The world of card collecting has seen a delightful twist of fate in 2025 where Pokémon cards have majestically eclipsed traditional sports cards, establishing an undeniable dominance over the grading landscape. An area once monopolized by rookie cards and sports superstars, the card grading kingdom has now crowned Pokémon as its supreme ruler. The latest data from GemRate paints a vivid picture of this paradigm shift, showing how Pokémon cards account for 97 of the top 100 most-graded cards at Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), highlighting the resurgence and escalating allure of Trading Card Games (TCG).
As the numbers roll in, the statistics beam with enthusiasm for the Pokémon franchise. During the nascent half of this year, non-sports and TCG submissions totaled a formidable 59% of all graded cards across the big four authentication companies. A figure that cements Pokémon’s newly-forged hegemony by recording a remarkable 70% year-over-year increase in TCG and non-sports cards graded—totaling an astounding 7.2 million from January to June 2025 alone. On the contrary, sports-card submissions seem to be retreating, hitting a lukewarm 5.1 million, further dampened by a 9% decline from last year.
Topping the charts as the most graded card this year is the Japanese Iono’s Wattrel Battle Partners Promo No. 232, with an eye-watering 45,600 copies submitted. Yet, the perennial mascot, Pikachu, remains the linchpin of popularity in the Pokémon realm. He charges through 2025 with over 345,000 graded examples. Among these, the whimsical “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” collaboration piece with the Van Gogh Museum tops the stacks in PSA’s history with a staggering 84,000 graded submissions. The rabid demand, notwithstanding its abundant presence, sees PSA 10 examples of the card fetching over a princely sum of $900 each in auctions.
While the spotlight shines brightly on Pokémon cards, the sports card category hums in the background, capturing sparse attention. The only notable mentions in PSA’s top 100 submissions are the 2024 Panini Prizm Jayden Daniels rookie card, the 2024 Panini Instant Caitlin Clark WNBA ROY card, accompanied by another Jayden Daniels card from Donruss. These cards, albeit significant in their realm, only weakly penetrate the top slots with 8,800 to 10,500 submissions each.
If June’s data is anything to go by, Pokémon’s lead is not a transient phenomenon. The TCG and non-sport card submissions soared further, comprising 63% of the global submissions. This surge saw PSA singlehandedly grade 911,000 cards in these categories, far eclipsing a combined sports card submission total of 743,000 across all four major graders.
This animation in the Pokémon card market sends ripples across grading companies. CGC Cards rides this vibrant Pokémon wave crest, grading 2.18 million cards and nearly mirroring its entire output from 2024. Astonishingly, 1.8 million of these submissions pivoted around TCG or non-sports themes. However, consistently struggling with its numbers, Beckett finds itself relegated to the fourth position among graders, grading only 366,000 cards this year, a sizable portion of them—around 214,000—being Pokémon or TCG-related.
PSA’s surge of success correlates to its lucrative partnership with GameStop, an alliance born in October that has drummed up over 1 million grading submissions. This venture injects vigor into the already booming Pokémon trading card market, propelling its steadfast uptick.
Retail stores are witnessing this Pokémon pandemonium firsthand with constant sellouts, enthusiastic lines, and customer restrictions due to feverish demand. Hot new releases are snatched off shelves, fueling record sales and nurturing undefeated anticipation among collectors old and new, ensuring Pokémon’s unrelenting grip on the hobby isn’t disengaging any time soon.
The adoration for Pokémon cards unfolds a tapestry of new trends, auction thrills, and collector obsession. No longer just a nostalgic chase of childhood relics, they assert themselves as key players in the card grading arena. As 2025 reflects the continuance of this powerful trend, both hobbyists and investors eagerly await what stacks of joy these pocket monsters will bring next.
