In the epic arena of collectible card grading, the year 2025 sees a bold new champion rise. Pokémon, once a curious trading card game and whimsical cartoon, has now seized the crown of dominance from sports cards, according to dazzling new data from GemRate. With precision and flare, Pokémon cards now constitute a staggering 97 of the top 100 most-graded cards at PSA, a leading third-party card authenticator. It’s a seismic shift in the collectibles world, as fantasy creatures and colorful card art outpace batting averages and touchdown stats.
The numbers don’t lie: non-sports and trading card game (TCG) cards are rocking the grading scene. From January through June, an impressive 7.2 million TCG and non-sports cards found themselves under the magnifying glass, a 70% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, those traditional sports cards saw a 9% decline, amounting to 5.1 million scrutineers. Yes, it appears Pikachu’s electric charm and Charizard’s fiery spirit are drawing more fans into the collectible fold than ever before.
The star of the show? It’s none other than the Japanese Iono’s Wattrel Battle Partners Promo No. 232 card, with over 45,600 grades this year alone. But the familiar face of Pikachu, eternally adorable and decked out in various artistic ensembles, remains the undisputed mascot of this collectible craze. Gathering collectors like a Pokémon master with a rare catch, the “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat,” a clever collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum, has mystified nearly 84,000 PSA submissions. Despite these cards flooding the market, untouched PSA 10 specimens are still capturing over $900 each at auction.
Amid the pow-wow of Pokémon glory, sports cards seemingly whisper in comparison. Only three managed to squeak into PSA’s top 100: a couple of rookie cards featuring Jayden Daniels, and a Panini Instant card highlighting Caitlin Clark’s WNBA ROY win. Still, each saw a respectable sum between 8,800 and 10,500 submissions, though dwarfed by their fantastical counterparts.
Reinforcing this fervor is June’s breakdown, where TCG and non-sports cards comprised a whopping 63% of all submissions. PSA alone graded an astounding 911,000 in that category, overshadowing a 743,000 total for sports cards across all major grading firms. It’s a phenomena that’s shifting the tectonics of the collectibles industry.
And at the forefront of this tidal shift is CGC Cards. Riding the rising Pokémon wave like a Surfing Pikachu, they’ve graded 2.18 million cards this year, nearing their entire 2024 output. A lion’s share of these cards are Pokémon or TCG-related. On a different wave, Beckett stays afloat, though its sails flutter as their grading volume slips significantly, putting them in fourth among the big league graders. Of their 366,000 cards processed in 2025, about 214,000 were Pokémon or TCG-related.
The frenzied rise in PSA submissions is not just a mystery of luck or whimsy. Their dynamic collaboration with GameStop, initiated in October, has yielded over 1 million grading requests. Together, they’ve fueled this explosive boom, changing the game and driving the market into exhilarating new territory.
On store shelves, or more accurately, the little space left on them, Pokémon cards have become elusive treasures. Like wild Pikachu in the tall grass, they’re often nowhere to be found except fleetingly before selling out. Retailers face swarms of eager collectors, prompting them to implement purchase restrictions to soothe the fever pitch of demand. New releases barely stay on shelves, whisked away by invisible hands of the collectors’ market.
Even without Ash Ketchum holding the reins, Pokémon continues to capture the imagination and hearts of millions worldwide. As collectors clamor and the market flutters, one fact becomes clear: Pokémon’s reign over the hobby isn’t dwindling; it’s surging with a tidal wave’s momentum, sweeping collectors along in its exhilarating wake. The little franchise that could has evolved into a big business behemoth whose grasp reaches far beyond Pallet Town, influencing a global market with more power each year.
