Card Sales Top $1 Billion in October 2026, and Pokémon Takes Three of the Top Five

Trading card sales reached $1.07 billion in October 2026, the first month above $1 billion in Card Ladder's data, according to SI Collectibles on November 2. Card Ladder counted more than 9.2 million transactions, a monthly record, at an average sale of about $116. Pokémon cards took three of the five biggest sales of the month.

The Numbers Behind the Billion

Here is what Card Ladder's October data shows, per SI:

• Total: $1.07 billion in October 2026
• Transactions: more than 9.2 million, about half a million more than August 2026, the previous high
• Average sale: about $116
• Earlier in 2026: $445.06 million in January and more than $912 million in August
• By segment: 30 of the market segments Card Ladder tracks rose from September and 12 fell, and only 5 of those 12 fell by more than 1%

A year earlier the numbers looked very different. Card Ladder tracked more than $392 million in October 2025, its second-best month at the time behind $422 million in August 2025, Cllct reported on November 5, 2025. So October 2026's first count came in at roughly 2.7 times October 2025's, on about 1.7 times as many transactions (more than 9.2 million against more than 5.5 million, per Cllct). The average sale went from about $71 to about $116, so the growth comes from both more buyers and pricier cards.

One caveat on all of these: Card Ladder tracks secondary-market sales on marketplaces and auction sites, not sales from manufacturers, retailers, card shows or card shops, and it counts private sales only once they are verified, Cllct reported. It keeps adding late-reported sales, so monthly totals tend to rise after the first count.

October's Five Biggest Sales

SI says Pokémon held three of October's top five spots, with one baseball card and one basketball card in the other two. Matching that against the lot records, our count of the five is:

1. 2015 Japanese Art Academy Mudkip by Daisuke Ochiai, PSA 10: $4,880,000

• Goldin, closed at 1:56 a.m. Eastern on October 26, 2026, after 73 bids ($4,000,000 hammer plus Goldin's 22% premium). Our Mudkip sale report has the details

2. 2017 Panini Flawless Kobe Bryant Logoman Auto 1/1, PSA 9/Auto 10: $4,200,000 (reported)

• A private sale on October 28, 2026, reported by the seller and not yet verified by Card Ladder, per SI

3. 2025 Topps The Game Dynasty Black Logoman Auto /1 Shohei Ohtani, PSA 9: $3,240,000

• Fanatics Premier, October 23, 2026: a $2,700,000 winning bid plus the 20% premium, which is why SI's second figure of $3.42 million looks like a typo. It was still marked unpaid when our Fanatics Premier report checked on October 23

4. 1997 Japanese Gold 1st Place Trophy Pikachu, PSA 8: $3,080,500

• Goldin, the night of October 25, 2026 (US Eastern), after 32 bids, in the same auction as the Mudkip

5. 1997 Japanese CoroCoro Comic Pocket Monsters 1 phone card, PSA 10: $2,255,000

• A prepaid phone card prize, not a playable TCG card, sold as a Fanatics Collect Buy Now (fixed price, no bidding) on October 23, 2026, per our phone card story

The Pokémon side had one huge night. SI says October 25 was the biggest day on Card Ladder's six-month Pokémon sales chart, at more than $18 million. That was the night of Goldin's Pokémon 30th Anniversary Auction, which brought in more than $28 million, per ICv2.

What It Means for Collectors

SI's D. Allen Thompson framed the milestone on November 2: "The question wasn't if, but when we'd see a month with a billion dollars in card sales."

Our take: trophy cards made the headlines, but they did not make the billion. The five sales above add up to about $17.7 million, under 2% of the month, and going by Card Ladder's rule that private sales count only once verified, the Kobe is probably not in the total yet. The rest of the 9.2 million or so sales, averaging about $116, did the heavy lifting. Pokémon's 30th anniversary auction gave the top end a push, so November will say more about the everyday market than October did. SI itself says nobody knows when the boom ends, and neither do we.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much were card sales in October 2026?

$1.07 billion across more than 9.2 million transactions, according to Card Ladder data published by SI Collectibles on November 2, 2026.

Was October 2026 a record month for card sales?

Yes. It was the first month above $1 billion in Card Ladder's data, and its more than 9.2 million transactions beat August 2026, the previous high, by about half a million.

What was the most expensive card sold in October 2026?

A 2015 Japanese Art Academy Mudkip in PSA 10, which sold for $4,880,000 at Goldin. A Kobe Bryant Logoman 1/1 reportedly sold privately for $4.2 million, but Card Ladder had not verified it.

Where to Go From Here

A billion-dollar month says collectors are buying at every level, from an average sale near $116 to multimillion-dollar grails. If you want in at the affordable end, the Polkastarter marketplace opens with a free mystery pack when you sign up, and every Lootbox lists its contents, values, and chances before you open.

Details checked November 3, 2026. Sales totals are Card Ladder figures as published by SI and Cllct, and can be revised. Prices are past sale results and include buyer's premium where one applies. Nothing here is financial advice. Polkastarter is not affiliated with Card Ladder, SI, Goldin, Fanatics Collect, The Pokémon Company or the other companies named.

Sources

• SI Collectibles: Over 1 billion dollars of card sales in October, published November 2, 2026, accessed November 3, 2026
• Cllct via Yahoo Sports: Hobby posts second-best month in history with $392m in October card sales, published November 5, 2025, accessed November 3, 2026
• SI Collectibles: Kobe, LeBron lead the top 5 sports card sales of the week, published November 2, 2026, accessed November 3, 2026
• ICv2: Goldin's 2026 Pokemon 30th Anniversary Auction rakes in over 28 million, published October 29, 2026, accessed November 3, 2026
• Goldin: 2015 Pokémon Japanese XY Promo Art Academy Daisuke Ochiai Mudkip, PSA 10, sold October 26, 2026, accessed November 3, 2026
• Goldin: 1997 Pokémon Japanese Promo Gold 1st Place Trophy Pikachu, PSA 8, sold October 25, 2026, accessed November 3, 2026