Global Authentication Inc.
GAI
Gone since 2009, but its pack grading is still respected and still trades.
Not scoredDefunctScores cover graders you can send cards to.
Resale standingNot rated
Taking cardsNoDefunct
Typical turnaroundNot accepting submissionsReader reports →
BacklogNone published
Cert lookupNone foundA buyer cannot verify this slab
Owned byIndependentFounded 1999
The short version
2 min to read it all, belowThe score
Scores cover graders you can send cards to. This one is not taking public submissions, so it is not scored.
Where the slab sells
- eBay Authenticity GuaranteeNot verified
- Major US auction housesNot verified
- Public cert lookupNone found
What to watch
The company no longer exists, so there is no cert lookup, no population report, no guarantee and no recourse.
All known concernsPricing
Defunct since 2009.
The full file
What sets them apart
The first company to grade unopened packs, and that reputation outlived the company itself. Vintage wax collectors still treat a GAI pack holder as meaningful sixteen years after the business stopped — a rare case of a defunct grader's work holding its standing.
Where the slab sells
Pack grading retains genuine standing with vintage and sealed collectors. Card grading carries little weight. Not covered by any current guarantee.
Turnaround
Ceased grading in 2009.
The slab and the label
Subgrades: None
Example slab shown for reference, not a card the editor owns.
What they grade
- Sports Cards
- Autographs
- Unopened Packs
Who it's for
- Protection & Preservation
Nothing to submit to. What matters is whether a GAI slab you are looking at is worth buying — and on unopened packs, it often still is.
Known concerns
The company no longer exists, so there is no cert lookup, no population report, no guarantee and no recourse.
A GAI slab is a historical artefact rather than a current certification, and should be valued as the card plus the holder rather than as a graded card in the ordinary sense. Note also that this site's existing GAS (Global Authentication Services) entry is very likely a conflation with this company — GAI's successor was named Global Authority, which is close enough to explain how the wrong name entered circulation. GAS remains flagged for verification.
History
Founded in California in 2001 or 2002 by Steve Rocchi, PSA's founding president (earlier versions of this entry said 1999; several independent retrospectives give 2001), grading cards, packs and autographs, and the first company anywhere to encapsulate unopened packs.
Global Authentication filed for Chapter 11 in December 2008, listing assets of $50,000 to $100,000 against liabilities of $1m to $10m. The petition was dismissed in 2009 after the company failed to notify all creditors of a creditors' meeting and failed to file required documents — it did not reorganize, it collapsed. The grading operation, database and client list were bought and relaunched as Global Authority under CEO Demian Werner, with Mike Baker as director of grading and authentication. That is the same Mike Baker now behind MBA Grading.
Global Authority itself reportedly collapsed around 2010, after a free-grading model introduced in May 2010 flooded it with low-value submissions and left it months behind. That account rests on a hobby-blog retrospective and one consumer complaint, not on mainstream reporting.
On the Wire
Nothing on the Wire about GAI yet. It fills in as stories are reported.
Reader reports
Report yoursNo reader reports for GAI yet.
Sent cards to GAI? Tell us when they arrived and when they shipped back. Reports are checked and anonymous.