MBA Grading: What Collectors Should Know in 2026
MBA Grading on grading.mba: partner-only raw fees, Diamond crossover tiers, Heat Maps, live promos, and what collectors should verify before submitting.
By Jamie Budesky · Editor, Card Grading News ·
On September 15, 2026, Card Grading News opened MBA's own primary pages at grading.mba, raw card grading, crossover grading, and crossover review to document how the company describes its services, fees, and access rules. This is a news explainer of published MBA materials, not a recommendation to submit, crossover, buy, or sell any card.
Who is MBA Grading?
MBA presents itself on grading.mba as MBA Grading, INC, with a mailing address at 15532 SW Pacific Hwy Ste C1B #527, Tigard, Oregon 97224 and phone (503) 344-7299 (also listed on contacts). The homepage centers founder Mike Baker, whom MBA describes as the first employee at Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), a Director of Grading for over a decade, and a grader since 1991. Those are MBA's own biographical claims; CGN attributes them to the company site rather than independently auditing employment history.
MBA's stated product pitch is transparency and second-opinion oversight: Heat Maps that mark condition drivers, Diamond certifications on third-party slabs, Provenance crossover into MBA holders, and raw encapsulation with hi-res imaging and a cert database. Factory sealed wax/packs and several larger formats are labeled Coming Soon Q4 2026 on the raw page.
Context only (not the story angle): MBA's homepage banners on-site Diamond crossover at the Minnesota Sports Card Show, September 17-20, St. Paul (cardshowmn.com). Treat that as an upcoming show presence, not a routine drop-off guide.
Critical access rule: partner-only raw grading
MBA's raw card grading page states verbatim that "MBA Grading services are currently only offered through approved business partners." It directs readers to contact MBA for a list of approved submitters or to become an approved business submitter. Decision rule: do not assume open public mail-in raw grading is available to every collector. Confirm an approved path before packaging cards. CGN is not publishing a partner list because MBA's pages we opened do not enumerate named partners.
Raw grading: what MBA says it includes
Per grading.mba/raw-card-grading (opened Sep 15, 2026), MBA raw grading covers trading cards and pins up to 6x8" and 360pt thick (modern and vintage lines called out separately), with authenticity/alteration review, a crystal-clear acrylic holder that MBA says was selected to mesh visually with PSA-style slabs, an MBA Heat Map on raw submissions, certification database listing, and hi-res imaging. MBA Silver Diamond on raw is described as superior eye appeal for roughly the top 15% within an assigned grade.
Raw turnaround / service fees (mail)
Service | Stated turnaround | Service fee |
|---|---|---|
Standard - Mail Order | 30 business days | $15 |
Immediate - Mail Order | 15 business days | $50 |
MBA notes that turn-time service fees are credited toward Final Value Fees (FVFs). A Pre-Grade service level offered at in-person shows is described as a way to avoid FVFs for a selected order.
Raw Final Value Fee (FVF) schedule
Declared / market value band | FVF |
|---|---|
Up to $100 | $15 |
Up to $250 | $20 |
Up to $500 | $25 |
Up to $1,000 | $35 |
Over $1,000 | +3% on excess (MBA: 3% of conservative market value) |
Decision rule: treat the tables above as dated primary snapshots from grading.mba/raw-card-grading on Sep 15, 2026. Re-open that page before you budget a submission; fee schedules change.
Diamond crossover: what the labels mean
MBA's crossover grading page frames Diamond crossover as a second opinion on cards already graded by another company. Diamonds can stay on the original slab via a tamper-proof holographic label, or collectors can choose Provenance crossover into an MBA slab while MBA hosts a high-resolution image of the prior label on the report card.
Diamond | MBA's stated meaning |
|---|---|
Bronze | Equivalent MBA grade vs the prior third-party grade |
Silver | Superior eye appeal (about top 15% within the technical grade); technical grade agrees with MBA |
Gold | Higher technical grade (MBA: at least a 0.5 technical grade increase) |
Black | Virtually flawless / pristine-tier path; MBA says Black uses a dedicated Black Diamond slab |
Decision rule: a Diamond is MBA's comparative opinion relative to an existing third-party grade, not a universal market guarantee. Read the Bronze/Silver/Gold/Black definitions on grading.mba/crossover-grading before you interpret any label photos you see online.
Diamond crossover fees (mail and show tiers)
From the crossover page opened Sep 15, 2026, mail Diamond turnaround fees differ from raw: Standard Mail Order 20 business days / $15; Immediate Mail Order 5 business days / $50. In-person show tiers listed include $100 ASAP / end of show, $300 front of the line, and a High Value End of Show $50k tier at $0 submission fee (in-person). Homepage and crossover banners also advertise a high-value $50k+ / $0 Diamond crossover path with Final Value Fees only if a Diamond is awarded, and mail-in plus in-person acceptance for that promo.
