The trading card market experienced another scorching month in April, propelled by seven-figure private sales and record-breaking grading activity. Sales tracker Card Ladder reported over $616 million in online secondary market transactions, the highest single-month total since its current reporting era began in 2024. This marks the fourth consecutive record month for the platform, which aggregates data from major marketplaces and auction houses, excluding retail sales and unverified shop transactions.
Third-party grading also hit an all-time high in April, with more than 3.1 million cards authenticated, according to GemRate. Industry leader PSA graded 2.21 million cards, while CGC Cards processed 690,000, both setting monthly records. Pokémon and other trading card games accounted for over two million of those graded cards.
Top Sports Card Sales in April
Source: Card Ladder (April 1 to April 30)
The most notable transaction was a 1997 Metal Universe Kobe Bryant Precious Metal Gems Green /10, which was acquired by trading card marketplace Alt in a private deal. According to Alt investor and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, it stands as the highest publicly known sale for a card featuring only Bryant. PMGs are among the most coveted ultra-high-end cards from the 1990s, serial-numbered to just 100 copies—the first 10 being the rarest Green variation, the remaining 90 Red. Their fragile foil finish makes high-grade examples extremely scarce.
While not the most expensive sale, a 2025 Topps Dynasty Kimi Antonelli Rookie Patch Autograph 1/1 sold for $201,910 at Goldin, marking a significant moment for the Formula 1 market. This set a record for an Antonelli card and marked the first F1 sale above $200,000 since 2023. The F1 market surged from 2020 to 2021 alongside Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” but had since slowed. Antonelli has won three of four races in 2026 and currently leads the driver standings.
Best-Selling Athletes in April: Jaxson Dart Joins the List
