Card Collecting Blog — Guides, News & Tips

Guides & How-To · Aug 28, 2026

3.5 Million Cards Graded in a Single Month: Where to Actually Send Cards Right Now

June 2026 set a record with roughly 3.5 million cards graded, and the backlogs show it. PSA has Value paused, CGC lists Bulk at 150 working days, and TAG is sitting at 189 percent …

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 24, 2026

OP-17 Launch Week: What Japan's Release Already Told Us Before Friday's English Drop

One Piece OP-17 hit Japan on August 22 and the English release lands Friday, August 28 — with Bandai running lottery purchasing at its official shops. Here is the launch-week tim…

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 20, 2026

PSA's Backlog Is Finally Falling. Value Tiers Are Still Five to Six Months Away.

PSA's backlog tracker showed about 11.85 million units on August 11, down from a late July peak near 12.4 million. The company wants it near 5 million before reopening the Value ti…

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 19, 2026

Two Sports Cards Sell Every Second on Live Streams. Your Comps Do Not See Most of Them.

Whatnot reports 6.4 million sports cards bought per month in the U.S. and more than $8 billion in live sales GMV, with sports cards as its number one American category. That volume…

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 19, 2026

Yu-Gi-Oh's Fall Is Already Dated: Magnificent Monsters September 4, Beyond the Brave October 9

Two core boosters land five weeks apart, and one of them has been legal in Japan since July. Here is how to use the OCG head start, what 18 anime-import cards does to a set, and ho…

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 19, 2026

College Football Starts August 29. The Card Products Built Around It Do Not Arrive Until Halloween.

Week 0 kicks off August 29 with Belichick in Dublin and USC on NBC. Bowman University Chrome Football does not release until October 31. That two-month gap is the most useful thing…

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 19, 2026

A $21.99 Pokemon Tin With $55 of Packs Inside: The Ascended Heroes Math

The Ascended Heroes Tins arrive August 28 with four packs and a Mega starter promo, and nothing else. No sleeves, no dice, no lenticular. Ascended Heroes packs trade at $13 to $15 …

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 14, 2026

Every Card Is Foil: What Is Actually Inside Pokemon 30th Celebration, Out September 16

Pokemon's 30th anniversary set makes every card in the expansion a foil, with 30 unique Pikachu illustrations as the chase. Here is the full pack breakdown, both Elite Trainer Box …

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 12, 2026

The Best Card Collecting Podcasts, YouTube Channels, and Newsletters in 2026

The card hobby produces an enormous amount of content, and most of it is someone opening boxes at you. Here are the podcasts, channels, and newsletters still publishing in 2026 tha…

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 9, 2026

10 Card Storage Mistakes That Kill Your Collection's Value

Most value lost in this hobby is not lost in the market - it is lost in closets and binders. PVC pages that weld to cards, screw-downs that flatten them, and eight more storage mis…

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 8, 2026

CGC's Bulk Queue Is Now 150 Working Days. Here Is How to Choose a Grader in August.

CGC currently posts 150 working days for Bulk and 90 for Economy, while Standard and Express move in days. With PSA pausing value tiers and TAG closing tiers outright, the whole in…

Read More →

Guides & How-To · Aug 8, 2026

Shane McKenna and the Hockey Rookie Card Calendar: Why the Card That Matters Has Not Been Printed Yet

The 2026 first overall pick is already on collector hot lists, but hockey rookie cards work differently from every other sport. Upper Deck Young Guns, games-played eligibility, and…

Read More →

CARD COLLECTINGBLOG

3.5 Million Cards Graded in a Single Month: Where to Actually Send Cards Right Now

OP-17 Launch Week: What Japan's Release Already Told Us Before Friday's English Drop

PSA's Backlog Is Finally Falling. Value Tiers Are Still Five to Six Months Away.

Two Sports Cards Sell Every Second on Live Streams. Your Comps Do Not See Most of Them.

Yu-Gi-Oh's Fall Is Already Dated: Magnificent Monsters September 4, Beyond the Brave October 9

College Football Starts August 29. The Card Products Built Around It Do Not Arrive Until Halloween.

A $21.99 Pokemon Tin With $55 of Packs Inside: The Ascended Heroes Math

Every Card Is Foil: What Is Actually Inside Pokemon 30th Celebration, Out September 16

The Best Card Collecting Podcasts, YouTube Channels, and Newsletters in 2026

10 Card Storage Mistakes That Kill Your Collection's Value

CGC's Bulk Queue Is Now 150 Working Days. Here Is How to Choose a Grader in August.

Shane McKenna and the Hockey Rookie Card Calendar: Why the Card That Matters Has Not Been Printed Yet

SUBSCRIBE TO OURNEWSLETTER

YOU'RE IN!

CARD COLLECTING
BLOG

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR
NEWSLETTER