There wasn’t a lot of growth in grading early in 2025. In February, the overall number of submissions was up 5%. In April, it grew again, but just by 2%.
Although this is still growth, it is not substantial. Still, the trend was up. In April? An 8% growth, the healthiest increase since January (when it was 15%). And to put the increase in perspective, it is up an impressive 31% since March of 2024.
The most remarkable part about April 2025? The overall number of submissions crossed TWO MILLION for the first time.
It will be worth watching what happens in the next few months, as fear of recession due to the tariff increase influences the decisions of collectors.
So, we know this was a healthy month. Which sectors grew and which did not? Let’s find out with our overview of sports card grading trends for April 2025.
We often wonder how TCGs (or Pokémon, if we’re being honest here) compare to sports. Was the increase for April more in one sector than the other?
Here are the numbers for PSA:
| Type of Submission | Numbers Submitted In April | Movement in Comparison To March |
| TCG | 951,000 | +27% |
| Baseball | 192,900 | -22% |
| Football | 187.500 | -7% |
| Basketball | 118,500 | -19% |
| Non-Sport | 38,200 | -10% |
| Hockey | 23,000 | -18% |
| Soccer | 19,700 | -28% |
You do not expect to see that when you have a strong month like April, but the entire increase is coming from TCG. Everything else is relatively weak, with baseball and basketball experiencing a particularly sharp decline.
The month before, football and hockey were up. So this overall weakness for sports is a new phenomenon. It will be interesting to see if it lasts.
Which companies are enjoying the growth in submissions? Is it evenly distributed, or is PSA benefiting from it disproportionately?
| Grading Company | Number of Submissions | Movement from March |
| PSA | 1,560,000 | +6% |
| CGC | 341,000 | +37% |
| SGC | 167,000 | -4% |
| BGS | 57,000 | -17% |
The results are exactly what you would expect for such a lopsided month, where TCG grew significantly and sports submissions collapsed.
PSA had modest growth, CGC boomed while and BGS and SGC both suffered. It shows how long-term weakness for sports will disproportionately affect the two sports-based grading companies.
| Decade | PSA (Sports Only) | PSA (TCG Only) | BGS (Sports Only) | SGC (Sports Only) | CGC (TCG Only) |
| 2020s | 66.6% | 78.9% | 56.8% | 52.8% | 68.3% |
| 2010s | 7.6% | 8.6% | 7.3% | 5.2% | 12.2% |
| 2000s | 4% | 6.9% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 7.9% |
| 1990s | 8.9% | 5% | 25.3% | 4.8% | 11.1% |
| 1980s | 6.1% | 0.2% | 5% | 11.6% | 0.1% |
| 1970s | 2.3% | 0.1% | 1% | 8.3% | 0.2% |
| 1960s | 2.2% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 6.5% | 0.1% |
| The 1950s and earlier | 2.4% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 8.3% | 0.1% |
Ultra modern is up again, this time by 2% at PSA but down at BGS and SGC.
Gem rates are an essential part of the grading companies’ identities. SGC has always been known for having the most challenging grades, while BGS traditionally is the easiest for getting gems, though they differentiate between different levels.
Meanwhile, PSA has usually been somewhere in the middle. How did these reputations hold in April?
| Decade | PSA (Sports Only) | PSA (TCG Only) | BGS (Sports Only) | SGC (Sports Only) | CGC (TCG Only) |
| 2020s | 43% | 57.6% | 54.4% | 35.8% | 64.9% |
| 2010s | 35.7% | 39.5% | 41.2% | 25.4% | 55.2% |
| 2000s | 18.7% | 10.7% | 18.4% | 11.4% | 22.1% |
| 1990s | 15.6% | 7.8% | 19.7% | 6.8% | 12.7% |
| 1980s | 16.2% | 13% | 3.3% | 3.2% | 2.3% |
| 1970s | 3.2% | 1.9% | 0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1960s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0% | 0% | 0.7% |
| The 1950s and earlier | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0% | 0% | 0.8% |
The gem rate for PSA remained unchanged. However, BGS has dropped its rate significantly, from almost 66% in March to 54.4% in April.
Meanwhile, SGC went up marginally from 33% to 35%. Therefore, the order has not changed. However, the difference between the companies is now less pronounced due to the drop at BGS.
In March, Jayden Daniels was the surprising top dog for sports. Meanwhile, Pikachu was the top TCG character, followed by Charizard. Evee has recently been number three. What changes occurred in April?
| Athlete | Amount Submitted In April | Movement from March |
| Jayden Daniels | 25,300 | +18% |
| Michael Jordan | 15,500 | -16% |
| Shohei Ohtani | 13,300 | -31% |
| Victor Wembanyama | 10,800 | -33% |
| Caitlin Clark | 10,700 | -16% |
| Bo Nix | 10,600 | +14% |
| Paul Skenes | 9,300 | -34% |
| Caleb Williams | 8,200 | +30% |
| Drake Maye | 7,900 | +13% |
| JJ McCarthy | 7,400 | +21% |
| Michael Penix Jr. | 7,200 | +9% |
| Kobe Bryant | 5,400 | -24% |
The popularity of Jayden Daniels is notable, especially in contrast to other sports cards. He is up 15% and is a full 10,000 cards ahead of Michael Jordan in second.
