The major graders processed a record 3.87 million cards in October, sports and TCG combined, according to GemRate data reported by Sports Collectors Daily. That is up 20% on September and 48% on October 2025. Beckett is not included; its numbers are expected back in November.
- **PSA:** 2.79 million cards, a record. 912,000 of them were sports, up 37% on September.
- **CGC:** 966,000 cards, also a record. 184,000 were sports, up 159% on a year earlier.
- **SGC:** 55,000 cards, 51,000 of them sports.
- **TAG:** 53,000 cards, only 3,000 of them sports.
October had the same 21 business days as September, so the gains did not come from an extra working day.
Why it matters
PSA graded a record month and its backlog still only fell 400,000 in the two weeks to 3 November. Submissions are rising almost as fast as output. CGC's sports growth is the other story: from a TCG grader to 184,000 sports cards a month, more than three times SGC's sports total.
Card Ladder also recorded more than $1 billion in trading card sales in October, a first, across 9.2 million transactions.
What we checked
Every fact in this piece, and how to check it yourself.
2 checks · repeat them yourself
- Sports Collectors Daily, 2 November, citing GemRate
- 3.87M record, +20% MoM, +48% YoY, excl. Beckett; PSA 2.79M record, 912K sports +37% MoM; CGC 966K record, 184K sports +159% YoY; SGC 55K/51K; TAG 53K/3K; 21 business days both months; Card Ladder $1B+, 9.2M transactions
- PSA Backlog Tracker, 3 November
- backlog 6.8M from 7.2M
