Collector tools
Population screener
Low population is only half the story. A card with 200 slabs today that gains 150 a year is getting more common fast; one with 400 that has barely moved in months is genuinely scarce. This screener ranks cards on both at once, so you can find the ones that are scarce today and staying that way.
How this screener works
Every number in the table is explained below, and each column carries the same explanation on its info icon.
The metrics
What is population inflation?
Population inflation is how fast the graded population of a card is growing, expressed as a percentage per year. We snapshot PSA population reports weekly, fit a growth curve through every snapshot in the current tracking window, and annualize the slope. Low inflation means the supply of slabs is staying tight; high inflation means fresh copies are being graded quickly.
Why fit a curve instead of comparing the first and last snapshot?
Because two dates throw away everything in between and swing wildly when either endpoint is unlucky. A fit uses every usable snapshot, handles the irregular gaps that real crawls produce, and tells you how well the trend actually holds. With only two snapshots it gives exactly the same answer the simple calculation would.
How do you keep bad PSA data out of the rate?
Every population history is filtered to its trusted level before anything is fitted. PSA crawls occasionally capture a partial report, or attribute copies differently from one week to the next, which shows up as the population flipping between two levels rather than drifting.We fit only within the level the most recent crawl confirms, so a capture glitch cannot masquerade as growth. Populations also never shrink, since cards are graded and never un-graded, so a fitted decline means the data is wrong and we withhold it rather than publish it.
What does the confidence tier mean?
Confidence describes the evidence behind the rate, not the quality of the card. High means at least five snapshots spanning eight or more weeks with a tight fit. Medium means at least three snapshots over four or more weeks. Low means the card cleared the two-week minimum but its history is still thin.Confidence rises on its own as more weekly snapshots accumulate.
Why do some cards show no rate at all?
Because we will not invent one. A card needs at least two weeks of usable history before a rate is fitted. Those cards are hidden by default and counted underneath the table, and they start showing real rates after a few more weekly crawls.
What is the gem rate?
The gem rate is the share of all PSA-graded copies of a card that came back a PSA 10. A low gem rate means the card is genuinely hard to grade well, which is why surviving 10s of notoriously tough cards command such a premium over their 9s.
Are the 1-year and 5-year projections a price forecast?
No. They read the current supply trend forward: where the population lands if the fitted pace simply continues. Prices depend on demand as much as supply, and nothing here predicts demand.
Population data is sourced from PSA. Figures are estimates for research, not investment advice.