All the other athletes with gains are football rookies: Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, JJ McCarthy, and Michael Penix Jr.
| Character | Amount Submitted In April | Movement from March |
| Pikachu | 65,100 | +17% |
| Charizard | 62,600 | +17% |
| Umbreon | 34,000 | +23% |
| Mew | 25,700 | +12% |
| Mewtwo | 24,200 | +18% |
| Sylveon | 13,800 | +10% |
| Blastoise | 12,800 | +21% |
| Wattrel | 12,300 | +190% |
| Leafeon | 11,800 | +13% |
| Espeon | 11,500 | +10% |
| Characters or Athletes | Amount Submitted In April | Movement from March |
| Pikachu | 65,100 | +17% |
| Charizard | 62,600 | +17% |
| Umbreon | 34,000 | +23% |
| Mew | 25,700 | +12% |
| Jayden Daniels | 25,300 | +18% |
| Mewtwo | 24,200 | +18% |
| Michael Jordan | 15,500 | -16% |
| Sylveon | 13,800 | +10% |
| Shohei Ohtani | 13,300 | -31% |
| Blastoise | 12,800 | +21% |
| Wattrel | 12,300 | +190% |
Despite the domination of TCG, there are three athletes in the combined charts. The top athletes continue to attract interest.
The top sports sets for the last few months have been the 2024 Panini Prizm Football and Donruss Football, with Mosaic right behind them.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Pokémon Japanese Sv8a-Terastal Fest EX was the first for TCG.
| Set | Number Graded In April | Change from March |
| 2024 Panini Prizm Football | 30,000 | +29% |
| 2024 Panini Donruss Football | 12,400 | +24% |
| 2024 Panini Mosaic Football | 10,200 | -21% |
| 2023 Panini Select Football | 4,200 | -36% |
| 2024 Topps Chrome Update Baseball | 4,000 | -44% |
| 2024 Panini Donruss Downtown! | 3,900 | +15% |
| 2024 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospect Autographs Baseball | 3,800 | -17% |
| 2023 Panini Prizm Basketball | 3,400 | -26% |
| 2023 Panini Prizm WNBA | 3,300 | +136% |
| 2024 Topps Update Baseball | 3,000 | -42% |
The lead built up by the 2024 Panini Prizm Football is nothing short of impressive. Other than that, very few releases have an increase in April.
But it’s nice to see the 2023 Panini Prizm WNBA with such a sharp increase.
| Set | Number Graded In April | Change from March |
| 2025 Pokemon Japanese Sv8a-Terastal Fest EX | 74,900 | +5% |
| 2023 Pokémon MEW EN-151 | 51,700 | +33% |
| 2025 Pokémon Ssp EN-Surging Sparks | 39,000 | +32% |
| 2023 Pokémon Sword & Shield Crown Zenith | 31,200 | +3% |
| 2023 Pokémon Japanese Sv2a- Pokémon 151 | 28,500 | +17% |
| 2025 Pokémon Pre-EN Prismatic Evolutions | 26,100 | +37% |
| 2023 Pokémon Svp-SV Black Star Promo | 25,700 | +192% |
| 2024 Pokémon Svp-SV Black Star Promo | 20,000 | +14% |
| 2023 Pokémon of EN-Obsidian Flames | 18,200 | +22% |
| 2025 Pokémon Scr En-Stellar Crown | 17,900 | +34% |
The top three in TCG have remained identical. Also, for some reason, the 2023 Pokémon Svp-SV Black Star Promo has experienced a significant surge.
It is worth noting that there has been an increase in all submissions to all Pokémon products for April.
| Set | Number Graded In April | Change from March |
| 2025 Pokemon Japanese Sv8a-Terastal Fest EX | 74,900 | +5% |
| 2023 Pokémon MEW EN-151 | 51,700 | +33% |
| 2025 Pokémon Ssp EN-Surging Sparks | 39,000 | +32% |
| 2023 Pokémon Sword & Shield Crown Zenith | 31,200 | +3% |
| 2024 Panini Prizm Football | 30,000 | +29% |
| 2023 Pokémon Japanese Sv2a- Pokémon 151 | 28,500 | +17% |
| 2025 Pokémon Pre-EN Prismatic Evolutions | 26,100 | +37% |
| 2023 Pokémon Svp-SV Black Star Promo | 25,700 | +192% |
| 2024 Pokémon Svp-SV Black Star Promo | 20,000 | +14% |
| 2023 Pokémon of EN-Obsidian Flames | 18,200 | +22% |
Last month, we did not have a combined chart. But the popularity of the 2024 Panini Prizm Football means that it snuck in there.
| Card | Number Graded In April | Change from March |
| 2024 Panini Prizm Jayden Daniels #347 | 2,500 | +40% |
| 2024 Panini Donruss Jayden Daniel #389 | 1,700 | +3% |
| 2024 Topps Now Offseason Roki Sasaki #OS13 | 1,000 | +66% |
| 2024 Panini Instant WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark #A | 900 | -61% |
| 2024 Panini Prizm Bo Nix #309 | 900 | +21 |
| 2024 Panini Prizm Caleb Williams #301 | 700 | +59% |
| #DN1 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. Star Rookie #1 | 600 | +18% |
| 2024 Paini Donruss Rated Rookies Retro Jayden Williams #11 | 600 | -7% |
| 2024 Upper Deck Lane Hutson #229 | 600 | +32% |
The popularity of Jayden Daniels shines through again as he takes both top spots. We also get a hint at the role Roki Sasaki could play in the hobby.
