Trading Card News: PSA Pulls the Plug on Cheap Grading, and One Company Now Owns the Slab

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This week the grading world got a lot more crowded and a lot more expensive at the same time. PSA officially shut its cheapest doors, the company that owns PSA now owns most of the competition too, and a lawyer somewhere is very interested in all of it. Add a stacked Pokemon drop, a fresh One Piece set, baseball season hitting full swing, and not one but two brand-new card games, and you have plenty to talk about.

Here is everything worth knowing for the week ending June 7, 2026. Skim the TL;DR or settle in with a coffee.

The quick version (TL;DR)

• PSA’s Value tiers are paused as of June 2, so the cheapest grade is now Regular at $79.99 per card.
• One company now controls about 80% of grading: Collectors Holdings owns PSA, SGC, and Beckett, and is facing an antitrust lawsuit over it.
• Pokemon’s June lineup is loaded, led by card-for-card replica decks from the 2025 World Championships.
• Chaos Rising chase cards already cooled: Mega Greninja ex dropped from about $594 to the $470 to $505 range in 48 hours.
• One Piece OP-16 hits the West June 12 with the Paramount War theme and six new Leaders.
• Magic’s Marvel Super Heroes set lands June 26, and baseball heats up with Topps Series 2 and Bowman Sapphire on June 10.
• Two new games arrived: Mark Rosewater’s Mood Swings and a My Little Pony TCG.

PSA pauses cheap grading, and the backlog keeps fighting back

If you grade on a budget, read this before you mail anything. As of June 2, 2026, PSA paused new submissions for its four Value service tiers (Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max). The cheapest way in now is the Regular tier at $79.99 per card, and even that comes with a temporary turnaround bump from 40 business days to 50. The active queue is approaching 10 million cards, closing in on the COVID-era peak.

Here is the slightly absurd part. PSA’s own announcement about fixing the backlog triggered a 20% spike in submissions, which dumped roughly 1.6 million more cards onto the pile almost overnight. PSA says it now grades around 90,000 cards a day, up from about 15,000 in 2021, is hiring close to 1,000 more staff, and launched a public Backlog Tracker with a goal of getting the queue down to 5 million within about four months. To soften the blow, paid memberships are being extended for free until the backlog clears. As the cheap tiers filled, collectors rerouted cards to TAG and CGC, and TAG has since closed its Express, Standard, and Basic tiers at capacity too. The whole grading world is feeling the squeeze.

Our take: if you have raw cards waiting, this is a fine week to sort, sleeve, and prep rather than panic-submit. Good storage protects value while you wait, and decent toploaders and sleeves on Amazon cost a fraction of a regrade.

Source: PSA and Baseball America.

One company now owns most of grading, and the lawsuits have started

The bigger story behind the backlog is who is collecting the fees. Collectors Holdings, the parent company of PSA, already bought SGC back in 2024 and closed its acquisition of Beckett (BGS) in December 2025. That puts three of the four most-used grading services under one roof and gives Collectors roughly 80% of the US card grading market by volume. PSA alone has graded more than 8 million cards in 2026 so far, a 39% jump year over year.

Not everyone is thrilled. Collectors Holdings is now facing a proposed class-action antitrust lawsuit arguing that snapping up SGC and Beckett created a near-monopoly that hurts collectors through higher prices and slower service. Whether that argument holds up in court is a separate question, but the timing is awkward: prices went up the same stretch the company tightened its grip on the market. It is worth keeping an eye on, because the outcome could shape what you pay to slab a card for years.

If you collect graded cards, the safest play right now is buying slabs that are already done rather than betting on turnaround times. You can browse graded cards on eBay to see what finished slabs are actually selling for.

Source: ESPN and Value Added Resource.

Pokemon’s June drop is stacked, led by World Championships decks

Pokemon packed a lot into early June. On June 5, the standout release was a set of World Championships decks, card-for-card replicas of the actual title-contender decks from the 2025 World Championships in Anaheim, so you can play a proven competitive list straight out of the box. The same day brought the Mega Evolution: Chaos Rising Build & Battle Box, Lumiose City Mini Tins with art cards that combine into a larger image, and Mega Moonlit Tins featuring Mega Gengar ex or Mega Clefable ex.

Then on June 19, the second series of the First Partner Illustration Collection arrives, putting Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile in the spotlight with atmospheric artwork and special Illustration Rare promos. Whether you play or just collect the art, there is a lot to grab this month.

Want in? You can find the World Championships decks on Amazon or grab the Mega Moonlit Tins on eBay. New to the hobby? Start with our Pokémon Cards History and Value: From 1996 Origins to Modern Markets.

Source: Pokemon.com.

Chaos Rising singles already cooled off (a buying lesson)

Quick market note that doubles as free advice: do not buy singles in week one. The Mega Greninja ex Special Illustration Rare from Chaos Rising slid from around $594 to the $470 to $505 range within 48 hours of the set’s late-May launch. The Mega Greninja ex Mega Hyper Rare still sits at the very top of the rarity ladder for the whole Mega Evolution block, but even it is settling as supply catches up.

