July Card Grading Hits Another Record, Beckett and CGC Keep Surging
Card grading companies continue operating at record volume. After a record-setting June in which 3.5 million cards were graded across the five major graders (PSA, CGC, Beckett, TAG, SGC), GemRate's July report shows the industry hasn't missed a beat.
While there was a slight increase in overall grading activity, pushing the total up to 3.61 million (a new record), daily grading volume actually dipped 2% compared to June, since there was one extra business day in July. The bottom line is grading demand remains remarkably steady.
PSA narrowly missed another record, but three of the other five major graders reached new highs.
PSA Churning Out ~2.5 Million Graded Items Per Month
Despite the extra business day, PSA “only” graded 2.49 million cards in July compared to 2.50 million in June, resulting in no material monthly change but a 49% increase compared to July 2025. Grading volume was slightly hampered by a 9% month-over-month decrease in sports cards (662K), which has also been flat year-over-year. However, the PSA numbers were buoyed by TCG cards, which saw a 3% increase month-over-month and an 81% increase compared to last July.
PSA also recently announced the opening of a new grading facility in Plano, Texas. The new facility became operational at the end of July and will likely take some time to reach maximum capacity, but expect the PSA grading numbers to increase as they work through their 12 million card backlog.
Massive Increases for Beckett & CGC
If you look back at the August 2025 GemRate report, it looked as though Beckett was slowly losing market share and that the beloved brand may soon cease to exist. However, the team there has seen a remarkable resurgence, thanks in part to joining Collector's portfolio of brands
In the last month Beckett graded items were up 10% and have more than doubled year-over-year (up 115%) thanks to huge increases in TCG card submissions. TCG graded cards were up 27% in a month and 159% year-over-year.
GCG is on a similar growth path, with monthly graded items up 12% and year-over-year growth also up 115%! However, the growth drivers are different. Sports card submissions are pouring into CGC, with graded sports cards up 21% in a month and a monstrous 311% year-over-year. They’re also seeing increases in TCG card submissions, up 10% from June and up 93% in a year.
SGC Falling Hard
SGC remains well behind the rest of the industry, but July offered a glimmer of hope. Grading volume rose 13% month-over-month, though it still trails last year's pace by 71%. Is this the first sign of a major comeback story for the weak link in the grading card industry, or is it a one-off driven by major backlogs and delays at other top grading companies?
Unfortunately, it looks like the GemRate team has again decided to provide a report without some of the additional details, like most graded athletes and TCG characters, for two months straight. Perhaps this is still a temporary decision, but the sad reality may be that collectors will need to find new sources to get access to that information.
July suggests the grading boom is far from over, but August could be even more telling as PSA's new Texas facility ramps up production.
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Conor is a leading sports collectibles writer and market analyst with more than 100 published articles covering sports cards, Pokémon, auctions, investing trends, and hobby culture. A lifelong collector who entered the hobby in the early 1990s, Conor’s expertise centers on vintage and modern basketball cards, basketball icons, and iconic Boston sports memorabilia tied to legends like Larry Bird, Tom Brady, and David Ortiz.