The PSA Population Report Explained: What Pop Counts Tell You

The PSA Population Report is PSA's running count of every card it has graded, broken down grade by grade. It tells you how many examples of a card PSA has certified at each grade, and it is one of the first places collectors look when they want to understand a slab.

Graded slabs are now live at PUSHAS too, led by the PSA-graded Mega Charizard X ex Special Illustration Rare #125 in the graded cards and slabs collection.

Every count in that report starts with a card pulled from a sealed box, whether that is a Pokémon collection like the Pokémon TCG Mega Charizard X ex Ultra-Premium Collection or a box of Topps; the cards inside these boxes are the ones collectors send for grading. Sealed product across the trading cards range is live now at PUSHAS.

What the PSA Population Report is

PSA describes the Population Report as a complete listing of every item it has authenticated and graded since the company launched in 1991. For each card, it shows a count within each individual grade, from PSA 1 to PSA 10, alongside summaries by category. The numbers are updated daily as more items are submitted and certified, so the report moves as collectors send cards in.

PSA made the report free online in January 2012. It covers sports and non-sports collectibles alike, which puts Pokémon cards in the same report as baseball.

How to read a pop report

Search for a set, then open the card you care about. Each row is a single card from that set, and the columns across the row are the grades. The number under each grade is that card's population at that grade: how many examples PSA has certified at exactly that level.

Collectors talk about these numbers in a shorthand of their own. A card's population, or pop, is the number PSA has graded at a given grade. Collectors use pop 1 for a card graded once at that grade.

Qualifiers are the other thing to know. PSA gives a qualified grade to a card that meets all the criteria for a grade but falls short in one area. The qualifier appears as a short code after the grade: OC for off-centre, PD for print defect and MK for marks are three examples. A qualified grade tells you the card reached that level in every respect except the one the code names.

What pop counts cannot tell you

The report counts graded cards, not every card that was printed. PSA itself makes the point that the numbers represent only the cards it has graded. Plenty of copies of any card have never been submitted, so a pop count is a record of what has come through PSA, not a census of what exists.

It also leans toward the cards people choose to grade. PSA notes that most collectors do not traditionally submit lower-grade cards, and cards that collectors see little reason to grade show up far less often. A small count can point to a genuinely scarce card, or simply to a card that few people have bothered to send in, which is why PSA says each number needs to be read in context.

Then there is the crack-out problem. Collectors sometimes remove a card from its holder, whether for storage or to resubmit it. Sports Collectors Daily notes that unless the grading company is notified and removes the card from its database, the old grade stays in the count. If that same card is graded again, it can be counted a second time, which is how the report can drift from the number of physical cards.

CGC and Beckett publish their own

PSA, Beckett (BGS), SGC and CGC each keep separate population reports.

CGC Cards publishes a free population report that shows the latest number of TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards it has graded, searchable by card or by set. CGC's own note on the report makes the same point as PSA's: its census reflects only the collectibles it has graded, and is not an indicator of rarity. To get a fuller picture of a card, collectors check each grader's report rather than relying on one.

Built for quick reference: pop report terms

Live now at PUSHAS

Stock as of 5 October 2026. Graded slabs, including the Mega Charizard X ex #125 in PSA 10 and PSA 9, sit alongside sealed Pokémon and Topps boxes at PUSHAS. Every item is authenticated by hand, so you can shop with confidence. The live listing shows the current price. Start with the Mega Charizard X ex Ultra-Premium Collection.

For Topps, the Topps collection gathers the sealed boxes in one place, and if you are new to sealed Pokémon, our guide to the best place to buy authentic Pokémon cards explains what to look for.

FAQ

What is the PSA pop report?

It is PSA's complete listing of every item it has graded since the company launched in 1991, showing how many examples of each card sit at each grade from PSA 1 to PSA 10. The numbers are updated daily.

What does pop 1 mean for a graded card?

Collectors use pop 1 for a card graded once at that grade. The report counts graded cards, not every card that was printed.

Is the PSA population report accurate?

It counts only cards PSA has graded, and it leans toward the cards people choose to submit. If a card is removed from its holder and the grader is not notified, the old grade stays in the count, so a resubmitted card can be counted again.

Does CGC have a population report?

Yes. CGC Cards publishes a free population report covering the TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards it has graded. It keeps its own count, separate from PSA's.