The collector’s queue
PSA’s backlog, in perspective.
The queue has fallen from its July high. The size of that queue still cannot tell you when your own cards will return.
Service update · October 28, 2026
Value returns October 29. Existing orders keep their place.
PSA says Value grading opens (8 a.m. Pacific). The U.S. price is $39.99, with a $500 maximum insured value. New Value submissions follow orders already at PSA; reopening does not change those customers’ delivery estimates.
| Service | Estimate | New-order effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 70-80 | Oct. 28, 11 a.m. ET |
| Priority | 50-60 | Oct. 28, 11 a.m. ET |
| Value | 90-100* | Oct. 29, 11 a.m. ET |
*Japan’s Value estimate is 120 business days. These are estimates, not guarantees, and can change with volume. Existing Standard and Priority orders retain their submitted terms. Value Bulk remains part of a future phased reopening, not this launch.
Source: PSA’s October 28 announcement, checked October 28. Its repeated 7.2 million figure does not add a new dated observation to the chart below.
Dated snapshot, not live. Latest PSA observation: . Backlog source checked .
10 observations. One uneven descent.
Active grading backlog, millions of company-reported global units, June 30 to Nov 3, 2026.
The numbers behind the line
| Report date, 2026 | Backlog | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| About 12M | Not applicable | |
| 11M | -1.00M | |
| 12.4M | +1.40M | |
| 11.85M | -0.55M | |
| About 10.9M | -0.95M | |
| 9.9M | -1.00M | |
| About 9M | -0.90M | |
| 8.2M | -0.80M | |
| 7.2M | -1.00M | |
| 6.8M | -0.40M |
What this does, and does not, measure
A backlog is a stock of work at a moment in time. Its net change reflects incoming work as well as work leaving the queue. The latest net decline is 0.4 million units. That does not mean exactly that many cards were graded between reports.
The chart begins with the first dated numeric observation transcribed here. PSA’s earlier descriptions are not converted into invented exact points. The 45.2% calculation compares 6.8 million with 12.4 million. It is a decline within this displayed series, not a claim about an all-time record.
These figures do not establish an individual order’s status, a service guarantee, grading consistency, compensation owed or a resale value. We do not project a reopening date from a short run of declines.
Separate legal-record check
A queue chart is not a court finding.
The public docket mirror records Funk v. Collectors Universe, Inc., a Maryland federal case filed July 28, 2026, naming Collectors Universe and Collectors Holdings. Its visible docket was last retrieved September 25. That is not a complete, current case-status record.
The lawyers’ linked site is attorney advertising and describes allegations, not established wrongdoing. We have not verified the latest complete docket or operative complaint. This tracker does not determine class membership, liability or a recovery.
How we update it
We check for material changes within the existing news-desk passes and append only newly verified, dated company observations. No visitor-side scraper or continuous feed runs here. The source’s reporting date and our check date remain separate. If a fresh source cannot be verified, the last confirmed observation stays visible with its date. Corrections are recorded rather than silently overwriting history.