PSA Card Backlog Jumps to 12.4 Million

PSA’s active trading card backlog has climbed to 12.4 million units, reversing some of the progress reported earlier in July.

The grading company disclosed the new total in its July 28 Backlog Tracker update. PSA had reported a backlog of 11 million units on July 14, meaning the number of cards awaiting processing increased by 1.4 million, or nearly 13 percent, in two weeks.

PSA attributed the increase to several factors, including higher submission volume in its more expensive service tiers and the arrival of packages sent during the 45-day eligibility period that followed the company’s initial service-tier shutdown.

Convention-season submissions also contributed to the growing backlog, according to PSA.

The latest increase comes after the backlog moved between 10 million and 12 million throughout June and July.

PSA temporarily paused its Value service tiers on June 2 after a 20 percent increase in submissions pushed the backlog toward 10 million units. The company later reported approximately 12 million units on June 30 before the total fell to 11 million by July 14.

Despite the latest rise, PSA said it is continuing to expand its global grading infrastructure.

The company recently opened its fifth full grading facility in Plano, Texas. PSA said the new location immediately increases its processing capacity and will help the company handle future submission volume.

The Plano facility joins PSA’s other grading hubs as part of a broader $200 million investment in facilities, technology and staffing.

PSA has said the temporary Value-tier shutdown will remain tied to operational milestones rather than a predetermined reopening date. The company previously projected that it could take five to six months to reduce the backlog to its target of 5 million units.

The PSA Backlog Tracker is updated every two weeks using the same figures reviewed by the company’s management team.