In the whimsical world of collectible card gaming, where fabled creatures cast spells and sports icons seek victories, a seismic shift is shaking the foundations. Pokémon, that old faithful of trading card games from Nintendo’s colorful realm, has obliterated traditional underpinnings of popularity in the grading arena in 2025. With a contagious enthusiasm that only Pikachu’s sparkling eyes could rival, Pokémon cards now account for 97 of the top 100 most-graded cards from PSA, according to new data from GemRate. It’s an outright takeover and affirmation that nostalgia is not a fleeting mistress but a powerful force.
As revealed by GemRate, non-sports and trading card game (TCG) submissions have soared to dizzying heights, constituting a staggering 59% of all graded submissions across the top four grading companies. Through the first half of the current calendar year, approximately 7.2 million TCG and non-sports cards found their way under the discerning scrutiny of graders—a staggering 70% increase compared to the year prior. The numerical symphony doesn’t cease there; sports cards, typically the hardened veterans in this field, experienced a lull, their submissions declining by 9% to a modest 5.1 million.
Topping this tower of submission triumphs is none other than the Japanese Iono’s Wattrel Battle Partners Promo No. 232, which boasts over 45,600 copies sent scurrying to graders. Still, it is Pikachu, the undisputed mascot of this card-centric revolution, who maintains his throne with more than 345,000 graded examples in 2025 alone. Stealing the spotlight in this Pikachu parade is the “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” from an enchanting Van Gogh Museum collaboration, with nearly 84,000 submissions, crowning it PSA’s most-submitted Pokémon piece ever. Despite a towering stack of graded examples, PSA 10s flutter away from collectors for sums eclipsing $900.
On the flip side of this grading enterprise, sports cards have become the underdog in a realm where they once reigned. A paltry trio managed to crack PSA’s top 100, including 2024 Panini Prizm’s Jayden Daniels rookie card (#347), the 2024 Panini Instant Caitlin Clark WNBA Rookie of the Year tribute, and another exquisite Jayden Daniels piece from Donruss (#389). Each dribbled through with submissions hovering between 8,800 and 10,500.
Monthly breakdowns, like June’s, continue to stoke this unstoppable trend. A resounding 63% of cards submitted hailed from TCG and non-sports, with PSA alone examining 911,000 cards—outrunning the combined efforts spent on sports cards, tallying at 743,000 among all illustrious grading bodies.
One entity ascending amidst this phenomenon is CGC Cards, surfing the ‘Poké-wave’ with unparalleled panache. By 2025’s midpoint, CGC had graded 2.18 million cards, nearly mirroring its tally from 2024 in full. Pokémon and TCG allure accounted for over 1.8 million of these.
However, in a curious twist of fate, Beckett, a name once revered in sports card grading lore, experiences a shift reminiscent of a sobering downturn. Now languishing in fourth place among peers, Beckett’s 2025 output has trickled down to 366,000 cards, with a hefty 214,000 rooted in Pokémon and other TCG-related cards.
Driving PSA’s meteoric ascent is a bold partnership with retail colossus GameStop. This October-launched alliance proved fruitful, drawing over a million grading submissions and energizing the current cardiological jubilee.
Across the retail horizons, Pokémon’s electrifying popularity leaves abundance in its wake—sellouts abound, lines snake along sidewalks, and stores impose customer restrictions on card purchases. With fresh releases vanishing as briskly as they arrive and demand bubbling over like a pot of magma, Pokémon’s tether on the hobby is unwavering. Each booster pack seems to contain not just cards but a passport to cultural archeology—each character a symbol of cherished memories and aspirations.
For collectors, investors, and hobbyists alike, Pokémon is no fleeting phenomenon; rather, it’s a lasting reminder that the stories that capture our imaginations often hold more value than the numbers on a price tag. Come rain or shine, in this grand tapestry of trading cards, Pokémon’s reign is destined to endure, bridging the past and present with a charge of nostalgia that could rival an Electric-type’s power surge.
