PSA published its fortnightly backlog update on Tuesday, September 8: 9.9 million cards in the active queue, down from 10.9 million on August 25 and from the 12.4 million peak of July 28. That is a million cards cleared in two weeks, a 20 percent reduction in six, at a pace of roughly 500,000 a week across five hubs, with the Plano, Texas facility now described as fully operational.
The backlog, five readings
| Date | Backlog | Change |
|---|---|---|
| July 28 | 12.4 million | peak |
| August 11 | 11.85 million | -550,000 |
| August 25 | 10.9 million | -950,000 |
| September 8 | 9.9 million | -1,000,000 |
The pace is accelerating slightly, which is Plano ramping. It is also the two weeks before 30th Celebration, which means the submission surge from the new set has not hit the queue yet.
What "evaluate reopening a Service tier" means
PSA's benchmark for reopening the four Value tiers (Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max, from $25) has been "under 5 million" since the June 2 suspension, and the company restated it this week. At 500,000 a week, 9.9 million to 5 million is about ten weeks, which puts the Value threshold in mid-November. So a tier that could reopen in September is not the full Value menu. The likeliest candidates are a limited reopening of one Value option with a cap on submissions, or a new intermediate tier between Value and Regular. PSA gave no detail. Our working assumption remains: Value tiers broadly reopen in December at the earliest; anything that reopens this month will be rationed.
What it means for your stack
The turnaround table has not changed since August 25. Regular at $80 is still 70-80 business days, roughly four months; Express at $149 is 20-30 days; Super Express at $349 is 10-15; Walk-Through at $599 is 7-10. If you have been holding $50 to $150 cards for the Value tiers, the signal this week is that the wait is getting shorter but it is still measured in months, and the 30th Celebration surge will slow the clearance rate from here. If you have cards worth grading at Express, there is no reason to wait.
Sources: Heavy, September 8, 2026; Sports Collectors Daily; PSA backlog tracker.
The Lead ran in The Pack Report, September 10, 2026: PSA Under Ten Million, and a $367,000 Lugia This Morning. Published by Rip Station.