Ryan Barone (@ballcardgenius, Card Expert) is a lifelong member of the hobby. He has been quoted in PSA Magazine, and his content has regularly been mentioned in “Quick Rips” (the Topps RIPPED Newsletter) and across other hobby publications. hello@ballcardgenius.com; Last Time Ago LLC dba Ballcard Genius.
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While there aren’t many options to get your cards graded in person, there are opportunities to either expedite the process. With BGS grading, one such option is the “raw card review” in which the card is inspected on the spot and assigned a raw score. The card can then be submitted to be slabbed.
PSA doesn’t offer such a service, but there are a number of card shows where you can find PSA offering services. Such services include autograph authentication and drop-off services for the grading of cards and more.
Try to go to a live drop off if you have one in your area at a lcs or card show where psa is there. i didnt want to mail the red so dropped it off in person to a psa booth along with these other cards and no need to pay for shipping. pic.twitter.com/R0CjE2uCeY
— Chris Card Collector1 (@Collector1Card) March 9, 2023
PSA Card Shows
Below you’ll find an updated table and list of card shows where PSA will have a presence. You’ll want to check the “on-site grading” column to see where PSA will be grading cards at the shows. That said, the two current entries where I see a “yes” don’t have additional details when you click into the event links. So, pricing, submission days, and turnaround times are unknown at this point.
| Event | Venue | Date | On-Site Grading | On-Site Autograph Authentication | Accepting Take-Home Submission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collect-A-Con Dallas | Fort Worth Convention Center Hall-A-B-C-D, Fort Worth, TX | 5/6/2023 - 5/7/2023 | No | Yes | Autographs Memorabilia |
| The Dallas Card Show | Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel & Convention Center, Allen, TX | 5/18/2023 - 5/21/2023 | No | Yes | Cards |
| Boston - The Fenway Card Show | Fenway Park, Boston, MA | 5/20/2023 - 5/21/2023 | No | Yes | Cards |
| Long Beach Expo | Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA | 6/22/2023 - 6/24/2023 | Yes | Yes | Cards Unopened Packs Tickets Autographs Memorabilia |
| Collect-A-Con Kansas City | Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, MO | 7/15/2023 - 7/16/2023 | No | No | Cards Unopened Packs Tickets Autographs |
| Comic Con San Diego | San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA | 7/20/2023 - 7/23/2023 | No | No | Cards |
| National Sports Collectors Convention | Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL | 7/26/2023 - 7/30/2023 | Yes | Yes | Cards Unopened Packs Tickets Autographs Memorabilia |
| Collect-A-Con Long Beach | Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA | 8/26/2023 - 8/27/2023 | No | No | Cards Unopened Packs Tickets Autographs |
| Long Beach Expo | Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA | 9/7/2023 - 9/9/2023 | Yes | Yes | Cards Unopened Packs Tickets Autographs Memorabilia |
| Collect-A-Con Charlotte | Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, NC | 9/16/2023 - 9/17/2023 | No | Yes | Autographs Memorabilia |
| Collect-A-Con Denver | Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO | 10/7/2023 - 10/8/2023 | No | No | Cards Unopened Packs Tickets Autographs |
| New York Comic Con | Javits Center, New York, NY | 10/12/2023 - 10/15/2023 | No | No | Cards |
| Collect-A-Con Houston | George R Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX | 11/4/2023 - 11/5/2023 | No | Yes | Autographs Memorabilia |
| Chicago Sports Spectacular | Donald E Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL | 11/18/2023 - 11/20/2023 | No | Yes | Cards |
Benefits
As you can see from the above, the main grading benefit of dropping off your cards in person is not having to ship them out.
going to this in a month to get same day PSA grading done and drop off cheaper cards to be graded at psa booth then mailed back to me. havent been to a card show in 10+ years. pic.twitter.com/xbJOaoMb2n
— Chris Card Collector1 (@Collector1Card) January 5, 2023
Yes, you still have to complete the submission form, and it seems like the cards will have to be mailed back, but at least you’re eliminating one of the initial steps.
In addition, though, if you’re lucky enough to attend NSCC or any of the other events where cards can be graded (and if you have a special card that warrants the pricing), the huge benefit is receiving same-day turnaround.
