Three years in the making, and a decade since its last major enhancement, PSA’s new holder for standard trading cards is making its debut.
Starting with sports card submissions this May with plans for a wider rollout, collectors can look forward to enhanced durability, look, and feel. Atmospheric elements and the hardest of convention floors have met their match.
Enhancements Overview
Collect all of the premium, practical properties of this best-in-class arrival:
Medical-grade plastic composition—an industry first.
20% heavier with identical exterior dimensions.
Ultra impermeable to heat, humidity, water, and UV light.
Extra protective against micro-scratches and surface scuffs.
No mylar, no movement, no unwanted Newton Ring illusions.
Making the Case
Encapsulating this all-around upgrade is a material transition to medical-grade plastic—an industry first and finest. Impermeability, transparency, durability: there are many reasons why this polymer is embraced as a benchmark blending form and function.
“This new polymer is more shatter-resistant, more resistant to UV damage from the sun, and even more scratch-resistant,” PSA Mechanical Engineering Manager Brian Alvey said. “The overall dimensions of these new holders will be identical to what PSA used before the update, but the in-hand feel is significantly more premium.”
Indeed, the new holder’s density makes a big first impression. 20% heavier, it has the effect of making the card inside feel that much more significant.
“A 20 percent increase in weight might seem like nothing,” PSA mechanical engineer Travis Tapay said, “but it’s everything. The in-hand quality from the weight alone is significant. You really have to feel it to believe it.”
And as the new polymer offers added resistance to micro-scratches and scuffs, the holders will retain a higher level of clarity over years of handling. Equally important is everything collectors won’t see: no Mylar, no sleeve, no movement, no optical illusions like Newton’s rings—just authenticity presented with long-lasting clarity.
Encapsulating Now
We put it to the test—now it’s time for standard sports card submissions to feel the weight of this announcement. Standard trading card size measures 2.5x3.5x0.04” (40pt max thickness).