PSA Announces New Blue Label For Authenticated Autographs

PSA President Ryan Hoge says the new labels will be introduced in the coming months.

PSA quietly announced a change to its labels on Thursday with a familiar format making a return.

In a post to Twitter/X on Thursday, PSA President Ryan Hoge announced that the company would be introducing a new blue label in the coming months for cards that only had an autograph authenticated.

Hoge wrote that the purpose was to make it easier for collectors to identify what they were buying.

“I wanted to share some changes that PSA will be making to the labels on encapsulated items that have only been submitted for autograph authentication,” Hoge wrote. “We know that while many customers like the uniformity of having all their PSA encapsulated cards & collectibles with the recognizable red label, there are instances where folks might be confused on what they are actually buying.

“In the coming months, we’re going to introduce a new blue label for all collectibles PSA encapsulates where the only authentication or grading provided is for the autograph. These labels will feature all the security measures that are currently employed in our red labels today. We’re still finalizing the exact text that will be displayed on these new labels, but an example of what this might look like for an autographed card with a numeric grade and one with an “Authentic only” are below.”

PSA

Hoge continued: “Red labels will indicate that the item itself has passed through PSA authentication and grading process. These could also include items that are autographed which would need to be submitted under our “dual service” levels for Cards, Tickets, Original Photos, and Funko Pops.”

According to Hoge, the change was prompted specifically by newer collectors struggling to differentiate graded and authenticated cards from those that just had the autograph authenticated.

With so many new collectors entering the hobby in recent years, PSA felt it was necessary to make the differences easier to understand.

"There was too much nuance to it that I think was leaving it open for interpretation," Hoge told Sports Illustrated. "I just felt like we weren't doing enough to make it super clear to the consumer, so that's why we went back to this blue label concept."

While many collectors new to the hobby exclusively associate the brand with its iconic red label, PSA had utilized blue labels for over 20 years before ditching the practice for a uniform red in 2019.

Before the change in 2019, blue labels were used to indicate that a card had gone through the PSA/DNA authentication service.

“Uniformity and consistency are significant aspects for collectors,” then-PSA President Steve Sloan said at the time. “But we also believe that the added security measures that come with the red labels, such as the PSA LightHouse logo and the fugitive ink pattern, are critical components of collecting today.”

The colors and layout for labels are a common topic among collectors and many hobbyists consider the design one of the most important factors when grading cards for their personal collection.

For many, PSA’s simple design and bright red outline has made it extremely desirable and recognizable.

“We know customers like having the choice of multiple ways to submit for authentication and encapsulation at different price points,” Hoge wrote. “We also care deeply about making sure customers that are buying PSA items know what they are purchasing and continue to trust PSA and the services we provide.”