PSA cert lookup: how to check a slab and spot a fake

How do I look up a PSA cert number?

Find the certification number on the label, then enter it on PSA’s Cert Verification page or in the PSA app. It’s free, needs no account, and takes under a minute.

1. 1Find the number on the label. Every PSA slab has a unique certification number printed on the front of the red-bordered label inside the case. Current labels repeat it on the back with a barcode and QR code.
2. 2On the web, open psacard.com/cert. Type the number exactly as printed, including any leading zeros, and search. PSA also lists Cert Verification under the Research menu on its site.
3. 3Or scan it in the PSA app. Tap “Scan a Card” and point the camera at the label or its QR code, or use the Text Search button on the Home tab and type the number.
4. 4Compare the record with the slab. Card name, set, year, card number, variety and grade should all match the label, and the card in PSA’s photos should be the card in your hands.

Where is the cert number on a PSA slab?

On the front of the label at the top of the case, alongside the grade and the card description. PSA’s 2017 label redesign added a blue back with the LightHouse logo and a QR code, and PSA’s own records note a “reverse cert number/barcode” on current labels. Older slabs may only carry the number on the front. If the number on the front and the number on the back differ, stop there: something about that slab is wrong.

What does a PSA cert lookup show?

It shows what PSA recorded when it graded that card: the card itself, the grade, the label type and how many copies PSA has graded at that grade and above. Recent certs also show PSA’s own front and back photos of the slab.

The photos are the part that catches the most. Every PSA service level open today includes images of the front and back of the graded card, so a cert from a recent order will usually have them. Older certs often won’t. When there are photos, compare small, fixed things: the centering, a print line, a nick on one corner, where the holo pattern breaks. Two copies of the same card never share all of those. Population counts are covered in our guide to the PSA population report, and what each grade means is in the PSA grading scale.

What does it mean if a PSA cert doesn’t match?

Any mismatch between the record and the slab means don’t buy until it’s explained. Most often it points to a counterfeit or altered label; occasionally it’s a typo or a data entry error that PSA can correct.

PSA itself says data entry errors can make the label and the database differ, and owners can file a label correction request. That covers a misspelled name or a wrong variety on a slab you trust. It doesn’t cover a different card, a different grade or photos of another copy.

Can a PSA slab be fake if the cert number checks out?

Yes. PSA’s own cert page warns that a verified number “does not eliminate risk”, because criminals counterfeit PSA labels using real cert numbers taken from public sources. A lookup only tells you the number belongs to a real slab somewhere.

Fake and resealed slabs come in three main kinds:

• Counterfeit labels and cases. A printed copy of a PSA label, often with a real cert number lifted from a sold listing, inside a case that isn’t PSA’s. PSA’s buyer’s guide says some forgers copy an older-style PSA label to avoid the newer label’s hologram.
• Real labels, altered or moved. A fake front pasted over a genuine label, or a genuine label washed and reprinted with a higher grade and a different number. The card inside can be a lower-grade copy, a reprint or a fake.
• Opened and resealed cases. A genuine PSA case cracked open, the card swapped for a worse copy of the same card, then glued shut. Label and cert both look perfect, because they are real.

How do you spot a fake PSA slab?

Check the case, the label and the card, in that order. Each of these comes from PSA’s own buyer’s guide or its label documentation, and none needs special tools beyond a lamp.

1. 1Look along the edges of the case. PSA seals its two halves with a sonic weld. When someone breaks it, the plastic along the edges goes cloudy, which PSA calls frosting, and you may see small cracks.
2. 2Squeeze the case gently. A sealed PSA case is firm and almost inflexible. Once the weld is broken it flexes again, and PSA says a reglued case can creak or pop open under a fingernail pressed along the edge.
3. 3Hold the label up to a strong light. On a genuine label you can make out the printing on the other side. A fake front stuck on a real label adds a layer of paper and blocks the light, and sometimes the original label shows underneath.
4. 4Tilt the hologram. Labels since 2017 carry PSA’s LightHouse hologram, which switches on and off as you tilt it. The back is blue with a QR code, and under a UV light a pattern of small PSA logos glows on the lower left.
5. 5Read the label print closely. Compare fonts, spacing and the red border against a slab you know is genuine. Fuzzy text, wrong spacing or a label style that doesn’t match its cert’s label type are warning signs.
6. 6Check the card against the label and PSA’s photos. Set, number, 1st Edition stamp and holo pattern have to match the label, and any fixed mark in PSA’s images has to be on this card.

That last step is where a lot of fakes give themselves away. A swapped or counterfeit slab often holds a reprint, a fake or a much weaker copy, and the card can be checked through the plastic the same way you’d check a raw one: lettering, the set symbol, the card number and the foil. Our guide to how to tell if a Pokémon card is fake covers every one of those tells.

Is it safe to buy PSA slabs online?

It can be, but buying online adds a risk a lookup can’t catch: the photos may not show the slab you’ll receive. A cert number and PSA’s images are public, so anyone can copy them into a listing for a different slab.

• Ask for your own photo. Request a picture of the slab next to a note with your username and today’s date, front and back, then match its cert number to the listing.
• Compare the listing photos with PSA’s photos. If the seller’s pictures look identical to PSA’s images, they may be the same file, not a photo of the slab for sale.
• Prefer eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee. On eBay, graded cards selling for $200 or more ship to PSA first, which inspects the case for tampering, checks the case and label are genuine and confirms the card matches the listing. If it fails, you get a full refund and PSA deactivates the cert.
• Avoid the marketplaces PSA warns about. PSA’s cert page names Craigslist, Mercari and OfferUp as not recommended for PSA-graded items.
• Check the price. A PSA 10 listed well below recent sales of that card at that grade is the most common setup for a fake. Our guide to what a Pokémon card is worth shows how to find those sales.

PSA also tells buyers they can ask to make a deal contingent on PSA reviewing the item, and that a seller who hesitates may already have given you the answer. For where to buy and sell graded cards more safely, see where to sell Pokémon cards.

What should you do if your PSA slab is fake?

Keep the slab exactly as it arrived, gather evidence and open a claim fast. Most protection runs on short deadlines.

1. 1Don’t open or alter the case. Cracking it destroys the evidence that it was tampered with and can void a return, especially one that goes back through an authenticator.
2. 2Document everything. Photograph the slab front, back and edges, the label against a light, and save the listing, the cert lookup result and every message with the seller.
3. 3Open a return on the marketplace. eBay’s Money Back Guarantee covers items that don’t match the listing and items with strong signs of being counterfeit. You have 30 days from delivery, or longer if the seller’s return window is longer.
4. 4Contact PSA Customer Care. PSA asks for front and back photos when a cert won’t verify, and it can deactivate a number used on fakes. Before you buy something expensive, PSA also offers to review an item.
5. 5Report a dealer you met in person. If you paid a card shop, show or private seller directly, ask for a refund in writing and report fraud to local police. In the Curcio case, prosecutors credited the many victims who came forward.

If you’d rather send cards in yourself than buy graded copies, our guides to submitting cards to PSA and the best grading company for Pokémon cards cover the costs and the trade-offs.