CGC is making a statement. The distant No. 2 grading company behind PSA has graded three of the hobby's most iconic cards — a restored T206 Honus Wagner (the "Die-Cut Wagner"), a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, and an autographed 1979 Topps Wayne Gretzky rookie — and is using them to make a public case that it can compete at the highest end of the market.

The Athletic's Larry Holder reported on the strategy July 16, with CGC president Steven Broome telling the outlet that the company hopes these high-profile submissions signal CGC's readiness to handle the industry's most valuable cards. The three cards were displayed publicly at Fanatics Fest in New York on July 18-19, using the platform to position CGC as the primary alternative to PSA at a time when collector frustration with the market leader's backlog and service times is at an all-time high.

The centerpiece of CGC's push is the Die-Cut Wagner — a restored T206 Honus Wagner owned by former ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann. The card, which has been the subject of significant controversy over what "restored" means in the context of grading, is being auctioned this month through Love of the Game Auctions. It could become the most expensive CGC-graded sports card ever, giving the company a headline-grabbing sale to point to as proof of its high-end credentials.

1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle CGC 8 (Type 1) 1979-80 Topps #18 Wayne Gretzky RC CGC Gem Mint 10 Auto 10

Left: 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle (CGC 8) — Right: 1979-80 Topps #18 Wayne Gretzky RC (CGC Gem Mint 10, Auto 10)

CGC vs. PSA: The Numbers Gap

The scale difference between CGC and PSA remains staggering. According to data cited in Holder's reporting, CGC graded approximately 900,000 sports cards in the past year. PSA? Roughly 7.9 million — nearly nine times as many. The gap is even more pronounced at the top of the market: there are only 55 CGC-graded 2018 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani 10s compared to over 5,300 PSA 10s of the same card.

Broome's strategy, as described by Holder, is a "quality over quantity" pivot. "The quantity is there. Now it's time to go for quality," the CGC president told The Athletic, acknowledging that CGC's ~900K annual volume is already substantial — the challenge is convincing high-end collectors and dealers that CGC can be trusted with six- and seven-figure cards.

The Fanatics Fest Play

Fanatics Fest, which took place July 18-19 at the Javits Center in New York, was a natural venue for CGC's coming-out party. The show drew significant crowds and media attention, and CGC's decision to display the three iconic cards — the Wagner, the Mantle, and the Gretzky — in a single booth was a deliberate flex. It said: we have graded the most important cards in three different sports; trust us with yours.

CGC's official video showcasing the Mantle and Gretzky cards at Fanatics Fest 2026

The timing is notable. With the National Sports Collectors Convention just a week away (July 29 - August 2), CGC is building momentum heading into the hobby's biggest week of the year. Both PSA and CGC will have major booths at the National, and the competition for submissions — particularly high-value crossovers — will be fierce.

The Bigger Picture: Grading Wars Intensify

CGC's push comes at a moment when PSA's market dominance is facing unprecedented scrutiny. Congressman Patrick Ryan's accusations of monopoly behavior, the ongoing backlog of 11-12 million cards awaiting grading, and Collectors Holdings' acquisition of both SGC and Beckett have left many collectors uneasy about the concentration of power in the grading industry. CGC is the only remaining sizable independent competitor, and its strategy of chasing high-end submissions is a deliberate contrast to PSA's volume-first model.

The question is whether quality alone can close the gap. CGC's bulk turnaround time sits at approximately 120 working days — not meaningfully better than PSA's. And the price premium that PSA-graded cards command on the secondary market remains substantial, particularly for modern cards where the population difference is most extreme. For CGC to truly compete, it needs not just iconic crossovers but a consistent track record across hundreds of thousands of submissions.

The verdict: CGC's play for the Die-Cut Wagner, the Mantle, and the Gretzky is smart marketing — a splashy, high-visibility gambit that gets collectors talking ahead of the National. It won't close the gap with PSA overnight. But it signals that CGC is no longer content to be the default second choice. With grading industry dynamics shifting and collector skepticism at a peak, CGC's timing might be better than the raw numbers suggest.

Sources: The Athletic's Larry Holder reported CGC's strategy and the three iconic card submissions on July 16, 2026. CGC displayed the cards publicly at Fanatics Fest in New York on July 18-19 and shared official video coverage via their YouTube channel. Population and volume comparisons between CGC and PSA cited in this article are attributed to Holder's reporting. The National Sports Collectors Convention dates (July 29 - August 2) are publicly known. All quotes attributed to CGC president Steven Broome are as reported by The Athletic.