Gather ’round, comic collectors and magazine aficionados, for a tale of expectation, delay, and a rather controversial piece of plastic. PSA’s new venture into the world of comic and magazine grading, which was supposed to be a fanfare-laden parade of quicker turnarounds and sharper service, has instead morphed into a saga of patience-testing duration and uninspired aesthetics. The eagerly anticipated 20-day turnaround for magazine grading has quietly creeped into an unexpected 75-day spell, leaving collectors grumbling into their long boxes and stickers.
With the excitement akin to a collector discovering a mint-condition first issue tucked away in Grandma’s attic, PSA debuted its comic and magazine grading service. Yet, the fanfare quickly fizzled when collectors realized that anticipated speedy timelines were more fantasy than reality. Instead, PSA’s timeline stretched long enough to render a typical comic hero subplot trivial. The hapless collector now faces a hefty 75-day wait, putting the dreams of quick flips and faster displays on the back burner—possibly somewhere near the charred remains of patience.
Intriguingly, PSA unveiled this time-intensive service gambit with an enticing special launch offer. Modern comic and magazine submissions from 1975 onward, with a value cap of $400, saw prices plummeting to a tempting $25.99, while vintage submissions clocked in at $39.99. While these prices were initially perceived as a sweet deal, the elongation of the grading process has many enthusiasts questioning whether the deal remains sweet or has turned sour like a comic book villain’s nefarious scheme.
An insider peek behind the curtains at PSA suggests that unforeseen obstacles in tariffs and production jammed the cogs of progress. The much-hyped magazine slabs are now more elusive than a Golden Age comic tucked behind the counter of a comic con dealer. With the coveted slabs likely due to arrive fashionably late in September, and thus leaving a cart without its proverbial horse, collectors find themselves in a limbo of anticipation.
For those considering a bit of spit and polish, there’s an $11.99 pressing service for modern items and a $29.99 option for the more seasoned vintage collectables. However, there’s a catch worth noting—a “no mix” policy for pressing services amidst your trove, as each item’s dreamy new look is an all-or-nothing decision.
Let’s address the elephant whose room-sized presence demands attention: PSA’s label design. In a world where 21st-century flair should easily outshine yesterday’s monotony, PSA’s labels look like the stodgy accountant sitting at an otherwise stylish party. CGC, PSA’s rival, struts its innovative stuff with labels that can include personalized artwork direct from the realms of the comics themselves, for an unattracted collector penny. This gives each slab a personality worthy of housing precious items of geekdom. In contrast, PSA’s labels evoke the sigh-inducing familiarity of a decade-old spreadsheet chart—generic and uncharitably uninspired.
The moment one might consider the display ability a comic’s collection half the fun seems lost on PSA’s designers, who appear perpetually stuck in a museum made of dial-up connections and obsolete thesauruses. Presentation and the satisfaction therein are lost arts that seem to be eschewed in favor of nostalgia circa the last recession.
With the current state of PSA’s graded slabs, CGC maintains its venerable hold on the symbolic Iron Throne of grading standards. CGC’s rapid turnaround times and beautifully compelling label options have set a high bar that PSA has yet to shimmy beneath, let alone clear. If today’s outing tells us anything, it’s that if PSA truly aims to capture the hearts of the magazine-reading masses, a revamp—inspired, vivid, refreshed, and ideally sans velvet ropes—is a foregone necessity.
As collectors weigh their options, CGC continues as a formidable contender with its superior turnaround options and emotive presentations. Meanwhile, PSA remains a brand mired in well-meaning ambition, stymied by infrastructural setbacks, and hindered by an aesthetic clearly inspired by cardboard cutouts from another era’s IKEA catalog. Waiting is still required, but the hope is that creativity will eventually prevail along with speed. Who knows? One day the mere allure of a PSA slab won’t just be about what it encloses—but equally about how stylishly it does so. Until then, collectors may need to ponder just how deep their patience—and their collections—can stretch.