PSA's Backlog Falls From 14 Million to 12 Million: Value Tiers Now Projected to Return Around October
PSA graded more than two million cards in May and the backlog has dropped from 14 million to about 12 million. Here is the updated math on when sub-$80 value tiers reopen, and what submitters should do while they wait.
From 14 Million to 12 Million in a Month
PSA's grading backlog, the biggest operational story in the hobby this year, is finally moving in the right direction. The company reports the stockpile has fallen from roughly 14 million cards a month ago to about 12 million, with graders working through orders composed mostly of modern cards. PSA graded more than two million cards in May alone, the pace that produced the improvement.
How We Got Here
The timeline has been dizzying. PSA initially described the backlog as roughly 10 million cards when it paused all grading tiers under $80 effective June 2. A follow-up on June 9 revealed the true figure was closer to 14 million. The pause itself triggered a spike of last-minute submissions, but PSA says those arrivals have come in below what it anticipated, which has helped the queue shrink faster than feared.
When Do Value Tiers Come Back?
PSA has said it will resume accepting value-tier submissions when the backlog drops below five million cards. At the current pace of roughly two million cards cleared per month, that math points to value tiers reopening sometime around October. That is an estimate, not a promise, and any surge in higher-tier submissions could stretch the timeline.
What Collectors Should Do Right Now
- If you have pending orders: Modern-heavy submissions are the ones moving through the system now, so turnaround estimates for recently accepted orders are more reliable than they were in the spring.
- If you were waiting on value tiers: Use the wait productively. Pre-sort your submission pile, check current comps, and be honest about which cards still clear the math at post-pause pricing.
- If you cannot wait: The competitive landscape is genuinely different in 2026. TAG and CGC have absorbed significant overflow demand, and cross-checking turnaround times across all three graders before submitting is now standard practice.
A two-million-card month is the most encouraging operational number PSA has posted all year. The question is whether the pace holds through the summer submission season.
For a hobby that has spent 2026 anxious about grading capacity, a shrinking backlog is welcome news, but October is still a long way off for collectors sitting on stacks of raw cards.