Steve Grad works with exactly one vinyl grading company: Vintage Media Grading. Grad Authentication is exclusive to VMG. Signed records submitted to VMG are authenticated and graded under one roof. The record no longer has to ship to another authentication company when shipped to VMG is Grad Authentication is selected by the customer in the submission process which takes real cost out of the process and cuts a large block of time off the wait for a finished, certified slab.
Authentication happens in house. Your record never leaves.
Until now, a collector with a signed record had to run two separate processes. Send the record to PSA/DNA, Beckett or JSA for an opinion on the signature, wait, get it back, then send it to a grading company for an opinion on the record. Two submissions. Two shipping legs in each direction. Two queues. Two sets of hands on a one-of-a-kind item that cannot be replaced if something goes wrong in transit.
That is the part this partnership fixes. A signed record arrives once, is authenticated and graded in the same building, and goes into a VMG slab without ever being packed up and shipped somewhere else in between.
Every shipping leg you remove is money and risk you remove with it: the postage, the packing materials, the insurance on a rare signed record, and the days it spends sitting in someone else’s intake queue. Cutting an entire round trip out of the process brings the cost of a signed-record submission down noticeably, and shortens the path from submission to finished slab by a wide margin.
Who is Steve Grad?
Steve Grad is one of the most recognized names in autograph authentication. Collectors know him from History Channel’s Pawn Stars, where he has appeared for years as the show’s autograph expert. Inside the hobby, he is known for building authentication programs from the ground up: he served as lead authenticator at both PSA/DNA and Beckett Authentication Services, helping shape how two of the industry’s most recognized companies evaluate signatures.
With his wife Stephanie, Steve founded Grad Collection, and the two have since launched Grad Authentication, an independent authentication service built for collectors, dealers and auction houses who want a trusted expert opinion without the wait.
What Steve Grad can authenticate
Any format, any medium. If it is signed, Steve can render an opinion on it — 12-inch and 7-inch records, album jackets, inner sleeves and inserts, LaserDiscs, photographs, tour material and memorabilia. His expertise spans music, sports, entertainment and historical autographs, so a signed record does not have to be a music autograph to be reviewed.
How to get a signed record authenticated and graded
- Start your submission with VMG. Use the online submission form, or hand the record to one of our Remote Submission Sites — record shops and collectibles stores that handle the packing and shipping for you.
- Select Grad Authentication. Signed submissions are routed to Steve Grad for authentication.
- Authentication, in house. Steve evaluates the signature at VMG. No second shipment, no second queue.
- Grading and encapsulation. VMG grades the record and jacket to its published grading rubric, then seals it in a VMG slab.
- Certification. The finished slab carries a certification number you can look up in the VMG certification lookup.
How this compares to PSA/DNA, Beckett and JSA
PSA/DNA, Beckett and JSA are all respected autograph authenticators, and Steve Grad helped build two of those programs himself. The difference is not the quality of the opinion. It is the logistics around it.
There is also no other route to this pairing. Grad Authentication works with one vinyl grading company, and that is VMG. None of those companies grade and encapsulate vinyl either, so a signed record submitted to any of them has to travel again to get a condition grade. With VMG, both opinions happen in the same building on a single submission. For a signed record that is a meaningful difference in cost, in time, and in risk.
Why this matters for collectors and investors
A signed record is two collectibles stacked on top of each other, and the market has historically only priced one of them well. Autograph buyers pay for the signature and discount the record. Vinyl buyers pay for the pressing and treat the signature as a story. Neither side has had a single, verifiable document covering both, which is exactly why signed vinyl has been one of the harder corners of the market to price with confidence.
Pairing a Steve Grad autograph opinion with a VMG grade changes what a consignor can hand an auction house, what a dealer can put in a case, and what a buyer can verify before bidding. For a category built almost entirely on trust, that is the part that has been missing.
About Grad Authentication
Grad Authentication is an independent autograph authentication service founded by Steve and Stephanie Grad, providing collectors, dealers and auction houses with expert opinions on sports, entertainment, music and historical autographs. More about Steve and Stephanie’s work is at gradcollection.com. To have a signed record authenticated and graded, submit it through VMG.
About Vintage Media Grading
Vintage Media Grading, based in Westerly, Rhode Island, is a professional grading, authentication and preservation service for vinyl records and LaserDiscs. Every record VMG takes in is authenticated and graded, then encapsulated in a patented slab designed for long-term preservation and display. VMG also maintains a public population report so collectors can see how scarce a given graded record really is. Every groove tells a story.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a Steve Grad authentication at another vinyl grading company?
No. Grad Authentication is exclusive to VMG on records — VMG is the only vinyl grading company Steve Grad works with. A Steve Grad opinion paired with a condition grade and a slab in one process is only available through a VMG submission.
Where does the autograph authentication actually happen?
In house at VMG. Steve Grad authenticates signed records virtually with high resolution pictures that we take as part of this service in the VMG photo studio, where they are graded and encapsulated, so your record is never shipped to a second company and back.
How is this different from using PSA/DNA, Beckett or JSA?
Those companies authenticate signatures but do not grade and encapsulate vinyl, so a signed record has to travel a second time to get a condition grade. At VMG, both the autograph opinion and the condition grade come from one submission, in one building. Steve Grad served as lead authenticator at both PSA/DNA and Beckett before launching Grad Authentication.
What can Steve Grad authenticate?
Any format or medium. Signed records of any size, album jackets, inner sleeves, inserts, LaserDiscs, photographs and memorabilia, across music, sports, entertainment and historical autographs.
Do I have to send my record to two different companies?
No. You submit once to VMG. Authentication and grading are handled together, and the record comes back in a single VMG slab carrying both the autograph opinion and the condition grade.
Does in-house authentication cost less?
Keeping authentication in house removes an entire round trip — the postage, the packing, and the insurance on a rare signed record — from what a collector otherwise pays. That comes off the total cost of getting a signed record authenticated and graded.
How do I verify a Grad Authentication?
Enter the certification number printed on the slab label into the Grad certification lookup to confirm the grade and details on file.
Have a signed record? Start a submission, review our pricing guide, or see everyone we work with on the VMG Partners page.