Pokémon accounted for 97 of the top 100 cards graded in total volume by PSA in the first half of 2025, according to a new report by third-party grading tracker GemRate.
The staggering total continues what has been an unprecedented surge for Pokémon, TCG and non-sports cards in recent months, with the categories now making up the bulk of submissions at the four major authenticators.
According to GemRate’s most recent report, the 7.2 million TCG and non-sports cards graded in the first six months of 2025 made up 59% of the 12.4 million total graded cards. The TCG and non-sports category is up 70% year-over-year, according to GemRate’s records.
The major authenticators graded 5.1 million sports cards in the first half of 2025 — a 9% decrease year-over-year.
According to GemRate, the most popular Pokémon card submitted in 2025 has been Iono's Wattrel Battle Partners Promo Japanese No. 232 with more than 45,600 total examples.
The three sports cards to land among the top 100 in 2025 are the 2024 Panini Prizm Jayden Daniels No. 347 (10,500), the 2024 Panini Instant WNBA ROY Caitlin Clark No. A (9,900) and the 2024 Panini Donruss Jayden Daniels No. 389 (8,800).
The most popular subject among Pokémon cards so far in 2025 has been Pikachu with more than 345,000 total graded examples of the brand's mascot. Unsurprisingly, the most important card of the beloved character in 2025 has been the “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” card from a collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in September 2023.
The “Grey Felt Hat” card has been a viral sensation since release, and recently became PSA’s most-graded Pokémon of all time with nearly 84,000 total examples. Interest in the card has been so strong PSA 10 examples have recently sold for more than $900 despite a population of more than 40,000.
GemRate’s 2025 analysis closely follows its report for June, which showed TCG and non-sports holding a 63% market share for the month. PSA (911k) graded more TCG and non-sports cards in June than the combined total of sports cards (743k) from the four major authenticators.
The growth of Pokémon has been a major driver for CGC Cards’ growth over the last year. The 2.18 million items graded by CGC Cards so far in 2025 has nearly matched the company’s total of 2.32 million in 2024, and 1.83 million of the cards graded in 2025 have been Pokémon, TCG and non-sports.
Once considered among the best and most popular card graders in the industry, Beckett has fallen to a distant fourth in submission volume, and now relies heavily on Pokémon. Of Beckett’s 366,000 items graded in 2025, 214,000 have been Pokémon, TCG and non-sports.
For PSA specifically, the surge in submissions could at least be partially driven by the company’s partnership with GameStop, which has yielded impressive volume since launching in October. GameStop announced in May it had graded 1 million cards through the partnership.
More broadly, interest in Pokémon has simply grown exponentially over the last year, with collectors swarming retail locations for the most recent drops and restocks. This surge has forced many retailers to limit purchases to one item per person in an attempt to curb both chaotic drops as well as secondary-market prices.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.