Is Arcanine worth grading?
Pokémon · Next Destinies · 12/99 · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of Arcanine sell for $20.00, only $16.65 above the $3.35 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. Even a PSA 9 ($54.02) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $3.35
- PSA 10
- $20.00
- PSA 9
- $54.02
- Gem premium
- 6.0×
- As of
- Oct 3, 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 | $20.00 | −$8.35 | −$33.35 | −$133 |
| PSA 9 | $54.02 | +$25.67 | +$0.67 | −$99.33 |
| PSA 8 | $18.36 | −$9.99 | −$34.99 | −$135 |
Net = sale price − $3.35 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% | $45.52 | −$7.84 |
| 50% | $37.01 | −$16.34 |
| 75% | $28.51 | −$24.84 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 2%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
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 | $2,247 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $144 | −$2,103 | 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.
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Grading Arcanine — FAQ
Is Arcanine worth grading?
PSA 10 copies of Arcanine sell for $20.00, only $16.65 above the $3.35 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. Even a PSA 9 ($54.02) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
How much is a PSA 10 Arcanine worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Arcanine (Next Destinies 12/99) sells for about $20.00 versus $3.35 for a raw near-mint copy — a 6.0× premium as of Oct 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Arcanine?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $2,247, ahead of CGC 10 at $144. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Arcanine 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.
What gem rate makes grading Arcanine break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Arcanine breaks even when it gems about 2% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $54.02).
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