Is ライチュウ worth grading?
Pokémon · 化石の秘密 · No.026 · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of ライチュウ sell for $1,460, only $0.00 above the $15,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($156) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $15,000
- PSA 10
- $1,460
- PSA 9
- $156
- Gem premium
- 0.1×
- As of
- Aug 10, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — PSA 10 | $1,460 | −$13,565 | −$13,590 | −$13,690 |
| PSA 9 | $156 | −$14,869 | −$14,894 | −$14,994 |
| PSA 8 | $85.48 | −$14,940 | −$14,965 | −$15,065 |
Net = sale price − $15,000 raw value − fee. Fee tiers are illustrative; plug your grader's current price into the calculator below.
Expected value — how often does it need to gem?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $482 | −$14,568 |
| 50% | $808 | −$14,242 |
| 75% | $1,134 | −$13,916 |
At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.
Which grader pays the most — and what a 10 takes
All centering standards →| Grader | 10 sells for | vs best | Front centering for a 10 | Back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $1,460 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $287 | −$1,173 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
Tolerances are each company's published centering standard for its top grade; surface, corners and edges must also be clean. Centering is the one you can measure yourself before you pay.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $1,460 | $287 | — | — | — | $202 |
| 9.5 | — | $57.67 | $36.00 | — | — | — |
| 9 | $156 | $63.63 | $41.00 | $9.00 | $108 | $78.13 |
| 8.5 | $85.00 | $68.06 | $22.09 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $85.48 | $42.97 | $16.00 | — | — | — |
| 7.5 | — | $37.34 | $83.00 | — | — | — |
| 7 | $42.04 | $22.69 | — | — | $27.00 | — |
| 6.5 | — | $18.56 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $40.37 | $20.00 | — | $9.00 | — | — |
| 5.5 | — | $11.22 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | $18.21 | $12.50 | — | $11.50 | — | — |
| 4 | $26.90 | $14.69 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | $8.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | $50.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $40.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 化石の秘密 cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading ライチュウ — FAQ
Is ライチュウ worth grading?
PSA 10 copies of ライチュウ sell for $1,460, only $0.00 above the $15,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($156) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
How much is a PSA 10 ライチュウ worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 ライチュウ (化石の秘密 No.026) sells for about $1,460 versus $15,000 for a raw near-mint copy — a 0.1× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for ライチュウ?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $1,460, ahead of CGC 10 at $287. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does ライチュウ need for a PSA 10?
PSA publishes 55/45 front and 75/25 back centering as the tolerance for a 10 (Gem Mint). Off-center copies are capped below the top grade regardless of surface — measure yours before paying the fee.
Is your Pokémon card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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