Every story from every issue: leads, charts, index readings, grading explainers and quick hits.
Three English-language record sales in 2026: a First Edition Charizard at $954,800 in February, a Rayquaza Gold Star at $1.02 million on August 30, and a Torchic Gold Star at $2.7 million on September 10. What the shape of the ladder says about where the next one comes from.
Read itThe PSA 10 Torchic Gold Star closed at $2.7 million on Alt on September 10, the PSA 9 at $156,336, and five more lots cleared six figures. Eleven days after the $1.02 million Rayquaza, the English record is 2.6 times higher.
Read itAlt's auction with the $1.97 million-bid Torchic Gold Star closes tonight, Goldin's pop culture sale also moved a $88,450 Mew promo and a $74,420 Worlds trainer, 30th Celebration releases Wednesday, and a 2016 set finally moved in our Index.
Read itThis issue's quiz card is a 2003 Skyridge Nidoran reverse holo in PSA 10, our mark $1,066. The card is a common. The grade is the whole price, and the reason is the e-Reader era's reverse holo printing and a population you can count on your fingers.
Read itVintage +0.6% with EX Unseen Forces +2.8%, EX Deoxys +2.2%, Skyridge +2.0% and Expedition +1.8%; modern flat as a basket but Fates Collide +6.3% and Classic Collection +1.8%. Full tables.
Read itTwo shiny legendaries from the same 2011 set, the same grade, five weeks apart. Lugia closed at Goldin this morning at $367,220 after 49 bids; the Rayquaza that led the first week of August at $180,200 sold for $97,600 in the same auction.
Read itPSA cleared another million cards in two weeks: 9.9 million on September 8, down 2.5 million from the July peak. For the first time it said a suspended tier could be evaluated for reopening this month. The Value threshold is still 5 million.
Read itA 2008 Palkia LV.X became the first Diamond & Pearl-era card over $200,000, a First Edition Typhlosion in CGC Pristine 10 made $336,000, an eleven-card Japanese promo Pikachu lot matched it, and PSA's next backlog update is Tuesday.
Read itAlt's auction closing September 10 has a PSA 10 Torchic Gold Star at $1,968,000 and a PSA 9 at $90,336, both live bids. Nineteen 10s exist and 233 9s. The 9's move from $22,000 in June is the better read on the market.
Read itVintage +0.4% with EX Holon Phantoms +3.4%, Expedition +2.7% and Base Set +1.8%; modern flat with Classic Collection and Generations up and Ascended Heroes down an eighth straight week. Full tables.
Read itFour Illustrator sales in 2026, four grades. The new PSA 9 at $2.7 million sits 35 percent above the BGS 9 and one-sixth of the PSA 10. What the updated ladder says about label premiums and the missing 7s and 8s.
Read itA PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator sold privately for $2.7 million on August 31, two-thirds of a $3.94 million week that also included the $360,000 First Edition Lugia, a Pristine 10 Typhlosion, an 11-card Pikachu promo lot and a $204,000 Palkia LV.X.
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