CGC Cards Hot List – July 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 cards to watch.

1) Shohei Ohtani

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Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is arguably the most collected modern athlete of his generation. Compared to the likes of Babe Ruth himself, the designated hitter/pitcher recently returned to the mound for the first time since he joined the Dodgers prior to the start of last season. After winning the World Series in his first season in L.A. and picking up his third MVP Award last year, Ohtani and the Dodgers started off the 2025 MLB season on fire, once again.

Topps NOW created a card to commemorate not only Ohtani and the Dodgers' hot start to the season but also his walk-off home run on bobblehead night. The Dodgers started the season undefeated for several games, including a tense matchup in which their Japanese star went 3-for-5 at the plate and hit a game-winning homer to take the club to an 8-0 record on Ohtani's bobblehead giveaway game.

2) Bo Nix

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The Denver Broncos have struggled to find consistency under center for years since Peyton Manning's retirement after the team's Super Bowl-winning season in 2015. In the last decade, the Broncos have started more than 10 quarterbacks, as the team continued to search for its next franchise QB. During the 2024 season, they may have found their franchise quarterback in first round pick Bo Nix. The former Oregon Ducks QB led Denver to a 10-7 regular season record and clinched the Broncos' first playoff berth since 2015. Rookie cards of Nix have been extremely popular submissions ever since.

3) Caleb Williams

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The second quarterback from last season's rookie class on our list, Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Although Williams and the Bears had an up-and-down season last year, the team is confident that the former USC Trojan can be their franchise quarterback for years to come. He finished his first pro season earning several franchise rookie passing records, including most completions, yards and touchdown passes. The future could be bright in Chicago, and collectors are banking on it, as submissions of Williams' rookie cards continue to increase.

4) Lamine Yamal

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Teenage phenom Lamine Yamal took the soccer world by storm this past season, becoming one of the best and most talked-about players in the world at only 17 years old. The Barcelona winger became the youngest player to ever be nominated for the Ballon d'Or and also won the Kopa Trophy in 2024, which is awarded to the best young player in the world. With some predicting that Yamal is the next generation's Lionel Messi, there's no wonder why submissions are flying through the CGC grading room these days.

5) Drake Maye

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The third promising quarterback from the 2024 rookie class on our list, Drake Maye gave New England Patriots fans hope for the future last season. New England has been searching for the answer at the QB position since NFL legend Tom Brady left the Patriots in 2020. After a superb college career with the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he set single-season school records in passing yards and touchdowns, Maye was selected by the Patriots with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The young QB went on to make the 2025 Pro Bowl as a replacement for Josh Allen and collectors are hopeful Maye's rookie cards continue to skyrocket along with his NFL career.

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.