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PSA at New York Comic Con 2026: Drop-Off Submissions

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Quick answer

CardSpicy writes about grading from the collector’s side, so this page sets out the one distinction that matters most at a show: at New York Comic Con 2026, PSA will take submissions but will not grade on site. The booth runs for all four days of the show, 8 to 11 October, at the Javits Center in New York, and it accepts cards, sealed packs, tickets, comics and games as hand-delivered submissions. Submissions close at 4:00 p.m. on the final day.

Handing a card in at a booth is the start of a submission, not the end of one. It does not come back that day.

The dates, the venue and the hours

The booth is a drop-off point rather than a service counter, and the schedule is built around that. PSA has published hours per day, and a separate cut-off for accepting submissions on the last day.

Day Hours
Thursday, 8 October 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, 9 October 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, 10 October 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, 11 October 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Two caveats sit underneath that table. Submissions are accepted until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday 11 October, an hour before the booth closes, so the last day is shorter than it looks. And PSA notes that cut-off times are subject to change, which means the safe reading is to arrive with time in hand rather than at the end of a session.

What PSA will accept at the show

The published list of categories accepted for take-home submission is wider than cards alone, and each one is handed over at the booth rather than graded there.

  • Cards. Vintage, modern, trading card game and non-sports, authenticated and graded as usual. This is the category most readers of this site care about.
  • Tickets. From historic ballgames to concert tickets.
  • Sealed packs. From vintage baseball wax to modern Pokémon.
  • Comic books and magazines. Most standard-size books and magazines.
  • Games and media. Console, format and platform media.
  • PSA Vault. Items submitted for secure storage with access to eBay and PSA Offers.
  • eBay consignment. Grade and list through eBay using PSA’s consignment service.

The vault and consignment options are the two that are easy to overlook, because they turn a grading submission into a storage or a sale. If you are grading specifically to sell, that is worth deciding before you travel rather than at the counter.

What PSA will not do on site

This is the part that most often disappoints people, and PSA states it plainly: no on-site grading, and no autograph authentication.

The practical consequences are straightforward. You will not walk out with an encapsulated card, and the show is not the place to bring a signed item for authentication. A submission handed in on Thursday follows exactly the same queue as a submission mailed from home, which means the current turnaround applies. Our page on the state of grading in late 2026 sets out which tiers are open, what they cost and how long they take, and that is the number that governs what happens after the show rather than anything at the booth.

If your question is whether a particular card is worth the fee at all, that is a separate decision from whether it is worth submitting at a show. Our page on whether it is worth grading works through it on costs rather than on optimism.

How to prepare a submission

PSA has published a short preparation routine, and following it is the difference between a check-in that takes a minute and one that takes twenty.

  1. Prepare the submission online first. Use the PSA Online Submission Center or the PSA app to build it before you arrive.
  2. Bring the QR code or a printed form. Either one is recommended, though PSA notes it is not strictly required. It speeds up check-in.
  3. Sleeve the cards. Place each card in a penny sleeve to protect the surface.
  4. Then into a Card Saver. Insert the sleeved card into a rigid Card Saver so it stays secure in transit and handling.
  5. Do not over-package. PSA states that drop-off submissions do not need to be wrapped in cardboard, bubble wrap or sealed boxes.

One point of housekeeping that follows from step four: what protects a card in the post is not what protects it at a booth. If you want the general version of these rules, our pages on slab care and on sleeving a graded slab cover the after-care side once the card comes back.

The 10/10 Day offers

PSA is also running a collector event day on 10 October 2026, branded as 10/10 Day, and it is the reason the tenth of the month appears twice on this page. PSA’s own site describes it as free trading card game tournaments at local shops, grading specials, limited-edition merchandise and other offers.

Three things about it are worth saying plainly, because they are the ones most often read into it wrongly.

  • It is a day of separate offers, not a discount on everything. The promotions are specific to what each participating shop and each offer covers.
  • The tournaments are at local shops, not only at the convention. The free play is a shop-level event, so what is available depends on which shop near you is taking part.
  • It is not a promise about grades. Nothing about the day changes how a card is assessed, and the name should not be read as anything more than a date.

PSA says details will be published as they are confirmed, so the sensible approach is to check the PSA site and the participating shop rather than to assume a national promotion.

What the show does not change

A drop-off event is convenient, and convenience is the whole of it. Four things stay exactly as they are.

  • The queue. A submission handed in at a show joins the same backlog as one mailed in, and the open tiers and their timelines are unchanged.
  • The fee. Submitting in person does not change what a tier costs.
  • The grade. Nothing about the venue affects how a card is assessed. If you want to understand how a grade is read, our pages on how the companies compare and on reading a population report are the place to start.
  • The risk of a fake slab. Separate from submitting, but relevant if you are buying at a show rather than handing in: our page on fake PSA slabs and our guide to verifying a PSA card cover how to check before you pay.

For anyone new to the process end to end, the sequence from choosing a card to receiving the holder is set out in our grading guide, and what to do on the day a submission comes back is covered in what to do when your slab arrives.

Frequently asked questions

Does PSA grade cards on site at New York Comic Con 2026?

No. PSA states plainly that there is no on-site grading at the event. The booth accepts hand-delivered submissions for take-home grading, which then follow the same queue and turnaround as a submission sent in by post. You will not receive an encapsulated card at the show.

What can I submit at the PSA booth?

Cards for authentication and grading, tickets, sealed packs, standard-size comic books and magazines, and games and media. PSA Vault storage and eBay consignment can also be arranged at the booth. Autograph authentication is not offered.

How should I package cards for a drop-off submission?

Place each card in a penny sleeve, then insert the sleeved card into a rigid Card Saver. PSA states that drop-off submissions do not need to be wrapped in cardboard, bubble wrap or sealed boxes. Bringing a QR code or printed submission form is recommended to speed up check-in, though not required.

What is PSA’s 10/10 Day?

It is a collector event day on 10 October 2026, described by PSA as free trading card game tournaments at local shops, grading specials, limited-edition merchandise and other offers. The promotions are specific to each participating shop and offer, and the day does not change how a card is graded.

When do submissions close at the show?

PSA accepts submissions until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday 11 October 2026, the final day, while the booth itself is open until 5:00 p.m. that day. PSA notes that cut-off times are subject to change, so arriving earlier in the day is the safer plan.

Sources

Sources and scope
  1. PSA’s official article on its New York Comic Con 2026 attendance — the show dates, the venue, the daily hours, the Sunday submission cut-off, the categories accepted for take-home submission, the absence of on-site grading and autograph authentication, and the preparation guidance including penny sleeves and Card Savers.
  2. PSA’s own site front page — the description of the 10/10 Day offers as free trading card game tournaments at local shops, grading specials and limited-edition merchandise.
  3. Our own pages on the current grading landscape, grading cost decisions, slab care, population reports and verifying a PSA card, used for the internal links and cross-references.
  4. Scope note: only details published by PSA are stated as confirmed. Where an offer is described as shop-specific or subject to change, that is PSA’s own framing. CardSpicy quotes no prices for cards and makes no valuation or investment recommendation.

Event hours, cut-off times and offers are set by the organiser and can change. Check PSA’s own event page before travelling or submitting.

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