Glossary
Semi-rigid holder
Also called: card saver, card savers, semi rigid
A semi-rigid holder is a flexible plastic card holder, stiffer than a sleeve but bendable unlike a toploader, and it is the format PSA requires for grading submissions.
Card Saver is the best-known brand name, to the point that collectors often use it as the generic term. PSA sells its own: holders that fit cards up to 2½ × 3½ inches and up to 35 points in thickness.
The reason grading companies want semi-rigids rather than toploaders is practical. A grader can flex a semi-rigid holder to remove the card quickly and safely across thousands of submissions. Prising a card out of a rigid toploader risks damaging the exact corners and edges being graded.
The submission order is penny sleeve first, then semi-rigid holder, with both sides of the card fully visible.
For storage rather than submission, a semi-rigid offers less impact protection than a toploader. It resists bending, not crushing.