Aug 25, 2026 · 18 min · 10 segments
9 grading mistakes killing your sports card and Pokémon profits broken down by skill level. Matt covers PSA's new 50–70 business day turnaround at the $80 tier, why Beckett only bumps a certain…
It is the end of August 2026, and we have had a massive bull market run through AI.
Because of AI innovations and collectibles soaking up a lot of new money, in sports cards we've seen high-end absolutely popping off because of many outside investments now turning their eyes toward alternative investments.
And in Pokemon, people thought it was gonna go to the moon, and then all of a sudden Modern took a sharp nosedive.
In the meantime, Vintage has continued to get cycled into in terms of investment dollars, and we'll see what happens with two massive sets coming out in Delta Rain and 30th Celebrations.
Because of all the money flowing into this space, grading has been more popular than it's ever been.
So we've seen all the major graders from PSA to Beckett to CGC to TAG all start pausing their lower tiers and establishing longer and longer turnaround times.
In fact, just a week ago, PSA extended their turnaround times to their $80 tier level to 50 to 70 business days.
Maybe that doesn't sound a lot to you, but that is over three months, and you're paying $80 a card.
I've been going through my own collection and seeing all the cards that less than a year ago I was paying $20 per for, and it made me yearn for better and simpler days.
But this is why we need to talk about grading mistakes for beginners.
It is the end of August 2026, and we have had a massive bull market run through AI.
Because of AI innovations and collectibles soaking up a lot of new money, in sports cards we've seen high-end absolutely popping off because of many outside investments now turning their eyes toward alternative investments.
And in Pokemon, people thought it was gonna go to the moon, and then all of a sudden Modern took a sharp nosedive.
In the meantime, Vintage has continued to get cycled into in terms of investment dollars, and we'll see what happens with two massive sets coming out in Delta Rain and 30th Celebrations.
Because of all the money flowing into this space, grading has been more popular than it's ever been.
So we've seen all the major graders from PSA to Beckett to CGC to TAG all start pausing their lower tiers and establishing longer and longer turnaround times.
In fact, just a week ago, PSA extended their turnaround times to their $80 tier level to 50 to 70 business days.
Maybe that doesn't sound a lot to you, but that is over three months, and you're paying $80 a card.
I've been going through my own collection and seeing all the cards that less than a year ago I was paying $20 per for, and it made me yearn for better and simpler days.
But this is why we need to talk about grading mistakes for beginners.
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