Card Grading Trends April 2026: Gem Rates, Volume & Top Cards
Market Insights
Card Grading Trends April 2026: PSA Gem Rates, Submissions & What to Watch
April 2026 card grading trends: PSA is on pace for 26M cards this year. TCG gem rates hit 60.8%, sports sit at 41.2%. Cooper Flagg dominates basketball submissions.
CardGrade.io Editorial·Published Mar 30, 2026·7 min read
Card Grading Trends for April 2026
The card grading industry continues its record-breaking pace as we enter April 2026. With PSA processing over 67,000 cards daily and Pokemon submissions showing no signs of slowing down, the grading landscape is evolving fast. Here is everything collectors need to know heading into April.
PSA Submission Volume: On Pace for 26 Million Cards
PSA graded approximately 2 million cards in March 2026, maintaining its position as the dominant grading service. The company is now on pace for 26.2 million graded items annually, a staggering number that reflects both the hobby's growth and the TCG boom.
Metric
March 2026
Daily Average
67,184 cards
7-Day Total
534,236 (+15% vs prior week)
30-Day Total
2,015,506
Annual Pace
26.2 million
The trailing 7-day number spiked 15% compared to the prior week, suggesting a late-March submission surge heading into spring.
Grading Company Market Share
PSA's dominance is hardening, with CGC cementing its position as the clear #2:
Company
February 2026 Submissions
Change from January
PSA
1,860,000
-3%
CGC
451,000
-1%
BGS
88,000
+33%
TAG
44,000
+16%
SGC
41,000
-5%
BGS and TAG both showed double-digit gains in February, though both remain far behind the market leaders. SGC continues to carve out its niche as a vintage specialist, with over 22% of its submissions coming from cards produced in the 1950s or earlier.
Gem Rates by Era and Company
Gem rates vary dramatically based on the era of the card and which company grades it. Here is the full breakdown from February 2026:
Modern Cards (2020s)
Company
Sports Gem Rate
TCG Gem Rate
PSA
41.2%
60.8%
BGS
45.1%
—
SGC
37.9%
—
CGC
—
63.5%
Modern TCG cards have the highest gem rates across the board, with CGC leading at 63.5%. For sports, BGS is actually the easiest to gem at 45.1%, while SGC remains the strictest at 37.9%.
Full Era Breakdown (PSA Sports)
Decade
Gem Rate
2020s
41.2%
2010s
34.8%
2000s
19.8%
1990s
11.4%
1980s
6.8%
1970s
0.8%
1960s
~0%
1950s & earlier
~0%
The era of your card is the single biggest factor in your PSA 10 chances. Modern cards from the 2020s gem nearly half the time, while anything from the 1970s or earlier is virtually impossible to gem.
TCG vs Sports: The Gap Keeps Growing
TCG submissions (primarily Pokemon) continue to dwarf all sports categories combined:
Category
Cards Graded (Last 7 Days)
Cards Graded (Last 30 Days)
TCG
354,396
1,323,941
Baseball
58,318
231,004
Basketball
53,119
189,752
Football
36,437
138,810
Non-Sport
13,214
47,645
Soccer
7,090
30,888
Hockey
4,241
22,013
TCG makes up roughly 66% of all PSA submissions. Even with football's post-Super Bowl bounce (+15% in February) and baseball's seasonal climb, Pokemon alone outpaces every sport.
Hottest Players and Characters
Sports: Cooper Flagg Takes Over
The Duke freshman and projected #1 NBA draft pick is the hottest name in sports card grading:
Player
Cards Graded (Last Week)
Change
Shohei Ohtani
7,862
+31%
Cooper Flagg
7,717
+71%
Michael Jordan
7,573
+29%
Drake Maye
3,612
+43%
Victor Wembanyama
2,555
+45%
Flagg's +71% weekly surge is remarkable, driven almost entirely by 2025 Topps and Topps Chrome releases. His base Topps card (#201) alone saw 1,681 copies graded in a single week.
Shohei Ohtani reclaimed the top spot overall on the strength of Topps Now cards and renewed interest ahead of the MLB season. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan remains the evergreen king, with 1.9 million cards graded all-time.
TCG: Pikachu Still Untouchable
Character
February Submissions
Change
Pikachu
172,400
-5%
Charizard
89,100
+7%
Monkey D. Luffy
29,600
+31%
Mew
28,400
-5%
Mewtwo
27,500
-4%
Pikachu at 172,000 cards per month is absurd. Even with a 5% decline, a single Pokemon character is graded at 6x the volume of Michael Jordan. Monkey D. Luffy's continued climb (+31%) signals that One Piece is a genuine market shift, not a fad.
Trending Sets to Watch in April 2026
Sports Sets
Set
Graded Last Week
Trend
2025 Topps Chrome Basketball
3,483
+82%
2025 Topps Basketball
3,366
+58%
2025 Panini Mosaic Football
1,716
+56%
2025 Panini Prizm Football
1,332
+89%
2025 Topps Now Basketball
1,170
+231%
Basketball leads the way with Cooper Flagg driving massive interest in 2025 Topps Chrome and base Topps. Football is showing renewed life, with 2025 Panini Prizm surging 89% week-over-week.
TCG Sets
The Pokemon landscape is shifting from Japanese promo-led hype to English set recovery:
Prismatic Evolutions surged 30% in February as collectors chased Eeveelution chase cards
Mega Evolution held the top spot but declined 10%
Pokemon 151 remains a staple at 22,700 cards graded in February
What This Means for Your Cards
If you are grading modern cards
The 41-61% gem rate for 2020s cards means your odds are decent, but not guaranteed. Centering remains the #1 bottleneck. Use a centering tool before submitting to avoid wasting money on cards that will cap at a 9.
If you are grading vintage
Gem rates for pre-1990 cards are in the single digits. The card has to be truly exceptional. Consider whether a PSA 8 or 9 adds enough value to justify the grading fee.
If you are choosing a grading company
PSA offers the best liquidity and market recognition. CGC is the strongest #2, especially for Pokemon. BGS offers sub-grades that add detail. SGC is the play for vintage where their tuxedo holders are increasingly valued.
Pre-screen before you submit
Before spending $20-250 on grading, pre-screen your cards with AI to predict your grade. CardGrade's free AI grading analyzes centering, corners, edges, and surface to tell you whether your card is worth submitting.
About This Report
This report uses publicly available data from GemRate, Cardlines, CLLCT, and PSA's official population reports. CardGrade publishes monthly grading trend analysis to help collectors make informed submission decisions. See our complete card grading guide for company comparisons.
Data sources: GemRate (March 29-30, 2026), Cardlines February 2026 Grading Trends Report, CLLCT H1 2025 Gem Rate Analysis, PSA Pop Report.
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The CardGrade.io editorial team writes about card grading, AI technology, and collecting strategy. Our guides are researched against official PSA, BGS, and CGC standards.
