In an industry long dominated by the illustrious legends of sports, where baseball and basketball cards reigned supreme, the tables have turned in 2025. Pokémon cards have surged ahead, establishing themselves as the darling of the grading world. Move over, Mickey Mantle; it’s time for Pikachu to shine in the spotlight.
Recent data from GemRate has laid bare this unprecedented shift, indicating that Pokémon cards now comprise an astonishing 97 out of the top 100 most-graded cards at PSA, a leading third-party grading company. This marks a transformative moment in the world of collectible cards, setting a new precedent where trading card games (TCG) and non-sports cards account for a remarkable 59% of all graded submissions across the four foremost authenticators in the first half of the year.
A staggering 7.2 million TCG and non-sports cards were graded from January through June, which represents a jaw-dropping 70% increase compared to the previous year. This upsurge starkly contrasts with the sports card submissions, which totaled a respectable yet dwindling 5.1 million, reflecting a 9% decrease over the same timeframe.
Fueling this fervor is none other than the magnetic allure of Pokémon, headlined by the Japanese Iono’s Wattrel Battle Partners Promo No. 232, emerging as the most graded card thus far with over 45,600 submissions. However, the true luminary in this Pokémon parade is the franchise’s perennial mascot, Pikachu, which alone has seen more than 345,000 graded examples in 2025. At the forefront is the trendy “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat,” a masterpiece from the collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum. This particular adornment of Pikachu has reached nearly 84,000 graded copies—PSA’s most-submitted Pokémon card to date. Curiously, despite the card’s saturation in the market, a PSA 10 example can command prices upward of $900, proving that rarity isn’t the only driver of value.
Conversely, sports cards—once the juggernauts of the grading realm—now struggle to make an impression, with only three sneaking into PSA’s top 100: the 2024 Panini Prizm Jayden Daniels rookie, the 2024 Panini Instant Caitlin Clark WNBA ROY card, and another Jayden Daniels card from Donruss. Each has seen between 8,800 and 10,500 submissions, revealing a sharp decline in their once formidable market presence.
Even June’s monthly figures echo this new order, with TCG and non-sports cards comprising 63% of submissions. PSA alone graded 911,000 of these cards in the month, far surpassing the cumulative sports card grading tally of 743,000 across all major grading players.
The Pokémon phenomenon isn’t restricted to PSA. CGC Cards, among other grading entities, has capitalized on this craze, having evaluated an impressive 2.18 million cards so far in 2025. This figure nearly equals their entire output from the previous year, with over 1.8 million of these being TCG or non-sports cards. The tale is different for Beckett, though, whose once-glorious grading endeavors have slipped, now ranked fourth among the major graders, with 214,000 of their 366,000 cards graded being Pokémon or TCG-related.
Where did this shift begin, you ask? PSA’s partnership with GameStop appears to be a significant catalyst. Since the October launch of this collaborative venture, it has generated over 1 million grading submissions, a boon that has significantly propelled Pokémon’s undeniable grip on the hobby.
Beyond the grading tables, Pokémon’s surge mirrors its retail success. Enthusiasts and collectors alike are flocking to stores, leading to widespread sellouts, long lines, and implementations of limited-per-customer purchase policies. With new card releases being whipped off shelves at lightning speed and demand soaring to unprecedented heights, there’s no denying that Pokémon’s stranglehold on the collectibles world is as firm as ever.
Discussed in anecdotes and internet forums, whispered about in toy aisles, and thumbed through in binders, Pokémon cards have ensorcelled a global audience. What once might have been considered a fleeting fancy is now an established empire. And for those who treasured their beloved Charizard cards tucked safely in their childhood treasure troves and for the new generations discovering the excitement of evolving their Pokémon, this isn’t just a hobby—it’s a lifestyle. Pokémon has turned the grading world on its head, breathing new life into the industry, one graded card at a time.
