Is Dark Alakazam worth grading?
Pokémon · Team Rocket · 1/82 · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 10 Dark Alakazam sells for $3,200 against $181 raw: a $3,019 spread, 18× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($484) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $181
- PSA 10
- $3,200
- PSA 9
- $484
- Gem premium
- 18×
- As of
- Aug 17, 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 | $3,200 | +$2,994 | +$2,969 | +$2,869 |
| PSA 9 | $484 | +$279 | +$254 | +$154 |
| PSA 8 | $240 | +$34.59 | +$9.59 | −$90.41 |
Net = sale price − $181 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% | $1,163 | +$932 |
| 50% | $1,842 | +$1,611 |
| 75% | $2,521 | +$2,290 |
Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.
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 | $3,200 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| TAG 10 | $1,975 | −$1,225 | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| CGC 10 | $868 | −$2,331 | 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 | $606 | $290 | — | — | $1,975 | — |
| 9.5 | — | $182 | $240 | $49.00 | — | — |
| 9 | $239 | $141 | $80.59 | $297 | $400 | $167 |
| 8.5 | $88.87 | $75.88 | $93.66 | $32.01 | $267 | — |
| 8 | $172 | $75.57 | $38.91 | $65.00 | $62.00 | — |
| 7.5 | — | $43.98 | $25.00 | $31.00 | $50.00 | — |
| 7 | $60.17 | $42.24 | — | $36.26 | — | — |
| 6.5 | — | $27.35 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $58.44 | $35.59 | — | $26.82 | — | — |
| 5.5 | — | $16.00 | $96.00 | — | — | — |
| 5 | $35.76 | $17.29 | — | — | $36.00 | — |
| 4.5 | — | $24.54 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | $15.12 | $79.00 | — | $25.00 | — | — |
| 3 | $21.14 | $16.80 | — | — | — | — |
| 2.5 | — | $9.13 | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | $12.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $86.95 | — | — | — | — | $80.97 |
Run your own numbers
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Other Team Rocket cards worth checking
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Grading Dark Alakazam — FAQ
Is Dark Alakazam worth grading?
A PSA 10 Dark Alakazam sells for $3,200 against $181 raw: a $3,019 spread, 18× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($484) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Dark Alakazam worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Dark Alakazam (Team Rocket 1/82) sells for about $3,200 versus $181 for a raw near-mint copy — a 18× premium as of Aug 17, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Dark Alakazam?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $3,200, ahead of TAG 10 at $1,975. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Dark Alakazam 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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