PSA Releases New Prices, Timelines, as Congressman Zeroes In

Morning, Collectors.

It’s NBA All Star week here in LA, and it’s been great to see how many collectibles-focused events have popped up in town. Yesterday I was able to check out the new ghostwrite museum and chop it up with founder, Josh Luber. They’ve got some pieces in the museum I didn’t know existed, like prototypes made for the likes of Dave Chapelle or Post Malone, as well as rare ghosts from their NBA, WNBA and MLB sets. Absolutely worth a visit if you’re in town.

We’re hoping to check out some of the massive game-worn pieces up for auction between eBay and Sotheby’s this week, too. A rare chance to see grail-worthy items up close.

The actual All Star Game hasn’t delivered in recent years, but for the collector, the circus the NBA brings to down usually does.

Mantel: Designing for the 75th Anniversary of Topps Baseball and the Hunt for a ‘52 Mantle

Topps is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its baseball product in style. The 2026 flagship set, launched yesterday, blends a textured, City Connect–inspired design with a massive retrospective: a top-75 card countdown voted on by hobby legends. Inserted in packs? Buybacks of grails like the 1952 Mantle, hits like All-Star tickets and a final farewell to the ’52 design. Topps held an internal ‘contest’ to select the designer of the 2026, and I loved this interview with the winner, Adam Schwartz, as well as Clay Luraschi, Topps’ SVP of Product (who can rattle off card values down to a penny for basically everything Topps has ever produced, I kid you not).

Sports Collectors Digest: A Father Shooting Photo for Son’s First Bowman Baseball Card a ‘Dream Come True’

Cody Miller’s first Bowman card is more than just a “1st”: it’s a family milestone. The Braves draft pick made his cardboard debut in 2025 Bowman Draft, and the photo on the card? Shot by his father, Brian, a lifelong Braves fan. The story only got better when a collector hand-delivered Cody’s signed card to Brian on release day. This hobby still has heart.

Mantel: Ranking the 10 Hottest Rookie Cards of Olympic Hockey Players

Olympic hockey is back, and with it comes the hobby’s favorite ripple effect: Young Guns cards on the move. Using Mantel’s proprietary SLAM Score—our measure of how liquid a card really is—we ranked the Top 10 PSA 10 Young Guns RCs headed into the Games. Some familiar names (McDavid, Crosby), some surprises (Marchand, Draisaitl at #1), and one breakout candidate ready to spike. Let the national anthems and eBay bidding wars begin.

Sports Collectors Daily: PSA Announces Grading Delays, Price Hikes for Lower Value Card Submissions

PSA has raised prices across its lower-tier grading services — Value Bulk now costs $24.99 — and extended turnaround times by 5 days at most levels. The company says it’s grading 90,000 cards per day globally, up 6x since 2021, and aims to “align volume with capacity.” But delays remain a sore spot, and the new pricing has sparked backlash from collectors frustrated by both PSA’s timelines and the bulk submitters clogging the system with low-end, flip-at-a-10 cards.

The Athletic: Congressman on PSA Parent Company: ‘I Think it’s Such a Blatant Attempt at a Monopoly’

What a segue! Collectors Holdings now controls PSA, SGC, and Beckett, a trio that commands ~80% of the grading market, prompting Congressman Pat Ryan to demand an FTC probe into what he calls a “blatant attempt at monopoly.” CGC remains the last major competitor, reporting strong growth but still trailing in resale value. With PSA hiking prices again (see above), pressure is mounting on regulators to intervene.

Newsweek: Scottie Pippen Auctions $2.5M Gift From Michael Jordan

Scottie Pippen is making headlines this week for auctioning off a $6M trove of Bulls memorabilia. The centerpiece? A pair of game-worn “Olympic” Air Jordan 7s from the 1992 Dream Team run, gifted to him by Michael Jordan himself. Both heels are signed, and the pair is expected to fetch $2.5M alone. The Sotheby’s sale comes as Pippen continues to carve out his own legacy, distinct from, and sometimes at odds with, his former teammate.

Robb Report: Over 10,000 Watches Were Reported as Lost or Stolen Last Year

Watch theft is getting worse, fast. The Watch Register logged over 10,000 new lost or stolen timepieces in 2025, (about one every hour), and Rolex made up more than half. Online checks of the database jumped 29%, and U.S. dealer participation nearly doubled. But there’s progress: 1,340 stolen watches were identified last year, with 50% recovered within 12 months. Global recovery efforts now stretch across 33 countries, showing just how far luxury watches can travel before they tick back home.