Pokémon Powers 2025: PSA's Biggest Grading Year in Company History
The total PSA submission numbers for 2025 were astronomical, with nearly 20 million items graded. PSA continued to put up massive numbers month after month. Of those submissions, more than 11 million were TCG cards, most of them Pokémon, making 2025 a new high-water mark for the number of Pokémon cards graded by PSA. With a Gem Rate of approximately 50%, nearly 6 million PSA 10 Gem Mint Pokémon slabs were added to the market in 2025 alone.
What is driving the TCG/Pokemon Numbers?
If you've found yourself wondering how these numbers are possible, and what's driving them higher month after month, the answer may lie with the 2025 Japanese Pikachu McDonald's card. This single card alone was graded 58,000 times in December, exceeding the total number of TCG cards graded by Beckett during the entire month.
No other individual Pokémon card surpassed 6,000 PSA submissions in that same period, meaning the McDonald's Pikachu was graded 10 times more than any other card. Interestingly, the second most graded card was the 2025 Japanese Charizard Mega Ex Rare. The English version of this card has been especially hot, ranking among the most popular English-language Pokémon cards the past two months, with a steadily increasing number of English-language copies being graded each day.
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Who are the Pokemon Characters that are beging graded the most?
Both hardcore Pokémon collectors and newcomers alike recognize the two most prominent names in the Pokémon universe: Pikachu and Charizard. So it's no surprise that they sit at the top of the list for most graded cards. But who comes next? In December alone, the following five most graded characters, Mew, Mewtwo, Gengar, Umbreon, and Eevee, accounted for more than 125,000 cards graded, firmly establishing them as the second tier of Pokémon characters in the grading world. As 2026 approaches, it will be interesting to see which emerge as major grading targets.
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What does 2026 have in Store for Pokemon and PSA?
Will the 12 million total TCG items graded in 2025 mark an all-time high for TCG-graded cards? Is this the peak, or can that number climb even higher next year? Based on how 2025 ended, it doesn't appear that anything can slow down the Pokémon/PSA machine. In fact, it seems increasingly likely that by this time next year, an additional 15 million or more TCG PSA slabs could enter the market. Will they continue to be dominated by GOATS like Pikachu and Charizard, or will supporting characters see a meaningful surge? Grab your Poke balls and buckle up, 2026 is gonna be a wild ride.
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.