But unlike in the Pokémon chart, we see signs of weakness, like the plummeting of the 2024 Panini Instant WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark #A card.
| Card | Number Graded In April | Change from March |
| 2024 Pokémon Japanese SV-P Promo Iono’s Watrel Battle Partners Box Purchase Campaign #232 | 12,100 | +188% |
| 2025 Pokémon Svp EN-SV Black Star Promo Eevee Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box #173 | 10,100 | +56% |
| 2024 Pokémon Japanese Sv8a-Terastal Fest EX Umbreon EX Special Art Rare #217 | 6,600 | -14% |
| 2023 Pokémon Mew EN-151 Charizard EX Special Illustration Rare #199 | 5,900 | +11% |
| 2024 Pokemon Japanese Sv8a-Terastal Fest EX Sylveon EX Special Art Rare #212 | 4,500 | -4% |
| 2024 Pokémon Japanese Sv8a-Terastal Fest EX Eevee EX Special Art Rare #224 | 3,900 | -13% |
| 2025 Pokémon Japanese Sv8a-Terastal Fest EX Vapreon EX Special Art Rare #205 | 3,800 | +1% |
| 2025 Pokémon Japanese SV9-Battle Partners N’s Reshiram Art Rare #109 | 3,800 | +235% |
| 2024 Pokémon Japanese Sv8a-Terastal Fest EX Vapreon EX Special Art Rare #211 | 3,800 | -4% |
| 2025 Pokémon Japanese Sv8a-Terastal Fest EX Flareon EX Special Art Rare #200 | 3,800 | +19% |
We have a new number one this month. The2024 Pokémon Japanese SV-P Promo Iono’s Watrel Battle Partners Box Purchase Campaign #232.
Not every card has increased in submissions despite the strong month that TCG enjoyed. But 2025 Pokémon Japanese SV9-Battle Partners N’s Reshiram Art Rare #109 is a promising new entry.
April 2025 felt like a turning point—and not in the way most collectors would expect. The headline is big: grading submissions crossed the two million mark for the first time.
But look under the hood, and the story is all about TCG. Pokémon and friends didn’t just pick up the slack; they dragged the whole industry up by the collar, posting a 27% jump in submissions while nearly every major sport took a step back.
Football, basketball, and baseball all saw double-digit declines, and even the usual safe havens like hockey and soccer weren’t spared.
Next month we will see if the recession fears had a significant effect on anything.
So, what’s next? With economic anxiety in the air and tariffs looming, it’s anyone’s guess whether collectors will keep firing off TCG submissions at this rate—or if sports will bounce back.
For now, the numbers don’t lie: April belonged to TCG, and the rest of the card world is just trying to keep up. If you’re a sports-centric grader or collector, it’s time to buckle up. If you’re TCG, enjoy the ride.
Comparing Tag Grading to PSA: Slabs, Prices and More!
BIG news from CGC grading!
5 HUGE redemption in 6 boxes of 2025 Heritage?
A new VeeFriends release with 1% the print run of the first! (Must buy!?)
I made a FREE ad for Arena Club Slab Packs (without them asking for it)
2025 Bowman Baseball Blaster Rip and Review (3 Boxes, Top Rookies!)
How much PROFIT can you make ripping a FULL CASE of 2024 Optic Football?
0:58
Is the NBA Draft Lottery rigged?
32 Spot Random Team 2024 NFL Mosaic Mega 8 Box Break
32 Spot Random Team 2024 NFL Mosaic Blaster 10 Box Break.
Sealed Blaster Box of 2022 Topps MLB Baseball Update Series.
Sealed box of 2019 Topps MLB Baseball Series 2 Hobby Box. 1 autograph or relic card guaranteed. Great rookie class.
Sealed Box of 2021 Panini Prizm Baseball Cello. 12 packs per box, 18 cards per pack.
Sealed box of 2019 MLB Topps Baseball Update Series Hobby Jumbo. 1 autograph and 2 relic cards guaranteed.
Sealed box of 2022 Minor League Topps Heritage Hobby. 2 on-card autographs per box
Sealed box of 2023 Panini Elite Extra Edition Baseball Hobby. 8 autographs and 2 memorabilia cards per box.
© Copyright 2025 - All rights reserved Cardlines.com / Media Techs LLC - Sports Card News, Reviews, Releases and BREAKS - #thehobby.
Important: When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Can you crack a TAG graded slab barehanded?
Cardlines May 27, 2025 8:57 am