New GemRate Report Reflects Card Grading Strength for February
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According to data compiled by GemRate, 2.49 million cards were graded across the major grading companies in February. That is down about 1% from January, or roughly 25K cards. At first glance that may look more or less flat. But with three fewer days, when you look at the data on a per business day basis, grading activity actually rose about 4%. More importantly, year over year total grading volume rose a healthy 28%.
For collectors, that's an important data point. It tells us submissions are not slowing down. It's not even a question. Even despite price hikes and consolidation, collectors still see a ton of value in the services these companies provide.
PSA Continues Market Domination
PSA graded 1.86 million cards, down 3% from January but up 29% compared to last February. CGC processed 451K cards, up 57% year over year. Beckett graded 88K cards, up 65% year over year. TAG continued its steady climb at 44K cards, up 140% from a year ago. While SGC graded 41K, down a staggering 72% from last year.
What stands out is not just who graded the most. It is that collectors continue to spread submissions across companies depending on the card and the goal. Liquidity, presentation, subgrades, or technology all factor into that choice now more than ever.
Jordan and Ohtani Lead the Way
The most graded athletes in February say as much about collector psychology as they do about performance. Michael Jordan led the way with roughly 27.7K cards graded. Shohei Ohtani followed at 26.1K. Cooper Flagg came in at 15.4K, followed by Drake Maye with 10.1K and Victor Wembanyama with 8.6K.
Jordan and Ohtani represent permanence. The markets for those two players are deep, global, and established. When collectors grade those cards, they are often thinking about longevity and preserving or increasing value.
Flagg and Maye are different. Those submissions are forward-looking and built more around hope and hype than substance. Collectors are looking to get in on the next Brady or Jordan before they get priced out. It's a dangerous and highly speculative gamble, but every once in a blue moon it works out. Only time will tell.
Wembanyama sits somewhere in between. His cards are already pretty established, but the ceiling remains unknown. With his Spurs sitting comfortably in the #2 spot in the West and winning 9 of their last 10, they're looking like a Championship caliber squad. That gives collectors a sense of security plus tons of potential upside which fuels submissions.
TCG Continues to Shine
Trading card games were once again a primary driver of grading activity in February, with 1.2 million cards graded. That is down 6% from January, but still a massive share of overall submissions.
Nine of the top ten most graded TCG cards were Pokémon. Pikachu and Charizard led the charge, reinforcing a trend that has held for years. The characters are recognizable across generations, and collectors continue to chase both vintage and modern versions in top condition.
The lone non-Pokémon card in the top ten was Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece, who claimed the number three spot. That is not just some minor detail. It captures an interesting market signal: while Pokémon dominates, other franchises are starting to gain traction with collectors. It's also important to point out that the February 2025 top 10 TCG list was all Pokémon.
With a One Piece card cracking into the top 5 and all the top Pokémon card submissions down in February, it could be we are witnessing a crack in Pokémon's years-long TCG market dominance. Will we see more One Piece cards make it to the top in future reports? Or could we see cards from other TCGs crack into the top ten?
Other cards that have been climbing like crazy are from Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic: The Gathering, and Dragon Ball Super. If price momentum continues in those markets, it could serve as an early indicator of future grading spikes. The Pokémon vs. non-Pokémon dynamic will be one of the most important trends to watch as 2026 unfolds.
Conor is a life long sports card enthusiast who started collecting in the early ’90s, inspired by hometown heroes like Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Tom Brady, and David Ortiz. Like many ’90s hoops fans, he also started building (and continues to build) a modest Michael Jordan collection.