonable at $14 per card for up to ten cards, $12 each for 11 to 24 cards and $10 each for 25 or more. There is also a raw grading service for $5 per card.

Official website: ACA Grading

Sportscard Guaranty

Sorry, I didn’t get a lot of details on this company. Sportscard Guaranty is located in Bound Brook, New Jersey. Grading fees range from $5 to $200.

Official website: Sportscard Guaranty