Well, sort of... PSA are anything but new to graded collectibles.
They have been the go-to grading service for trading cards of all types for decades now. Whether it be Sports or Pokemon Cards, it’s impossible to think of the hobby without imagining their red and white label that has dominated the market for so long now. And even if you don’t follow the TCG hobby but are caught up with pop culture, you probably have seen celebrities like Logan Paul, Logic, or Post Malone publicly showing off their 6 and 7-figure PSA-graded Pokemon cards in recent years. PSA has been around at the highest level for a long time now.
Earlier in the year, PSA expanded their umbrella to include Comics and Magazines, which has made giant waves in the hobby. Not long after, they began rebranding their past acquisition of WATA to be fully integrated into the PSA brand. With these moves, PSA has made it known that they don’t just want to be labeled a trading card grading company anymore. They want to be your one-stop-shop for all things collectible: cards, comics, magazines, video games, and whatever else the future may hold for them. With any rebrand as big as this, there are always questions on what to expect during the transition.
PSA was kind enough to give us their time and answer some of these questions we know you have been itching to get answers to. But for those looking for a quick summary instead, you can essentially look at this as a full rebranding of WATA to PSA, with just about everything staying the same except for the brand design.
Let’s delay no longer and dive right in for those interested in the specifics.
NEW PSA BRANDING, SAME GRADING SCALE AND STANDARDS
The biggest question that people seemed to have was the grading scale. Would it be changing in any way? Would the grading standards themselves be changing? And the answer to both of those questions is “NO”. PSA is going to not only be using the same scale you have known and grown to love over the years with WATA, but they are also enforcing the same grading standards that they had perfected over the years too. So expect to still be chasing those hard earned pristine 9.8’s and 10’s that shine brilliantly on your shelves. And if you need to brush up on the nuances of the grading scale, PSA has already posted the break down on their site.
POP REPORTS ARE HERE TO STAY AND WILL BE MERGED
Every collector knows that population reports are one of the most important resources when buying any collectible. Knowing exactly how many of something are floating around out there can greatly affect the choices you make when buying and selling. Fortunately, since PSA is going to be keeping the same grading scale and standards, they are also going to be merging WATA’s pop reports with their own. So If you have a WATA 9.8 A+ and a PSA 9.8 A+, they will both be coexisting in the same place and tallied together. No ambiguity or confusion, just the data you want to see. And they can already be viewed right here
PRICE DROPS ACROSS THE BOARD
Some of the most exciting news is that PSA will be dropping prices on just about every single service. In a world of rising prices and more fees, it’s refreshing to see a company do the opposite and actually try and make their service more accessible and affordable. Some of these price cuts are pretty substantial too, like reducing the Warp-Zone service by a full $25.
POST GRADE PHOTOS FOR THE FRONT ARE NOW FREE AND THE STANDARD
In the spirit of lowering prices, what used to be a paid service is now going to be included FOR FREE. Each game submitted will now have a front picture taken and loaded in for the certification tool. You can also opt to pay a small fee of $5 if you also want a picture of the back. Along with the price drops mentioned earlier, your money is taking your collection a lot farther.
SAME SLEEK HOLDER
Moving onto the holder itself, I am happy to report that PSA is going to be using the same updated WATA holder, just with a newly designed label to match PSA’s branding. All of the same information will be present on the front and back of the label. You can expect the same quality and security that you always have before, and know that your games will display beautifully and be protected in the process.
NEW GOLD LABEL FOR PSA 10
Aiming for the top of the mountain just got more exciting, since PSA will be bringing over their gold labels to video games. Any game that is graded a 10 will get a special shiny gold label to make it really stand out from the pack. You worked hard to find those games that achieved this incredibly rare and difficult grade. What better way to celebrate them than a fancy gold label?!
CERTIFICATION SYSTEM IS BEING KEPT INTACT
The current WATA games certification numbering system is here to stay. All of the past WATA certification numbers will function as they always have, and newly graded PSA games will follow the same numbering system. There will be a certification lookup tool on PSA’s website as well where you can verify any certification number you have past and present. GoCollect will also have that certification lookup tool right here on our site once we fully connect with the new PSA Games.
TO WRAP IT ALL UP IN A RED PSA BOW
All of the important things you’ve known to love about WATA are staying the same after the rebranding, but with some exciting additions and even lower prices. The grading scale, game holder, certification system, and pop reports will all be just the way you remember them. Just located on PSA's website now.
With PSA’s track record in the TCG world, I have no doubt the video game hobby is in great hands and we are excited to see where this goes!
