The sports collectibles world has its fair share of holy grails. Honus Wagner’s T-206, Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps and Michael Jordan’s 1986 Fleer, just to name a few.
The TCG universe has its iconic cards, as well: Illustrator Pikachu, Alpha Black Lotus, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon to name a few.
Rarity has always found its finest form in a PSA holder.
But now PSA is excited to take its eagle eye — or would it be Hawkeye? — to the most coveted comics in the world.
In 2025, PSA will begin a new chapter in its heritage-rich hobby history with the introduction of comic book and magazine authentication and grading, along with comic book and magazine pressing. At the start, we will accept most standard-size comic books and magazines with plans to expand to other sizes in the future.
"This expansion is a natural progression for us—it leverages our decades of expertise, our deeply talented and always-growing team, and the trust we've earned within the collector space,” said Elizabeth Gruene, General Manager of PSA Pop Culture.
From Superman to Spidey, Thor to Thanos and Bruce Wayne to Bruce Banner, comic books have played a pivotal role in pop culture for a century. It only feels right for PSA to expand its offering to include some of the most important collectibles in the hobby.
Action Comics No. 1. Amazing Fantasy No. 15. Detective Comics No. 27.
These aren’t just the debuts of Superman, Spider-Man and Batman, respectively—they are iconic pieces of pop culture history, deserving of PSA’s meticulous authentication and grading capabilities.
PSA's comic book grading service will encompass a wide spectrum of items, including Victorian era, Platinum Age, Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age and Modern comics.
And don’t forget about magazines, too.
PSA is excited to channel its superpowers — over three decades of expertise, the world’s finest authenticators and graders, an adept research department, and an integrated product and technology team committed to serving collectors and their collectibles—into some of the most important magazine titles in history.
Imagine encapsulating the Nov. 28, 1983, issue of Sports Illustrated, protecting Michael Jordan’s first cover for eternity. Or preserving Princess Diana’s legacy with the Sept. 15, 1997, issue of People Magazine.
With such a wide array of services and products available at launch, PSA is poised to serve the comic and magazine collector community with the same expertise, dedication and authority it’s been delivering for years to trading card collectors around the world.
Although the 10-point grading scale will always be the PSA way, we're introducing new decimal increments specific to comic books and magazines.
This is industry standard due to the complicated nature: interior and exterior covers, staples, multiple interior pages, inserts. These items are more complex, and they require a more complex grading system.
The launch of PSA's comic book and magazine grading service will also will see our autograph division play a crucial role, further enhancing the service's credibility and thoroughness. Provenance and pedigree? Not a problem.
For collectors and enthusiasts alike, PSA's expansion into comic book and magazine grading promises to uphold the highest standards of authenticity, condition assessment, preservation, and presentation.
While we move from prototype holder and label designs into production versions, we’re actively listening to communities and collectors to exceed every expectation.
Stay tuned for more details and updates.