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Grading

PSA is the largest and most respected third-party authentication and grading company in the world for tickets and memorabilia.

Authentication is the process of verifying the originality or genuineness of a ticket. Grading is assessing the quality and condition of a ticket using PSA’s 10-point grading scale. Grading can only take place after a ticket has been deemed authentic.

From milestone sporting events and historic concerts to political occasions, theatrical productions, cinema showings and more, PSA authenticates and grades tickets throughout the hobby. 

You can see all the types of tickets we authenticate, grade, and encapsulate below. You’ll also learn more about our grading processes, research capabilities, insightful content, and collecting resources.

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Pricing

Value

$39.99/Ticket

Max Insured Value: $500

Estimated Turnaround Time: 35 - 45 Business Days*

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Priority

$74.99/Ticket

Max Insured Value: $1,500

Estimated Turnaround Time: 15 - 25 Business Days*

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Express

$149.00/Ticket

Max Insured Value: $2,500

Estimated Turnaround Time: 10 - 20 Business Days*

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Super Express

$299.00/Ticket

Max Insured Value: $5,000

Estimated Turnaround Time: 10 - 20 Business Days*

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Premier

$599.00/Ticket

Max Insured Value: $10,000

Estimated Turnaround Time: 10 - 20 Business Days*

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Benefits of Ticket Grading

Established Standards

PSA has established a recognized and respected universal grading standard for ticket collectors.

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Security

PSA encapsulates every eligible and authentic ticket in a tamper-evident, sonically-sealed case. These strikingly-clear, hard, and durable acrylic cases provide protection from pressure and most other kinds of damage. Once it’s sealed, you can rest assured that your ticket will remain secure from further wear.

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Set Registry

Just like for cards, PSA has a Set Registry for ticket collectors and, just like with cards, the possibilities are virtually endless in terms of creating interesting and fun ticket sets.

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Value

PSA can help you get the most for your tickets. Tickets authenticated and graded by PSA achieve amazing prices at auction.

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We've Got the Facts

It has never been easier to find information on your favorite PSA-graded tickets. Discover expert narratives, collecting articles, pricing, populations and checklists all in one place with PSA TicketFacts.

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What kinds of tickets does PSA grade?

PSA authenticates and grades many kinds of event-access tickets.

Here are just a few of the popular ticket types that collectors submit to PSA:

✓ All preseason, regular season, all-star, and postseason events from the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL

✓ Auto racing, horse racing, boxing, and mixed martial arts

✓ High school, amateur, collegiate / NCAA and Olympic sporting events

✓ Domestic and international movie / theatrical performances

✓ Political events, musical concerts, in-person esports, and trading card game contests

These types of tickets are eligible for PSA authentication and grading:

✓ Fulls

✓ Stubs

✓ Full proofs

✓ Seat locators

✓ Badges

✓ Passes

✓ Series Tickets (The Masters 1930-60)

✓ Panels (with at least two attached tickets)

✓ Tickets that have been reinforced / taped

✓ Tickets that have been reattached

✓ Phantom tickets (for games to a series that was played, but did not go the full number of games)

✓ Phantom tickets for historical events in certain instances at PSA’s discretion

If you have any questions regarding the eligibility of your item, please fill out a ‘Research Request’ in the Customer Request Center to see if your ticket is eligible.

Third-Party Ticket Providers

PSA authenticates and grades tickets from Ticketmaster, TicketTron, Tickets.com and other 3rd party ticket providers for events. PSA will not accept photocopies, etickets, or print-at-home tickets.

Commemorative Tickets

PSA authenticates and grades officially licensed or distributed commemorative tickets. A special “NOT VALID FOR ADMISSION” designation will be added to labels.

As a reminder, tickets are not covered by the PSA Financial Guaranty of Grade & Authenticity, nor is PSA responsible for any type of fading that may occur once a ticket is encapsulated in a PSA holder and returned to the submitter.

Ticket Authentication & Grading Process

Authentication

PSA authenticators review your ticket for authenticity. If genuine, PSA looks for evidence of alterations, such as trimming edges or hiding damage with paint, glue, ink, or other means. An altered ticket may still be deemed “Authentic,” but such alterations may disqualify it from the PSA grading process.

Grading

If your ticket passes authentication, PSA grades the condition of each ticket on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being best. PSA labels tickets as "Authentic" when requested, or when no grade is possible due to excessive wear, evidence of trimming, or if the ticket has been reattached or reinforced with glue, tape or other adhesives.

Encapsulation

After grading is complete, PSA encapsulates each ticket in its own sonically-sealed, tamper-evident case. The PSA LightHouse™ label within the case displays the ticket's pertinent information and unique certification number.

Milestones & Event Designations

You may request specific milestones or event designations be added to the PSA Lighthouse™ label when submitting your tickets for authentication and grading. Please include any supporting documentation from credible sources.

Credible Sources

Below is a list of sources that PSA’s Research & Identification Department deems credible. Sources that PSA does not deem to be credible may include (but are not limited to) personal blogs or websites, or any sales-first marketplaces such as eBay.

  • Baseball – baseball-reference.com, sabr.org, retrosheet.org, keymancollectibles.com

  • Basketball – basketball-reference.com

  • Boxing – boxrec.com, cyberboxingzone.com

  • College Football – sports-reference.com/cfb

  • College Basketball – sports-reference.com/cbb, allbrackets.com

  • Concerts – setlist.fm

  • Football – pro-football-reference.com, profootballarchives.com, footballdatabase.com

  • Hockey – hockey-reference.com

  • Horse Racing – horseracingnation.com

  • Olympics – olympedia.org

  • Racing – racing-reference.info

  • Soccer – FBref.com

  • Tennis – grandslamhistory.com

  • Wrestling – wrestlingdata.com

Include Proper Documentation

Any of the above resources can be helpful for the Research & Identification team in processing collector requests. Additionally, if you are requesting a milestone or event designation for your item, include your designation and documentation on a separate page and attach it to the Online Submission Center confirmation page. 

Online Submission Center

Important Reminder

As a reminder, these special designations are limited due to character limits on the final printed label. On the PSA LightHouse™ label, the top left line is restricted to event year and home team designations. The line below is partially utilized with additional event specific details. PSA utilizes approximately 30 characters per line for customer-requested milestones or event designations.

If no milestone or event designation is requested at the time of submission, PSA will assign a default venue or location for the milestone. Please ensure that all milestones are written in the level of importance, as spacing is limited and the PSA team will make adjustments as needed to include collector requests in a reasonable manner. PSA reserves the final determination on all specialty-labeling designations.

*Estimated Turnaround Times are estimates only and not guaranteed. A service level’s Estimated Turnaround Time begins when the order is received and scanned into the PSA facility. These times are based on, and may be impacted by, PSA’s submission volume, capacity, and other unforeseen circumstances. Turnaround Times may change rapidly without notice as conditions change.

As the collectibles industry continues to expand, and the demand for PSA’s services continues to expand along with it, PSA may decide to adjust pricing, services offered, and processing time to better align the demand for PSA services with our capacity to deliver those services.

All terms & conditions are subject to change.