Over 26 Million Cards Graded in 2025, How the Market Exploded
If you've been following the collectibles news at all, you know that 2025 was one of if not the best years ever for cards, sneakers, comics, and other collectibles. The last few months especially have been explosive; card grading companies, namely Collectors (the parent of PSA, SGC and now Beckett), have been grading cards at breakneck speeds due to a massive increase in demand.
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According to data from GemRate, overall card grading volume jumped 32% year over year, an big increase that underscores just how engrained grading is in the hobby. In December alone there were roughly 2.43 million cards graded across the 5 biggest grading companies (PSA, CGC, Beckett, SGC, and TAG).
For 2025, a total of 26.8 million cards were graded across major graders, a 32% bump from 2024 (20 million). The majority of those, or 71.8% (19.26 million) were graded by PSA, with CGC taking the distant second place spot grading 18.4% (4.92 million).
PSA Domination
Unsurprisingly, PSA continued to own the market, accounting for the majority of all cards graded. The brand’s position as the default choice for many collectors, especially in sports, remains firmly intact. Last January was PSA’s quietest month in 2025 with roughly 1.3 million cards graded, while October peaked at just under 2.0 million. This trend demonstrates how demand accelerated as the year pushed on, a trend seen across all grading companies.
PSA didn’t just lead in card volume in 2025. In addition to having its best year ever from a volume standpoint, they also took home Grading Company of the Year at Mantel’s inaugural Hobby Awards. Competition was strong, with CGC, C3 grading, SGC, and TAG all in contention, but PSA still walked away with the award.
While PSA was the dominant player from a volume perspective, the percentage growth story in 2025 came from elsewhere. Both CGC and TAG posted explosive year-over-year percentage gains. CGC saw an incredible 121% increase, while TAG notched a respectable 83% pop. Those numbers could suggest collectors are increasingly comfortable spreading submissions beyond PSA, whether due to turnaround times, pricing strategies, crossover potential, or confidence in alternative slabs.
Adding another layer of intrigue in the hobby is the consolidation story within the grading industry. Collectors, the parent company of PSA, acquired Beckett last month. Having Beckett under the Collectors umbrella could reshape competitive dynamics moving forward and has some collectors (and one congressman) worried about a monopoly.
Sports Cards vs. TCG Cards
When you dig into the grading data, things get interesting. PSA’s sports card grading was essentially flat, up just 2% in 2025. Those relatively weak numbers suggest sports cards may be settling into a steady state after years of post-pandemic strength. Meanwhile, TCG and non-sports cards exploded, up 97%, with Pokémon cards continuing to surge in demand.
This mirrors the overall trend across the major grading companies, with TCG and non-sport cards up 95% overall and sports cards actually trending down 12%. Withing sports, basketball cards are down 23%, baseball cards are down 14%, and football cards are up 11%.
This split in sports cards and non-sports card grading highlights an important trend: while sports cards remain foundational to the hobby, non-sports categories are increasingly fueling growth. Pokémon cards continue to attract both seasoned collectors and a new generation that values condition, authentication, and long-term preservation just as much as sports collectors do.
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The big takeaway from 2025 is clear: grading is a critical element of the hobby. PSA remains the market leader, but CGC and Beckett’s rapid growth shows collectors are more open than ever to alternatives. Meanwhile, non-sports cards are being graded at a rate of roughly 2 to 1 relative to sports cards and are now the key driver pushing the industry forward.
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.