Pop Report: Messi, Tatis Jr. Steal Top Spots in Latest PSA Returns

PSA graded 221,137 cards last week for a 12% increase compared to the prior week. In specific categories, Lionel Messi took over the top spot in soccer while Fernando Tatis Jr. topped Luis Robert in baseball.

Read the Pop Report from GemRate for the latest news and trends on PSA returns.

From a category perspective:

• Hockey continues to build momentum; the big three sports held fairly steady; soccer momentum declined

The mix of the top 50 players (and characters) graded during the period were as follows

18 – Basketball

15 – Baseball

9 – TCG

7 – Football

1 – Hockey

Below you’ll find a list of the top players graded for each category. 

An important consideration is what to make of this list. In the current situation where fears of junk slabs dominate the hobby, ranking high on this list likely is negatively correlated with price as that signals a meaningful number of slabs could move into the market in the near future. However, under normal circumstances, it could potentially be a leading indicator of positive price correlation as the list more accurately represents forward looking activity (i.e. bets being placed on players) and price potential.

BASKETBALL

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves

• UP: Kobe Bryant, Lamelo Ball,, Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry
• DOWN: LeBron James, Lamelo Ball, Zion Williamson
• OUT:  RJ Barrett

BASEBALL

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Fernando Tatis Jr, Ken Griffey Jr, Mike Trout, Derek Jeter, Juan Soto 
• DOWN: Luis Robert, Bo Bichette, Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez
• OUT: Jasson Dominguez

FOOTBALL

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Jefferson, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers
• DOWN: Jalen Hurts, Jordan Love
• OUT: Ceedee Lamb

SOCCER

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Pedri, Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham
• DOWN: Youssoufa Moukoko, Jude Bellingham, Giovanni Reyna, Pedri  
• OUT: Jadon Sancho

Note: Hockey and soccer lists are more volatile because grading activity is lower. Much smaller moves in grading activity can have a big impact on these lists.

HOCKEY

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Connor McDavid, Alexander Ovechkin, Martin Brodeur, Mario Lemieux, Pavel Bure
• DOWN: Eric Lindros, Kirill Kaprizov
• OUT: Evgeni Malkin, Domnik Hasek

Note: Hockey and soccer lists are more volatile because grading activity is lower. Much smaller moves in grading activity can have a big impact on these lists.

Data in the Sports Card Investor Pop Report series is provided by GemRate. Follow GemRate on Instagram and Twitter for more on the latest cards graded by PSA.

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