Pop Report: TCG, Ja Morant Rise in Latest PSA Returns

PSA graded 137,765 cards last week for a 42% decrease compared to the prior week (a record high) — thanks to a shortened holiday week.

From a category perspective: TCG/Pokemon was the most graded category again. All categories were down across the board given the much lower output last week.

The mix of the top 50 players (and characters) graded during the period were as follows

23 – Basketball

12 – Baseball

10 – Football

5 – TCG

Below you’ll find a list of the top players graded for each category. 

An important consideration is what to make of this list. In the current situation where fears of junk slabs dominate the hobby, ranking high on this list likely is negatively correlated with price as that signals a meaningful number of slabs could move into the market in the near future. However, under normal circumstances, it could potentially be a leading indicator of positive price correlation as the list more accurately represents forward looking activity (i.e. bets being placed on players) and price potential.

BASKETBALL

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves

• UP: Ja Morant, Michael Jordan, LaMelo Ball, Kobe Bryant, Jaren Jackson Jr
• DOWN: Zion Williamson, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Tyler Herro, RJ Barrett
• OUT: Coby White, Trae Young

BASEBALL

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Fernando Tatis Jr, Mike Trout, Ronald Acuna Jr, Jasson Dominguez
• DOWN: Bo Bichette, Juan Soto, Yordan Alvarez, Randy Arozarena

FOOTBALL

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Justin Jefferson
• DOWN: Jordan Love

SOCCER

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Giovanni Reyna, Ansu Fati, Christian Pulisic, Jude Bellingham
• DOWN: Jadon Sancho 
• OUT: Pedri, Pele, Weston McKinnie 

Note: Hockey and soccer lists are more volatile because grading activity is lower. Much smaller moves in grading activity can have a big impact on these lists.

HOCKEY

Top 10 Most Graded Players & Top Graded Card (during the 1-week period)

Noteworthy moves:

• UP: Wayne Gretzky, Cale Makar, Alexis Lafreniere, Kirill Kaprizov, Nick Robertson, Adam Fox
• DOWN: Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin
• OUT: Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sergei Fedorov, Kaapo Kakko

Note: Hockey and soccer lists are more volatile because grading activity is lower. Much smaller moves in grading activity can have a big impact on these lists.

Data in the Sports Card Investor Pop Report series is provided by GemRate. Follow GemRate on Instagram and Twitter for more on the latest cards graded by PSA.

Track your collection and maximize your profit with Market Movers, the hobby’s most powerful sports card pricing platform! Learn more here.

Note to readers: If you purchase something through one of our affiliates, we may earn a commission.