PSA Backlog Drops to 11 Million Cards in Latest Update
PSA has released its latest bi-weekly backlog update, showing continued progress as the company's total grading backlog has fallen to 11 million cards. The figure marks a noticeable improvement from the previous update, when the backlog had climbed above 12 million cards, suggesting the company is beginning to work through the unprecedented surge in submissions.
The latest report also indicates that July grading output is on pace to surpass June's record-setting production, meaning collectors could continue seeing turnaround times gradually improve if current production levels are maintained.
Backlog Continues to Trend Lower
According to PSA's official backlog tracker, the company's queue now sits at 11 million cards.
While that remains an enormous volume of submissions, the reduction of more than one million cards since the previous report is one of the more meaningful decreases seen this year.
PSA also emphasized that the increase in production has not come at the expense of quality, stating that its overall operational success rate remains 99.4%. The remaining 0.6% primarily represents cards that either received a grade adjustment during quality assurance or experienced damage during processing.
Industry Grading Volume Slows
Separate data from GemRate shows grading activity declined across most major grading companies during the first week of July.
PSA: 492,900 cards graded (-18%)
CGC: 140,600 (-32%)
Beckett: 18,800 (-51%)
SGC: 8,500 (-35%)
TAG: 19,100 (+55%)
Outlook
The latest update is another positive sign that PSA's operational expansion is beginning to produce measurable results. A backlog of 11 million cards is still historically high, but continued record production and a declining queue suggest the company is making progress toward normalizing turnaround times.
Whether that progress ultimately leads to the return of lower-cost submission tiers remains one of the biggest questions facing collectors over the coming months.
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