Trading Cards & Collectibles Podcast

Ep: “Mike Baker’s ‘Card Fact’ Exposed: The Secret Data Big Graders WON’T Show You”

Host: Ryan Alford (Radcast Network)
Guest: Mike Baker (Founder, Mike Baker Authenticated [MBA]; first PSA employee)
Date: November 4, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features hobby grading legend Mike Baker, known for his pioneering role at PSA and for founding Mike Baker Authenticated (MBA). Host Ryan Alford digs deep into Baker’s history, industry observations, and most importantly, his new push for radical transparency in card grading—most notably MBA’s "Card Facts" heat map and the granular grader notes that major grading companies aren’t showing collectors. The pair discuss what separates superior cards, the real reasons behind grade numbers, using a heat map and population data, MBA’s disruption in the space, and the future of grading in an industry that’s scaling faster than ever.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mike Baker’s Grading Roots and the Early Days of PSA

• Baker’s entry into grading started in the late ‘80s, working with PCGS (coins). He saw the financial and regulatory impact grading had on coins and helped transfer that model to sports cards.
• Collectors’ skepticism: Convincing early hobbyists to embrace 3rd-party grading was tough. Trust around mailing high-value cards, concerns about swaps/damage, and initial dealer resistance were major hurdles.
• Quote:

  “A part of it was establishing trust...that I was a good babysitter and a good steward of managing your cards...”
  (Mike Baker, 06:32)

2. Evolution & Scale of PSA

• PSA started with 10–15,000 cards a month; now exceeding 1.5 million/month.
• Core protocols, standards, and many senior graders are still those handpicked or trained by Baker—his “business DNA” influences PSA’s present.
• Quote:

  “...managing a million and a half cards a month on average is no joke. That’s another level of craziness.”
  (Mike Baker, 08:59)

3. What Prompted MBA’s Launch—And Why Differentiation Matters

• Mike Baker Authenticated (MBA) launched in 2020 out of a need for greater granularity and transparency:
  • Not all cards of the same grade are equal. Some 9s are better than other 9s.
• MBA’s stickers (Silver, Gold, Black):
  • Silver: Superior within-grade appeal
  • Gold: “Mint plus” / pristine
  • Black: Flawless, highest tier (less than 1% of submissions)
• MBA reviews cards already slabbed by PSA, SGC, Beckett, CGC, and Tag, adding their certification on top.
• Quote:

  “Because everyone already had their card graded...why do you need to go send it off? But...just certain cards are better than their counterparts in the same grade.”
  (Mike Baker, 11:40)

4. Transparency, “Card Facts” Reports & Heat Maps

• Biggest pain point in grading:
  • Collectors not knowing why their card got a grade; vague feedback from grading giants.
  • MBA reviewers provide graded feedback with heat maps: detailed, image-based notes about which corner, edge, or surface flaw affected the grade.
  • Every card’s heat map and report is accessible through MBA’s database.
• Quotes:

  “The differentiator with what we’re doing is we’re adding grader notes or what we call a heat map.”
  (Mike Baker, 15:24)
  “You can go look at the report card...upper right, put the little magnifying lens over that area…”
  (Mike Baker, 15:53)
  “What you’re doing, the transparency that you’re having—why hasn’t that been done? And am I just crazy to think that should be the standard?”
  (Ryan Alford, 17:34)

• Reasons industry hasn’t done this:
  • Costs & efficiency; detailed notes add time and must be consistent at scale.
  • PSA offers notes as a paid add-on; Baker believes proportional transparency actually boosts engagement and trust.