This happens with almost every new set. Hype pumps prices early, then they drift down once boxes hit shelves and packs get opened. If you want a chase single and you are not ripping packs yourself, patience usually saves you real money. If you would rather open it yourself, you can check Chaos Rising booster box prices on eBay.

Source: PriceCharting and PokeCottage.

One Piece OP-16 brings Marineford to the West on June 12

One Piece players, mark June 12. OP-16 “The Time of Battle” lands in the West, themed around the Paramount War, the iconic Marineford clash between pirates and Marines. Prerelease events ran June 5 to 11 in both Sealed and Constructed. The set introduces six new Leaders, including Red Portgas D. Ace, Blue Green Monkey D. Luffy, Blue Buggy, Purple Sengoku, Black Yamato, and Black Yellow Marshall D. Teach, plus the game’s first-ever Triple Manga chase card.

There is a nice bit of news for Western players buried in here too: this set arrives just two weeks after Japan, a huge change from the three-month delays that used to be standard. New Leaders always shake up what is viable, so this is a fun one whether you grind tournaments or just love the One Piece art.

You can find OP-16 booster boxes on eBay or browse One Piece products on Amazon.

Source: TCGplayer.

Magic’s Marvel set and a big baseball week

Two more dates for the calendar. Magic: The Gathering drops its Marvel Super Heroes Universes Beyond set on June 26, with prerelease events starting June 19. It is the 112th Magic expansion, built around the Avengers but also packing the Fantastic Four, S.H.I.E.L.D., and a deep bench of heroes. Love it or not, a tentpole IP like this pulls a wave of new players into Magic, and the secondary market already knows it.

On the sports side, June 10 is a big day for baseball. Topps Series 2 arrives with spring rookie call-ups, veteran variations, and chase inserts like Golden Mirror Image Variations, while Bowman Sapphire returns as an online-exclusive drop with its cracked-ice prospects. Panini Donruss Elite Baseball follows June 17, and Panini Select WNBA rounds out a genuinely busy month.

For Magic, you can preorder Marvel Super Heroes on Amazon. For baseball, browse Topps Series 2 boxes on eBay to track launch pricing.

Source: Wizards of the Coast and Athlon Sports.

Two new games: Mark Rosewater’s Mood Swings and My Little Pony

The new-game pipeline keeps flowing. On June 1, Wizards released Mood Swings, a fresh card game designed by Magic head designer Mark Rosewater that he reportedly tinkered with for almost 28 years. It is a Secret Lair product at $24.99, with each box holding 45 randomized cards from a pool of 133, enough for two to four players to start immediately. The pitch is unusual coming from the company that defined modern deckbuilding: no deckbuilding required, just open and play.

Separately, a My Little Pony Trading Card Game launched in the US, bringing a beloved family-friendly brand into the hobby. Both are worth a look if you like getting into a game before a secondary market even forms. Fresh card pools, no decade of chase cards to catch up on.

Curious? You can find the My Little Pony TCG on Amazon. For the bigger picture on this year’s launches, see our roundup of One Piece TCG: Beginner’s Guide, Best Sets & Why Prices Are Exploding in 2026.

Source: Secret Lair and Bleeding Cool.

One more thing: card shows are booming

A feel-good note to close on. Reporting out of Austin counts eight card shows across the metro in June alone, a clear sign that in-person hobby activity is thriving heading into summer. Shows are still the best way to handle cards in person, haggle face to face, and meet people who love this stuff as much as you do. If you have never been to one, summer is the perfect time. Bring cash and a want list, and just talk to people.

Source: OpenPR.

Frequently asked questions

Is PSA still grading cards in June 2026?

Yes. PSA paused its four Value tiers (Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max) as of June 2, 2026, but Regular service and all faster tiers remain open. Regular costs $79.99 per card with a temporary turnaround of about 50 business days while the backlog clears.

Who owns PSA, SGC, and Beckett now?

All three are owned by Collectors Holdings. SGC was acquired in 2024 and Beckett in December 2025, giving the company roughly 80% of the US card grading market by volume. The deal is the subject of a proposed class-action antitrust lawsuit.

What are the biggest trading card releases in June 2026?

Highlights include Pokemon’s World Championships decks and Mega Moonlit Tins (June 5), Topps Series 2 and Bowman Sapphire baseball (June 10), One Piece OP-16 in the West (June 12), and Magic’s Marvel Super Heroes set (June 26).

Should I buy new Pokemon singles right away?

Usually not. New-set chase cards tend to spike at launch and then cool as supply catches up. Chaos Rising’s Mega Greninja ex Special Illustration Rare fell from about $594 to the $470 to $505 range within 48 hours of release, so waiting a few weeks often saves money.

What we are watching next

Three threads to follow: whether PSA’s pause actually shrinks the backlog or just shifts it to other graders, how the antitrust case against Collectors Holdings develops, and how strongly the Marvel set and Topps Series 2 sell when they land. We will round it all up again next week.

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