Ticket collecting has grown so much over the past five years that grader PSA has decided the category deserves its own location.
Previously graded out of PSA's headquarters in Santa Ana, California, tickets will now move to a new, dedicated facility in Plano, Texas, in July, the company announced Friday.
"Quicker turnaround is the goal. Operational efficiency is how we get there," PSA president Ryan Hoge said in a statement.
While tickets are still a niche in the space, the category's growth has been impressive. Last year, PSA graded 41,711 tickets, up 40% from 2023, according to grading tracker Gem Rate. Only one category, basketball cards, grew faster (56%).
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"I'm looking forward to going live in Plano with ticket submissions continuing to increase and having a great staff to assist in taking the product line to the next level," Matt Fuller, head of ticket authentication, told cllct.
PSA started grading tickets in 2003, but like a lot of markets, they caught fire during the COVID-19 pandemic and then continued to skyrocket.
In 2022, a Jackie Robinson debut ticket sold for $480,000, a signed 1934 Masters badge went for $470,857, and the only full Michael Jordan debut ticket fetched $468,000.
If the 2024 growth surprised collectors, the data behind the first five months of 2025 are even more eye-opening.
Tickets are one of only two categories, along with TCG/non-sports cards, that have experienced a rise in grading year to date, according to GemRate.
Pokemon cards are up 61% this year, while tickets are up 1%. All other categories — football (-3%), soccer (-16%), basketball (-20%), baseball (-22%) and hockey (-34%) — have had less items graded.
"Niche categories can move up and down, but this continues to work its way up," Gem Rate's Ryan Stuczynski said. "What's impressive about the category is that it has grown without any major push. It's all organic."
Part of the appeal of tickets is the scarcity. For example, Barry Bonds made his major-league debut 39 years ago today. There have been more than 61,000 of his 1986 Topps Traded rookies graded, but only four tickets from his debut have been submitted to PSA.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.