5. Crossovers & Provenance Tracking

• For cards resubmitted to MBA from other slabs, MBA now archives and links the previous graded images to the MBA cert number—a full provenance trail.
• Quote:

  “If you submit a PSA card and it's a 9 and I gold it, we’re saying it's 9.5…So that gives you the awareness...likely that card will transfer into that next grade.”
  (Mike Baker, 23:35)

6. The State and Future of Card Grading

• Market Trends:
  • PSA dominance continues; SGC acquisition by PSA has changed vintage grading landscapes.
  • Opportunity for MBA (and others) to carve out share, especially among collectors who crave detailed transparency and personalized feedback.
  • Sizable “groundswell” of support for MBA’s more personal, data-driven approach.
• On competition and AI:
  • Baker sees a growing need for the “best of the best” human graders—patience, humility, stamina matter.
  • While AI is coming, detecting advanced alterations still requires human judgment.
  • Quote:

    “I haven’t seen anything yet that can pick off alterations and be consistent. And ultimately, AI is taught by humans.”
    (Mike Baker, 30:56)

7. New Offerings, Show Appearances, and Expansion

• Current MBA grading is business-to-business (B2B); soon opening up public submissions.
• Grading all categories: starting with vintage, but moving into Pokémon, Magic, non-sports, and modern.
• Show schedule: Toronto (on-site grading), Chicago Sports Spectacular, San Antonio Collecticon, Philadelphia Show, and more.
• Digital Review Service: For $10, collectors can get a pre-submission review with detailed grader notes—which counts toward the sticker fee if submitted.

8. Community and Collecting Spirit

• Ryan and Mike stress the collaborative side of the hobby (“collaboration would go a long way...there’s enough to go around”), with Baker emphasizing the importance of disruption and innovation.
• Plans for a future, live-graded episode—Mike Baker invites the Radcast to document their heat map and grading process on camera for full transparency.
• Quote:

  “You can nickname yourself, that's for sure.”
  (Mike Baker, 24:25, laughing)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On disrupting the industry:

  “Sometimes you get lucky and you break through, and that’s what inevitably happened. To see PSA now...it’s insane.”
  (Mike Baker, 07:32)

• On the “Card Facts” report:

  “Once you enter your cert number, you scroll down and you can see the pop data for that too…But yeah. And the silver diamond...your card was mint plus 9.5; had a little touch, but every other attribute was nails.”
  (Mike Baker, 19:50)

• On collector support:

  “There’s a lot of, you know, street kind of cred of people that are like, wanting to see something different. The pie is so big now...even if we got 10, 15,000 cards a month, it’s not going to put a dent in anyone else’s submission run.”
  (Mike Baker, 26:02)

• On the monotony and skill of grading:

  “You gotta love your job...sit down here and look at a thousand cards in an eight hour day...Most people, their eyes are getting tired...It’s mental fatigue too...”
  (Mike Baker, 29:53)

• On collaborating and competition:

  “Collaboration is—would go a long way in this industry, you know, and there’s enough to go around and...nobody’s taking PSA’s lunch tomorrow.”
  (Ryan Alford, 29:07)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Mike’s start in grading, PSA origins – 02:14–07:43
• The PSA boom & pain points – 07:43–09:39
• Foundation of MBA, stickers explained – 10:20–14:53
• MBA’s heat map & full transparency – 15:24–19:50
• “Card Facts” and population reports – 19:50–21:53
• Crossovers & provenance tracking – 21:53–24:11
• Grader traits, role of AI – 29:48–31:22
• Industry trends, SGC/PSA context – 27:20–29:32
• Business-to-business now, public soon; types of cards – 24:37–25:54
• Show schedule, service details, digital reviews – 32:44–34:44
• Future plans—live grading, community engagement – 31:22–32:35, 36:25–36:55

Resources & Where to Follow

• MBA Website: www.nbadiamond.com
• Instagram: @nbadiamonds
• Ryan Alford: @ryanolford

Overall Tone

The episode is direct, engaging, and “inside baseball”—equal parts technical, historical, and forward-looking. Baker and Alford banter like hobby veterans, mixing in humor and humility (“you can’t nickname yourself!”) with straight talk about industry warts and opportunities. They are both bullish on innovation, transparency, and making the grading process more accessible, clear, and trustworthy to collectors at every level.

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in the future of grading, the nuances that differentiate elite cards, or what real accountability and transparency should look like in the fast-changing world of collectibles.