CGC Cards Hot List – November 2025

It’s the CGC Hot List, and we’re sharing some of the most submitted cards in recent weeks, including players from the past and present who are driving the current market. Utilizing comprehensive insights from CGC submission data, here are five of the most-submitted cards in recent weeks.

1) Shohei Ohtani

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Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is arguably the most collected modern athlete of his generation. Compared to the likes of Babe Ruth himself, the designated hitter/pitcher continues to build on his already iconic MLB resume. After winning the World Series in his first season in L.A. and picking up his third MVP Award last year, Ohtani and his Dodgers teammates just defended their title in 2025.

The team won back-to-back championships in an epic seven-game series that has already gone down in baseball history as one of the most exciting World Series of all time. Will Ohtani win his third straight MVP Award (and fourth overall) when the award is announced later this week? We wouldn't bet against it. As Ohtani's legacy grows, collectors continue to submit a variety of his cards, including base cards, popular inserts (like the card above), serial-numbered issues and coveted autographed cards.

2) Cooper Flagg

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After one year as a Duke Blue Devil, Cooper Flagg made the leap to the NBA and was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft. The hype surrounding the athletic forward from Maine has followed Flagg from high school to college and now to the pros, as his cards have become a staple of the hobby for basketball collectors since his days in Durham, North Carolina. There still aren't many cards tied to his first pro season in the NBA, but one of the most popular submissions recently has been Flagg's 2025-26 Topps Now #D1 card, which commemorates his No. 1 overall selection during the 2025 NBA Draft.

3) Patrick Mahomes II

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Although the Kansas City Chiefs have had an uncharacteristically slow start in the first half of the 2025 regular season, with the team currently holding a pedestrian 5-4 record and sitting in third place in the AFC West, Patrick Mahomes' popularity with collectors has not waned. Previously, Revolution inserts have been featured in Chronicles and Donruss Football sets. However, the 2025 Panini Revolution Football series was the debut edition of Revolution as a standalone set. This is one of the earlier series to release this NFL season so far, and the CGC grading room has seen numerous cards submitted from the set tied to Mahomes, like the Shock Wave insert above.

4) Ken Griffey Jr.

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Considered one of the most complete players of all-time, Ken Griffey Jr. is a constant when it comes to sports cards. As a five-tool ball player with arguably the sweetest bat swing ever, watching "The Kid" play baseball was watching poetry in motion. Although his pro career came to an end 15 years ago, collectors are still chasing his cards and submitting them frequently. Of course, Griffey's rookie cards are some of the most submitted from his career, especially his 1989 Upper Deck #1 issue like the example above.

5) J.J. McCarthy

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J.J. McCarthy continues to garner interest from the collecting community, despite only playing in four games so far in two NFL seasons to date. After winning an NCAA title with the Michigan Wolverines and being selected 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, expectations were set high for McCarthy. Due to a season-ending injury, the young QB didn't play a single snap last year. He's faced more nagging injuries in 2025, but there have also been some bright spots, like McCarthy becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to score three fourth-quarter TDs during his NFL debut. Time will tell whether he becomes a franchise quarterback for Minnesota, but in the meantime, collectors are submitting his rookie cards in droves.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.