The trading card grading industry just got a whole lot smaller. When Collectors Holdings announced its acquisition of Beckett Grading Services on December 15, 2025, it created something the hobby has never seen before: a single company controlling nearly 80% of all card grading volume.
For collectors trying to figure out which slabs to buy, this shake-up matters more than you might think.
One Company, Three Graders
Here’s where things stand. Collectors Holdings—PSA’s parent company—now owns PSA, SGC, and Beckett. That leaves CGC as the only major independent grading company left standing.
The numbers tell the story. Based on late 2025 data, PSA handles about 71-72% of all graded cards. CGC sits at 17-18%. SGC and Beckett split the remaining scraps at roughly 8% and 3% respectively.
But market share only tells part of the story. When you look at actual sales on eBay, PSA’s dominance becomes even more stark. Through November 2025, PSA-graded cards accounted for approximately $968 million in sales—around 96% of the market. CGC? About $44 million, or roughly 4%.
What This Means for Your Collection
If you’re buying graded cards, you’re essentially choosing between two options now: Collectors Holdings products or CGC.
PSA slabs still command the highest resale premiums, particularly for vintage sports cards. Of the top 100 most expensive card sales ever recorded, only one was CGC-graded—a Black Lotus Magic card that sold for $3 million.
For vintage baseball, football, and basketball collectors, PSA remains the safe bet if you’re thinking about future resale value. The market has spoken clearly on this for years, and one acquisition isn’t going to change that overnight.
But here’s where it gets interesting for buyers hunting value.
Where CGC Makes Sense
CGC has carved out real strength in the Pokémon and trading card game market. In 2025, 97 of the top 100 most-submitted cards to grading companies were Pokémon cards—and CGC has been aggressive about capturing this segment.
The company’s growth numbers are hard to ignore. Sports card grading surged 631% in the first half of 2025 compared to the prior year. They graded 570,000 cards in June alone, setting an all-time record.
For collectors, CGC offers some practical advantages worth considering:
Faster turnaround times. CGC’s standard service runs about 30 days versus PSA’s 45-plus days. For anyone who’s ever waited months for cards to come back, this matters.
Lower entry pricing. CGC’s bulk tier runs $14-15 per card compared to PSA’s entry-level $24.99. If you’re grading volume, that difference adds up fast.
The Fanatics partnership. CGC operates an on-site grading facility at Fanatics’ Oregon location offering $9 per card grading with 24-hour turnaround. No competitor comes close to matching that combination of price and speed.
The Monopoly Question
Should collectors worry about one company controlling most of the market?
Some industry voices think so. Congressman Pat Ryan sent a letter to the FTC demanding an antitrust investigation just four days after the acquisition announcement. Legal experts have suggested regulators might force Collectors Holdings to spin off either SGC or Beckett.
There’s precedent for concern. After Collectors acquired SGC in February 2024, submissions to that company dropped from 194,000 monthly at peak to just 35,000 by November 2025. Whether Beckett follows the same trajectory remains to be seen, despite Collectors’ promises to maintain it as an independent brand.
For collectors, less competition generally means less pressure on pricing and service quality. That’s Economics 101.
Buying Strategy Going Forward
Here’s how to think about graded card purchases in this new landscape:
For vintage sports cards: PSA slabs still carry the strongest resale premiums. If you’re paying top dollar for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, you probably want it in a PSA holder.
For modern Pokémon and TCG: CGC has established real credibility here. The price gap between CGC and PSA slabs is often smaller in this segment, making CGC cards a reasonable buy—especially at the high end.
For modern sports cards: This is where the market is most in flux. CGC acceptance is growing, but PSA still commands better resale prices. Watch this space closely over the next year or two.
For budget-conscious collectors: CGC-graded cards often sell at a discount to PSA equivalents. If you’re collecting for personal enjoyment rather than investment, you can stretch your dollars further with CGC slabs.
The Bottom Line
The grading industry just consolidated in a way that gives collectors fewer choices. CGC leadership has been explicit about their ambitions—they want to be the Pepsi to PSA’s Coke, aiming to become number one in Pokémon grading within five years and sports cards within ten.
Whether they get there depends on factors ranging from FTC intervention to simple market acceptance. But for now, collectors face a clearer choice than ever: the dominant Collectors Holdings ecosystem or the independent alternative in CGC.
Your buying decisions should factor in what you’re collecting, how long you plan to hold, and whether resale value matters to you. The landscape has changed. Adjust accordingly.
