PSA Reopens Value Grading at $39.99, Cuts Wait Times

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 21: A man sells vintage baseball cards prior to the start of the last game at Yankee Stadium between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees on September 21, 2008 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Yankee Stadium held it's inaugural game on April 18, 1923 against the Boston Red Sox and tonight's match will be the final game to be played at the historic stadium. During it's 85 years as ''The Home of Champions,'' the stadium has also been known as ''The House that Ruth Built'' and ''The Cathedral.'' The stadium has been host to 33 World Series, three Papal visits and has been visited by legends such as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Bera, Mickey Mantle and boxing great Muhummad Ali. In 2009 the Yankees will move across the street to a newly constructed stadium estimated to cost $1.3 billion. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Sports card collectors who have spent months waiting for cheaper grading options from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) finally have a date to circle.

On Wednesday, October 28, PSA announced that its popular Value grading service will reopen Thursday, October 29, at 8 a.m. Pacific time, ending a nearly five-month suspension of the service.

The new price is $39.99 per card, making it PSA’s cheapest currently available grading option. The company also reduced estimated turnaround times for two other service tiers as its massive grading backlog continues to shrink.

There is a catch, however. The returning Value tier costs more than it did before the suspension, and new submissions will be processed behind the millions of cards already waiting at PSA.

PSA Announces New Grading Prices and Faster Turnaround Times

PSA’s returning Value service costs $39.99 per card, up from $32.99 before the company suspended its cheaper grading options in June. That’s a $7 increase, or approximately 21%.

The service carries a maximum insured value of $500 per card and an estimated turnaround time of 90 to 100 business days in the United States.

PSA also announced shorter turnaround estimates for two existing service levels:

Value: $39.99 per card, 90-100 business days, reopening October 29.
Standard: $59.99 per card, 70-80 business days, down from 90-100.
Priority: $79.99 per card, 50-60 business days, down from 70-80.

The revised Standard and Priority estimates apply to submissions beginning October 28. PSA emphasized that these are estimates, not guaranteed completion dates.

For collectors who have been holding cards rather than paying the higher Standard price, the reopening creates immediate savings.

Grading 20 cards through Value will cost $799.80 before shipping and other potential expenses, compared with $1,199.80 through Standard. That’s a $400 difference for the same number of cards, assuming each qualifies for its selected service level.

However, those same 20 cards would have cost $659.80 under the previous $32.99 Value pricing.

As Heavy previously reported, PSA’s shrinking backlog had raised the possibility of collectors saving hundreds of dollars by waiting for cheaper grading options to return.

Those savings have finally arrived, even if the new price is higher than many collectors hoped.

PSA’s 7.2 Million-Card Backlog Comes With a Catch

PSA is reopening Value before clearing its existing backlog, which stood at approximately 7.2 million items in its October 20 update.

The company said all new Value submissions will be processed after orders already at PSA.

That distinction matters for collectors hoping the announced 90-to-100-business-day turnaround will translate into a predictable return date.

PSA acknowledged that many existing submissions have already exceeded their original turnaround estimates. The company attributed much of the congestion to unusually high submission volume during April and May, when it received 2.5 times as many items as during the same period in 2025.

Despite those challenges, PSA says its weekly grading output has increased nearly 50% in 2026.

The backlog has also fallen substantially from the 12.4 million items reported on July 28, a reduction of approximately 42%.

For collectors waiting for an even cheaper option, there is another important development.

PSA confirmed it still intends to reopen Value Bulk, which previously cost $24.99 per card, but did not announce a specific date or new price.

The company previously identified a backlog of 5 million items as its target for fully reopening grading services. That leaves approximately 2.2 million items to clear before reaching the benchmark.

“We have added an incredible amount of capacity, but we still have work to do,” Ryan Hoge, president of PSA and Grading at Collectors, said in Wednesday’s announcement.

For collectors planning their next submission, the choice is clearer than it was during the summer: pay $39.99 for Value, pay more for a shorter estimated wait, or continue holding cards in hopes of an eventual Value Bulk reopening.

At least the cheapest available option is no longer $59.99.