50 Most Graded Athletes All Time: The Past & Future of Cards
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This week, GemRate released its Top 50 List of All-Time Graded Athletes list, offering collectors a clear look at which players and trends appear firmly entrenched among the hobby's most consistently graded names.
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.@gemrate has released a list of the Top 50 graded athletes of all time.
— The Collectibles Guru (@gurucollects) January 5, 2026
What surprises you most? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/2HlULC4Q8T
Hobby Legends
This list is filled with all-time greats and true hobby legends, especially at the top. The list includes Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr, Tom Brady, and Derek Jeter. These legends dominate the top tier of the rankings and are likely to remain there for the foreseeable future. They represent the type of athletes collectors can confidently invest in, players whose graded cards have proven staying power and are expected to retain long-term value year after year.
GOATS of the Present
Shohei Ohtani, Lionel Messi, Patrick Mahomes, and Steph Curry represent a small subset of players on the list who are still active yet have already solidified their status as all-time greats. Ohtani is firmly in the prime of his career, with many highly productive years likely still ahead, which should continue to drive growth in his total number of graded cards. Mahomes and Curry, on the other hand, are closer to the later stages of their playing careers, and only time will tell whether their place on this list will continue to rise or ultimately level off.
The Future
With superstars still in the very early stages of their careers, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark, and Paul Skenes are only beginning to build their hobby presence. All four are likely to see their graded cards totals rise steadily as their careers progress.
As basketball continues to grow as a global sport, driven by international MVPs over the past seven plus years, it's hard not to believe that basketball will play a major role at the very top of these rankings over the next 10-20 years.
This naturally raises an important question: is basketball the future of the hobby?
What does this current list tell us about the current state of the Hobby?
The ongoing tension between ultra-modern and vintage cards is clearly reflected in this data. All-time greats continue to see massive grading volumes, while ultra-modern young superstars steadily climb the list. The divide between modern and vintage collecting isn't narrowing; it is becoming more defined.
That said, trading volume does not necessarily equal greatness. Some of the players on this list have shown over the past three to five years that they may not reach true "generational" status. However, the speculative market of the COVID era pushed grading activity to astronomical levels. Many modern athletes benefit from a grade-first culture that doesn't require championships, MVPs, or record-breaking performances to drive cards into six-figure grading totals.
At the same time, high pop counts don't necessarily indicate weak demand. The 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck rookie card remains a prime example, despite being graded more than 34,000 times and counting; it continues to demand significant hobby attention. Scarcity, however, appears to matter more for modern cards, as low-print-run case hits tend to remain in high demand and are most often found only in graded condition.
Final Thought
This list serves as a road map of hobby behavior, offering valuable insight into both the past and what may lie ahead. For collectors serious about understanding the hobby, the data is right here, whether your focus is vintage legends, modern rookies, or emerging global superstars. Understanding grading trends will help keep you informed and on the cutting edge of collecting, no matter how you choose to collect.
P. Arvin Parker is a lifelong collector of all things sports and pop culture. He is a Minnesotan, a Veteran, and an Ojibwe man who lives and dies by all things Minnesota. After spending the last 20 years working in the mental health field, he has reignited his love for collecting. His passion for the hobby centers on the people and stories of the world of collectibles.