What happened
October 2026 was the first month in which tracked trading card sales topped US$1 billion. According to an analysis by Sports Illustrated Collectibles of Card Ladder data, the month brought in about US$1.075 billion from more than 9.2 million sales. Card Ladder's figures include sports and non-sports cards and sealed product.
Where the money came from
The SI breakdown shows how concentrated the market is at the top:
- US$10,000 and up: about 11,000 sales, or 0.12% of transactions, made up roughly 40% of dollar volume (about US$430 million).
- US$100,000 and up: 685 sales totalling about US$186 million.
- US$1,000 to US$9,999: about US$309 million, the largest single price tier.
- US$100 to US$999: about US$255 million.
- Under US$100: about 8.16 million sales, but only about US$81 million, or 7.5% of dollars.
Big sales cited include a Kobe Bryant 2017 Panini Flawless Logoman autograph 1/1 at US$4.2 million and a Shohei Ohtani 2025 Topps Dynasty Logoman patch auto 1/1 at US$3.24 million.
The analysis estimates that a 25% drop in purchases over US$10,000 would remove about US$108 million, or roughly 10% of a month like October. Its conclusion is that the US$100 to US$9,999 range, which made up about 52% of dollars, is a better gauge of the hobby's health than the headline number.
Why it matters for collectors
Record monthly totals can make the whole market look hot, but most collectors buy and sell well below five figures. Tracking prices in the range you actually trade in gives a clearer picture than headline totals driven by a handful of 1-of-1s. Separate figures from GemRate show grading volume also hit a record in October, according to Sports Collectors Daily.
What Canadian collectors should know
These figures are in U.S. dollars and come mostly from U.S. platforms. Canadian prices generally follow them after exchange, and collectors can track and sell cards on TCE in CAD.