New York congressman asks for investigation into potential monopoly on trading card grading By Chris Bryant Published: Jan. 2, 2026 at 11:44 AM CST|Updated: 23 hours ago SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ky3.com/2026/01/02/new-york-congressman-asks-investigation-into-potential-monopoly-trading-card-grading/

Skip to content News Weather Sports Ozarks Sports Zone On Your Side The Place We the People Marketplace Livestream New York congressman asks for investigation into potential monopoly on trading card grading By Chris Bryant Published: Jan. 2, 2026 at 11:44 AM CST|Updated: 23 hours ago SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - A New York congressman has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Collectors Universe for potential antitrust violations after the company gained control of more than 80% of the sports card grading market. Rep. Pat Ryan requested the investigation following Collectors Universe’s acquisition of Beckett, which joined the company’s existing ownership of Professional Sports Authenticator and Sportscard Guaranty Corporation. According to Gemrate and data from November 2025, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) graded 1.66 million cards. Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) graded the second most sports and trading cards at 425,000. The three other leaders in sports and trading card grading, Beckett, Technical Authentication & Grading (TAG), and Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC) combined for 448,000 total grades of cards combined. In total, Collectors Universe, which owns PSA, Beckett, and SGC, graded 1.769 million of the 2.233 million cards graded in November. According to New York Congressman Pat Ryan’s website, the recent addition of Beckett to the Collectors Holdings portfolio means that one company controls over 80% of the grading volume and is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the company (Collector Holdings) for antitrust. According to Congressman Ryan, the commission should investigate: Monopolization: Whether Collectors acquired SGC and Beckett specifically to eliminate competition, and whether internal documents reveal a deliberate strategy of monopolization. Serial Acquisition Pattern: Whether Collectors’ systematic roll-up strategy violates Section 5 of the FTC Act as conduct that inherently produces the cumulative harms the antitrust laws were designed to prevent. Regulatory Evasion: Whether Collēctīvus Holdings functioned as a pass-through entity to evade merger scrutiny, and the extent of Collectors’ involvement in the 2024 acquisition of Beckett. Good-Faith Representations: Whether the post-acquisition marginalization of SGC was contrary to representations made at the time of the merger, and if those actions warrant a court-ordered divestiture or unwinding of the deal. Erosion of Competition: How the elimination of independent rivals has directly impacted consumer pricing, service quality, and turnaround times across the industry. Price and Policy Coordination: What safeguards, if any, prevent Collectors from coordinating pricing, grading standards, and competitive behavior across its three nominally “independent” brands. Barriers to Entry: What structural barriers now prevent new competitors from entering the market, specifically regarding the control of the limited labor pool of professional graders. Market Manipulation: How vertical integration — controlling the grading process, the pricing data through CardLadder, and the marketplace itself — creates unique opportunities for market manipulation and unfair self-dealing. In the letter to the Federal Trade Commission, Congressman Ryan wrote, “With control over three supposedly independent brands as well as critical trading card inputs, Collectors can now coordinate pricing to suppress competition, influence grade populations to protect market values of internal inventory, and leverage internal data to maximize corporate profit at the expense of consumers. This consolidation threatens the livelihoods of thousands of small businesses, including local card shops, dealers, and auction houses, who no longer have competitive alternatives for essential services.” We have reached out to both Congressman Pat Ryan and Collectors Holdings for comment and will update this story if/when they respond. To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email. Copyright 2025 KY3. All rights reserved. Most Read Arkansas Grocery Tax Relief Act goes into effect January 1. 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