Pop Report: TCG Steals Top Spot From Basketball

After setting records two weeks in a row, PSA’s grading volume declined by 1% last week.

Powered by TCG, PSA graded over 190,000 items. This was also the first time since GemRate began tracking PSA grading data in February that basketball was not the top category.

The shift to TCG impacted the main five sports as their activity was down 17% compared to last week. 

Read this week’s Pop Report with GemRate for the latest news and notes on PSA’s graded population.

From a category perspective:

• The drop in activity was fairly evenly distributed (on a % basis) across the main five sports.

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

21 – Basketball

13 – Baseball

8 – TCG

6 – Football

1 – Soccer

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, Shaquille O’Neal
• DOWN: Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic, Tyler Herro, Coby White, Trae Young
• OUT OF TOP 10: RJ Barrett

BASEBALL

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

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Mike Trout, Ken Griffey Jr. 
• DOWN: Bo Bichette, Kyle Lewis, Yordan Alvarez

FOOTBALL

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

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Justin Herbert, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson
• DOWN: Patrick Mahomes II, Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray
• OUT OF TOP 10: Clyde Edwards-Helaire

SOCCER

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

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Christian Pulisic, Erling Haaland, Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, Ansu Fati
• DOWN: Kylian Mbappe, Jadon Sancho
• OUT OF TOP 10: Mason Greenwood, Jude Bellingham, Neymar Jr.

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: Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Alexis Lafreniere, Steve Yzerman, Ray Borque, Mark Messier, Brayden Point
• DOWN: Connor McDavid
• OUT: Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes 

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.

Track your collection and maximize your profit with Market Movers, the hobby’s most powerful sports card pricing platform! Learn more here.

Note to readers: If you purchase something through one of our affiliates we may earn a commission.