International Sports Authentication
ISA
An early alternative that never gained traction — still operating, but with little resale recognition to show for fifteen years.
Our score32/100TierDNo. 16 on the scorecards
Resale standingRaw valueOn a high-value card, expect a buyer to cut it out and regrade it.
Cheapest way in$15Grading, 10-card minimum
Typical turnaround14 daysReader reports →
BacklogNone published
Cert lookupPublicVerify a cert →
Owned byIndependentFounded 2010
The short version
2 min to read it all, belowWhy it scores 32
The full breakdownWhere the slab sells
- eBay Authenticity GuaranteeSearchable, not covered
- Major US auction housesNot standard inventory
- Public cert lookupYes
What to watch
Its founder was previously banned by PSA for card trimming — an unresolved question that goes directly to trusting the company's authentication judgment.
All known concernsPricing
Official price listOne service, and the headline price understates it. Grading is $15 a card, but a 10-card minimum sets a $150 floor before return shipping ($20 to $100 by quantity) and insurance ($1 per $100 declared, to $15,000).
| Tier | Price | Minimum | Quoted turnaround | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grading | $15per card | 10 cards | 14 business days | Plus return shipping ($20–$100 ground) and insurance ($1 per $100 declared, to $15,000); ISA's only service |
Prices as checked on 9 Oct 2026. They change often; the grader's own list is the final word.
A modest submission lands meaningfully above the advertised rate. ISA states this is currently its only available service, so there is no faster option to pay for.
The full file
What sets them apart
Founded 2010 as a fourth option alongside the then-big-three, and still running a single service level — $15 a card, 14 days, no upcharges — with a working certificate lookup and declared-value insurance to $15,000.
Its pitch is aimed at dealers managing inventory rather than collectors chasing a premium.
Where the slab sells
Fifteen years without building acceptance is the finding — this is not a new company that hasn't had time.
eBay
ISA is listed in eBay's professional grader filter, so its slabs are searchable by grader, but it is not covered by the Authenticity Guarantee and carries no eBay buyer protection.
Auction houses
Not accepted as standard inventory at Goldin, Heritage or PWCC.
Card shops and general resale
Little current recognition despite operating since 2010, though ISA does maintain a working certificate verification lookup, letting a buyer confirm a slab is genuine even where the market assigns it no premium.
Price history
ISA has not raised a listed price since Oct 2026.
Show the price history: 1 tier, 0 changes
These come from our own records. Small ticks are sightings where the price held. A line ends where the evidence ends.
Grading$15 unchanged since 26 Oct 2026
Every change
| Date | Tier | Change | Source |
|---|
An archived page shows the price on the day it was saved, so a change happened somewhere between that page and the one before it.
The slab and the label
Subgrades: None
A conventional clear holder with a dark inner mat.
Example slab shown for reference, not a card the editor owns.
A blue-bannered flip spelling out International Sports Authentication under the grade, with a cert number and a validator app behind it. The layout borrows heavily from the familiar white-and-blue template rather than establishing anything of its own.
What they grade
- Sports Cards
- TCG
Who it's for
- Protection & Preservation
- Insurance
Protection only, and with a caveat. The holder protects the card; the grade carries a question we cannot resolve.
Known concerns
Its founder was previously banned by PSA for card trimming — an unresolved question that goes directly to trusting the company's authentication judgment.
Fifteen years of operation have not produced meaningful resale recognition, which is itself a finding. Independent coverage is sparse and dated. Some hobby sources report ISA as defunct; its site and cert lookup were live when this was written.
History
International Sports Authentication launched in 2010 from Michigan, positioning itself as a fourth option alongside what were then the big three.
The timing was reasonable and the proposition straightforward, but ISA never achieved the market penetration of the graders it set out to compete with.
Fifteen years on it continues to operate, with a certificate verification lookup available on its site, but its presence in hobby discussion and in secondary-market pricing remains slight.
Score breakdown
Five parts, each scored 0 to 100 and weighted. Market acceptance carries 60 of the 100, because the point of a slab is what the market pays for it.
Market acceptance 18 / 100 (weight 60). The other four parts together 54 / 100 (weight 40).
Market acceptance
18 / 100weight 60adds 10.8
Unverified, scored as zero: Recognised in a major non-US market.
Trust and verifiability
80 / 100weight 15adds 12.0
Unverified, scored as zero: Public population report.
Holder and label
0 / 100weight 10adds 0.0
Unverified, scored as zero: Sealed, tamper-evident holder; Standard footprint that fits hobby cases; Scannable cert code on the label.
Turnaround and access
80 / 100weight 5adds 4.0
Pricing
55 / 100weight 10adds 5.5
−5 The $15 headline price understates the cost: a 10-card minimum, return shipping of $20 to $100 and insurance all come on top.
Unverified, scored as zero: No price rise over 25% in the last 12 months.
Weighted total 32.3, shown as 32 out of 100.
Scored on 5 Oct 2026. 6 inputs could not be verified and score zero. How we score
On the Wire
All 1 ISA storyReader reports
Report yoursNo reader reports for ISA yet.
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