May '23 Grading Recap

Published June 2nd, 2023
  • Overall grading activity declined by 14% in May vs April (+2% YoY).
    • PSA graded 1.01m cards - down 18% vs April and up 14% YoY
    • SGC graded 88k cards - down 7% vs April and down 8% YoY
    • CGC graded 68k cards - up 19% vs April and down 16% YoY
    • Beckett graded 66k cards - up 17% vs April and down 26% YoY
    • Updates to CSG's pop report are underway and reporting should return in June
May Grading Summary
Items Graded - by Month
Items Graded - by Month - Excluding PSA
Category Comparison
TCG Cards Graded at PSA
Items Graded by Era
Gem Rate Breakdown by Era

May 2023 PSA Grading Recap

  • PSA graded 1,011,070 items during May; total output was down by 18% vs April and up 14% year-over-year.

Category Summary

Non-sport and football outpaced the category average; TCG dips

  • TCG was 39% of the cards graded by PSA in May.
  • Non-sport (+3%) and packs (+28%) were the only categories with positive growth in May.

Set Summary - Sports & Other

2022 Prizm football grabs the top spot

  • Added to the list in May: 2022 Prizm and Donruss football
  • Dropping from the list: 2021 Mosaic football and 1986 Fleer basketball

Set Summary - TCG+

Top 3 sets hold as momentum slows

  • Added to the list in May: 2023 Pokemon Japanese Sv1a-Triplet Beat, 2022 Pokemon Sword and 2021 Shield Brilliant Stars, and 2021 Pokemon Celebrations Classic Collection
  • Dropping from the list: 2022 Pokemon Japanese Sword & Shield Incandescent Arcana, 2021 Pokemon Japanese Promo Card Pack 25th Anniversary Edition, and 2021 Pokemon Japanese Sword & Shield Eevee Heroes

Player Summary - Sports & Other

Shohei Ohtani continues to move up the list

  • Added to the list in May: Justin Fields
  • Dropping from the list: Bobby Witt Jr.

Subject Summary - TCG

Little change to the top subjects in May

  • Added to the list in May: Moltres
  • Dropping from the list: Blue-Eyes White Dragon

Card Summary - Sports & Other

Adley Rutschman's Topps rookie card moves to #1

Card Summary - TCG

Ultra-modern Pokemon continue to dominate

What's Next for PSA?

  • PSA experienced a decline in activity following record-setting months in March and April; notably, activity was down nearly the same for both sports and TCG in May.
  • PSA quickly responded to the May results with a much larger promotion that is now available in June. The promotion targets 1990+ sports cards for $15.
  • The June promotion should help the sports categories regain momentum. However, it will be important to watch the TCG category as another slide could signal some fatigue in the category.

May 2023 SGC Grading Recap

  • SGC graded 88,391 cards during May - a 7% decrease vs April and an 8% decrease year-over-year.

Category Summary

Baseball continues to drive grading activity

Set Summary

2023 Bowman moves to the top of the list

Player (& Subject) Summary

Mantle closes in on Jordan for the top spot

Card Summary

2023 Bowman claims the top two spots

What's Next for SGC?

  • SGC results slowed again in May. While the 2023 Bowman promotion has been productive, it was only about half as productive as the 2023 Topps promotion in its first month.
  • Although these targeted promotions appear effective at driving near-term demand, SGC is still working to put the pieces in place to sustain demand beyond promotional periods.

Other Charts - CGC

Set Summary

What's Next for CSG/CGC?

  • CSG has begun updating its pop report again, and we hope to be able to report on the results for June. That said, CSG was pacing to grade about 25,000 cards during February, and it appears as though demand has remained fairly similar over the past few months. How CSG jumpstarts demand heading into the summer remains to be seen.
  • CGC activity regained momentum in May, though output still remains below more recent highs. The TCG slowdown at PSA during May is worth noting, considering the category has experienced significant growth throughout most of 2023. The lack of a pricing special at PSA may be a factor, but we may also be seeing some early signs of fatigue on the TCG side.

Other Charts - Beckett

Category Summary

What's Next for Beckett?

  • Beckett output increased in May - a good sign as collectors wait for grading scale updates. Collectors might have to wait a bit longer as Beckett recently appointed a new CEO that may want to dive a little deeper before making meaningful changes.