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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.
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 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.
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 vary dramatically based on the era of the card and which company grades it. Here is the full breakdown from February 2026:
| 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%.
| 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 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.
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.
| 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.
| 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.
The Pokemon landscape is shifting from Japanese promo-led hype to English set recovery:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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Jamie Budesky is the founder of CardGrade and the engineer behind its AI vision grading pipeline. An Army veteran and IT specialist (DoD, since 2017), he writes about card grading, AI/ML grading technology, and collecting strategy — grounded in CardGrade's own grading data.
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