Diamond FVF bands through $1,000 match the raw dollar table ($15 / $20 / $25 / $35). Above $1,000, MBA states percentage FVFs only on cards that receive Diamond certification: Bronze 1%, Silver 2%, Gold 3%, Black 4% of estimated market value. Turn-time fees credit toward FVFs.
Crossover Digital Review and live promos
MBA's crossover review page lists Standard review at $10 / 2 business days and Immediate at $25, with Immediate capped at about 2 hours subject to staff availability. MBA says all crossover review fees credit 100% toward a future Diamond crossover grading submission (homepage banner: no promo code required). A separate Bronze Diamond FVF credit promo toward future crossover orders is bannered as expiring 12/31/2026 (excludes base service / turn-time fees).
Decision rule: digital review is a screening opinion path, not the Diamond certification itself. MBA's review page notes that official determination requires Diamond certification service.
Heat Maps, standards, and Passport
MBA markets the Heat Map as a condition explainer included with trading-card authentication services, showing where flaws drive the grade (homepage; also referenced throughout raw/crossover pages). Certification standards live at grading.mba/certification-standards. Passport is MBA's assisted-selling / marketplace-partner handoff page. CGN describes Passport only as MBA's published service label; we are not verifying post-sale outcomes or liquidity claims in this run.
About the Heritage / Griffey homepage banner
MBA's homepage banners a 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. MBA Gold Diamond as an "ALL-TIME RECORD SALE BY HERITAGE AUCTIONS!" marketing claim. CGN did not independently fetch or verify a Heritage Auctions lot record in this run. Treat that banner as MBA advertising until corroborated on Heritage's own site. We do not translate it into price guidance.
How this fits the wider grading desk
Collectors comparing doors and fees across majors should still start with dated CGN open-door snapshots such as Open Doors Fee Matrix: Sep 15, 2026, PSA Standard checkout status in PSA Standard now live, European fee context in PSA Europe fees Sep 15, Beckett outage/temp-path coverage in Beckett Sep 15 vs outage, and shipping risk basics in Shipping cards for grading. For pre-screen workflow tooling, CardGrade.io is an advertiser on this site: CardGrade.io.
The bottom line
As of September 15, 2026, MBA Grading publishes a full raw fee ladder (Standard $15 / 30 business days; Immediate $50 / 15 business days plus FVFs), Diamond crossover definitions (Bronze/Silver/Gold/Black), review credits, and a $50k+ $0 Diamond submission promo. The access gate that matters most for everyday collectors is explicit on the raw page: approved business partners only. Verify partner status, live fees, and promo terms on grading.mba before you ship. This article does not advise buy, sell, hold, or crossover decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Can anyone mail raw cards directly to MBA?
Not according to the raw page we opened: MBA says services are currently only offered through approved business partners and points collectors to contact MBA for submitter lists or to apply.
What does an MBA Bronze Diamond mean?
MBA defines Bronze as confirmation that the card has an equivalent MBA grade to the previously assigned third-party grade.
What are MBA raw Standard and Immediate fees today?
On the raw page opened Sep 15, 2026: Standard Mail Order $15 / 30 business days; Immediate Mail Order $50 / 15 business days, with FVFs on top and turn-time fees credited toward FVFs.
Is the $50k+ Diamond crossover really $0 to submit?
MBA banners a $0 submission option for cards valued over $50k, with Final Value Fees only if a Diamond is awarded, and lists a $0 High Value End of Show $50k in-person tier on the crossover fee table. Confirm eligibility and value rules on grading.mba before relying on the promo.
Where is MBA located?
MBA Grading, INC lists 15532 SW Pacific Hwy Ste C1B #527, Tigard, Oregon 97224, phone (503) 344-7299, on grading.mba footers and the contacts page.
Sources
MBA home: grading.mba (Sep 15, 2026).
Raw grading / fees / partner caveat: Raw card grading (Sep 15, 2026).
Diamond / Provenance crossover: Crossover grading (Sep 15, 2026).
Crossover digital review: Crossover review (Sep 15, 2026).
Contacts / address: Contacts (Sep 15, 2026).
Passport (assisted selling page): Passport (Sep 15, 2026).
Certification standards: Certification standards (Sep 15, 2026).
Show listing referenced on MBA banners: Minnesota Sports Card Show (Sep 15, 2026).
Related CGN: Open doors fees Sep 15; PSA Standard live; PSA Europe fees; Beckett Sep 15 vs outage; Shipping for grading; Spot a fake PSA slab.
Disclosure: Card Grading News is a TCG Treasury LLC publication. CardGrade.io is an advertiser on this site and is also owned by TCG Treasury LLC.