Trading Card Sales Top $1 Billion in October 2026, Grading Hits Record

Trading card sales topped $1 billion in October 2026 for the first time, while grading companies processed a record 3.87 million cards, Sports Collectors Daily reported on Nov. 2. The sales total comes from Card Ladder and the grading counts come from Gemrate.

Key points

• Card Ladder tracked 9,212,668 card and sealed wax sales in October, up about 65% from roughly 5.6 million a year earlier.
• Overall grading reached 3.87 million cards, up 20% from September and 48% from October 2025. That figure leaves out Beckett.
• PSA and CGC both set company records, at 2.79 million and 966,000 cards.
• Sports cards made up about 1.15 million of the graded total, or roughly 30% by our math.

How much did trading cards sell for in October 2026?

Card Ladder's monthly total passed $1 billion across sports and non-sports cards plus sealed wax. Memorabilia, tickets and other collectibles were not counted, so the number is a measure of cards and boxes only.

The platform totals in the report were:

• eBay: $633.4 million
• Fanatics: $213.5 million
• Alt: $124.9 million
• Goldin: $80.8 million
• Heritage: $21 million

How many cards did PSA grade in October?

PSA graded 2.79 million cards overall, a company record. Of those, 912,000 were sports cards, up 37% from September and 30% from a year earlier. That gives PSA about 79% of the sports cards counted in the report, by our math.

October and September each had 21 business days, so the monthly gain did not come from an extra working day. Collectors who are weighing a submission can read our recent coverage of PSA's Value service reopening.

How do CGC, SGC and TAG compare?

• CGC: 966,000 overall, a record, with 184,000 sports cards. Sports volume rose 9% from September and 159% from October 2025. That sports count does not include about 70,000 semi-rigid AUTH cards added to its population report during the month.
• SGC: 55,000 overall, with 51,000 sports cards. Sports volume rose 19% from September and 8% year over year.
• TAG: 53,000 overall, with 3,000 sports cards. Sports volume fell 50% from September and rose 6% year over year.

Beckett was left out of both the September and October reports and is expected to return in November's numbers. Our guide to BGS vs PSA grading breaks down how those two services differ.

Are sports cards or Pokémon driving the grading record?

Both are active, but trading card games still account for most of the volume. The report points to Pokémon and other TCG cards as the main driver of the overall total, while describing sports demand as strong. Sports Collectors Daily did not publish a separate sports versus TCG percentage, so the 30% figure above is simply 1.15 million divided by 3.87 million.

These figures describe activity in October. They do not say where prices are headed. For what is coming to shelves next, see our sports card release calendar.

FAQ

Is the 3.87 million grading total complete?
No. It covers the graders Gemrate reported on and leaves out Beckett, which is expected back in the November report.

Does the $1 billion figure include memorabilia?
No. Card Ladder's number covers cards and sealed wax, and it excludes memorabilia, tickets and other collectibles.

Which grader handled the most sports cards in October?
PSA, with 912,000. CGC was second with 184,000, followed by SGC at 51,000 and TAG at 3,000.

Sources: Sports Collectors Daily: Sports Card Grading Stays Strong as Overall Volume Hits 3.87 Million in October (Gemrate grading data, Card Ladder sales data).