September '25 Grading Recap

Published October 2, 2025
  • Overall grading activity was ⬇ 4% in September compared to September and ⬆ 45% YoY.
  • Grading activity totaled 2.20 million cards in September, down ~80k compared to September.
    • PSA graded 1.55m cards - ⬇ 6% vs September, ⬆ 32% YoY.
    • CGC graded 505k cards - ⬆ 15% vs September, ⬆ 248% YoY.
    • Beckett graded 77k cards - ⬆ 20% vs September, ⬆ 67% YoY.
    • SGC graded 60k cards - ⬇ 49% vs September, ⬇ 59% YoY.
September Grading Summary
September Grading Summary - Sports
September Grading Summary - TCG+
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

September 2025 PSA Grading Recap

  • PSA graded 1,558,952 items during September; total output decreased by 6% vs August and was up 32% year-over-year.

Category Summary

Baseball carried September activity while TCG slipped

  • TCG was 52% of cards graded in September (vs 58% in August and July).

Set Summary - Sports & Other

2024 Donruss Optic football maintained the top spot

Set Summary - TCG+

Destined Rivals held onto the top spot

Player Summary - Sports & Other

Jayden Daniels just barely hangs onto the top spot

Subject Summary - TCG

Pikachu dominates

Card Summary - Sports & Other

Paige Bueckers remains the top card

Card Summary - TCG

The new Japanese Pikachu promo runs away with the top spot

What's Next for PSA?

  • Results dipped in September, and it appears PSA may have prioritized working through the sports backlog at the expense of the TCG backlog. This is likely a short-term phenomenon, especially given that PSA just recently increased turnaround times for sports submissions.
  • PSA currently has a wide range of initiatives underway, some grading-related and others adjacent. That said, while there is risk of resource constraints, we expect grading volume to increase meaningfully in October now that the Florida office is up and running.

Other Graders - SGC

Category Summary

Set Summary

Player (& Subject) Summary

Card Summary

What's Next for SGC?

  • SGC grading activity declined in September as the “boutique” transition is in full effect. More than half of the grading activity was for cards produced before 2000, and it’s likely that SGC’s mix continues to skew heavily toward vintage. We continue to believe SGC will settle into grading 30,000–40,000 cards per month in the near future.

Other Graders - CGC

Category Summary

Set Summary

Card Summary

What's Next for CGC?

  • TCG grading continues to thrive at CGC, reaching another record high in September. Sports momentum also accelerated, supported by new partnerships and what appears to be a solid response to a recent grading special.

Other Charts - Beckett

Category Summary

Card Summary - Sports

Card Summary - TCG

What's Next for Beckett?

  • TCG activity picked up in September, driven by increased grading of Pokemon, One Piece, and Magic. Beckett continues to gain modest momentum, though it’s unclear whether this reflects collectors exploring alternatives as the competitive landscape shifts, or if Beckett has specific initiatives in place fueling the growth.