By Mark Seavy  

Trading cards are broadening the collectibles market far beyond sports to focus on entertainment properties. Brands like Pokémon and Magic the Gathering have gained a major foothold in the category. 

In most cases, trading card games (TCG) like Pokémon (jointly owned by Nintendo, Games Freak, and Creatures Inc.) and Magic the Gathering (Hasbro) are non-licensed and developed internally. This is unlike sports-focused trading cards, where rights are controlled by the professional leagues and licensed out to manufacturers. 

Today, TCGs are driving the trading card business. Overall, 26.8 million cards were graded for their authenticity and condition in 2025, up 32% from a year earlier (20 million), according to GemRate, which tracks the business. Those cards were graded across various services, including the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), and Beckett Collectables.  

GemRate reported that grading for sports cards increased 2% last year across PSA but grew 97% for TCGs. Within TCGs, Pokémon cards were the biggest driver for demand. 

Nearly six million “mint” Pokémon cards (flawless condition) were added to the market in 2025 with a perfect score of 10, according to GemRate. PSA oversaw 71% of the gradings. The 2025 Japanese Pikachu McDonald’s card alone was graded 58,000 times last year (no other Pokémon card surpassed 6,000). Collectors Holdings (which owns PSA, Beckett, and Sportscard Guaranty Corp.), was grading cards at a breakneck speed in 2025 as demand among collectors surged, executives said. 

“Trading cards are so accessible now through TikTok and other shops instead of consumers having to go to the store,”  said Stu Williams, VP at distributor Evolution Sports Marketing, which handles sports trading cards as well as more novelty versions like those inspired by the series Golden Girls. “And rather than having to sift through a lot of products, consumers can get exactly what they want very easily from their phones, which causes the business to grow rapidly.” 

The business is also being driven by sporting goods retailers moving into the trading card landscape.  

Dick’s Sporting Goods, for example, has installed a Collector’s Clubhouse in 20 stores, including House of Sports stores and other select locations. A search of Dick’s website for trading cards listed 389 items. Similarly, 300-store Rally House and 34-store Scheels are carrying trading cards. And Costco is testing a digital queue waiting system on its eCommerce site for customers seeking Pokémon cards. 

“Consumer response [to Collectors Clubhouse] has exceeded our expectations,” Dick’s CEO Lauren Hobart told analysts during a conference call last fall. “It’s a unique and fast-growing category that’s a great complement to everything we do, and we’re very excited about the opportunity ahead.” 

That opportunity continues to expand, not only with entertainment brands but also with cards based on emerging sports teams and leagues as well as university and college teams.  

Panini, for example, carries licensed 2026 trading cards for the Unrivaled 3v3 women’s professional basketball league, which features players from the WNBA. Leaf Trading Cards, meanwhile, has cards for the Professional Bull Riders tour, which adopted a team format in 2022.  

Panini also offers Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) trading card boxes for colleges like the University of Texas and The Ohio State University across a range of sports, including women’s volleyball. And Panini—which previously had licensing deals for Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League and World Wrestling Entertainment before they moved to Fanatics—is planning to launch a TCG-licensed collection later this year, said Brett Robertson, Director of Retail Sales at Panini. 

“Obviously some of these smaller leagues are going to be a little more niche at the start, so we produce them in small batches at first,” Robertson said. “But the market is changing.”