CardFax™ Registry Data
60.6% vs 95.6%
Gem Mint 10 rate: pack-pulled 2026 Topps Chrome vs print-on-demand 2026 Topps Now, from CardFax Registry population data.
tradingcard360®The #1 AI Card Grading App
Gem Rate Report — September 2026: Print-on-Demand Cards Gem at Nearly Twice the Rate of Pack-Pulled Chrome
TradingCard360® · September 16, 2026
September 14, 2026 — TradingCard360®
Population data from the CardFax™ Registry (1979 graded cards to date) shows a wide and consistent gap in Gem Mint 10 rates between print-on-demand issues and pack-pulled chrome stock. 2026 Topps Now cards earned a Gem Mint 10 at a 95.6% rate across 547 graded copies. 2026 Topps Chrome cards gemmed at 60.6% across 71 copies — and the hardest set in the Registry to gem, 2026 Resurgence, came in at 48.1%.
Per-Set Gem Rates (minimum population 25)
| Set | Year | Pop | Gem Mint 10 Rate | Mint 9 or Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topps Now | 2026 | 547 | 95.6% | 97.1% |
| Panini Instant | 2024 | 31 | 96.8% | 100.0% |
| Topps Now WBC | 2026 | 27 | 96.3% | 100.0% |
| Panini Instant | 2025 | 40 | 85.0% | 95.0% |
| Topps Now | 2025 | 221 | 82.4% | 97.7% |
| Donruss Optic | 2025 | 26 | 73.1% | 84.6% |
| Topps Chrome | 2026 | 71 | 60.6% | 74.6% |
| Resurgence | 2026 | 27 | 48.1% | 70.4% |
Centering Decides It
The subgrade data explains the gap. Print-on-demand cards ship straight from the press to a sleeve: 2026 Topps Now averages a 9.94 centering subgrade. Pack-pulled chrome shows the cut-and-collate lottery — 2026 Resurgence averages 9.38 on centering, the lowest of any set in the Registry, and it is no coincidence the set is also the hardest to gem. Surface quality is uniformly high across every set measured (9.82 or better on average); centering is where Gem Mint 10s are won and lost.
Corners Are the Quiet Second Factor
Corners are the weakest average subgrade in nearly every set measured — 9.29 on 2026 Topps Chrome against a 9.82 surface average for the same set. Every corner grade in the Registry is measured on an eight-corner examination, front and back.
Methodology
Figures cover every card in the CardFax™ Registry with a completed grade, grouped by set and year, minimum population 25. Grades are produced by TradingCard360's deterministic grading formula from four measured subgrades (centering, corners, edges, surface); the full grading record for any card is public on its CardFax™ page. Ongoing per-set analysis is published in Guides & Reports.
Collectors can browse every graded copy behind these figures on the graded card hub — including graded football cards — or submit a card for grading.
About TradingCard360
TradingCard360® is the #1 AI card grading app: a language model purpose-built for trading cards, trained on master-graded sports cards and TCG, delivering grades with measured evidence on the CardFax™ Registry at tradingcard360.com.
Media inquiries: info@tradingcard360.com