Is Surfing Pikachu VMAX worth grading?
Pokémon · Celebrations · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 11× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Surfing Pikachu VMAX sells for $95.18 against $8.36 raw: a $86.82 spread, 11× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.60) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $8.36
- PSA 10
- $95.18
- PSA 9
- $28.60
- Gem premium
- 11×
- 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 | $95.18 | +$61.82 | +$36.82 | −$63.18 |
| PSA 9 | $28.60 | −$4.76 | −$29.76 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $16.61 | −$16.75 | −$41.75 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $8.36 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% | $45.25 | −$13.11 |
| 50% | $61.89 | +$3.53 |
| 75% | $78.54 | +$20.18 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 45%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAG 10 | $103 | best | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| PSA 10 | $95.18 | −$7.86 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| BGS 10 | $74.80 | −$28.24 | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| CGC 10 | $43.31 | −$59.73 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $30.09 | −$72.95 | 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 | $95.18 | $43.31 | $74.80 | $30.09 | $103 | $62.91 |
| 9.5 | $19.51 | $20.54 | $27.96 | $13.97 | — | — |
| 9 | $28.60 | $16.75 | $24.00 | — | $19.98 | $23.89 |
| 8.5 | — | $12.05 | — | — | $49.74 | — |
| 8 | $16.61 | $16.11 | $19.99 | — | — | $18.66 |
| 7.5 | — | $8.96 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | $14.35 | $10.00 | — | $3.25 | — | — |
| 6 | $15.81 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | $25.01 | $6.00 | $10.00 | — | — | — |
| 4 | $14.49 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $50.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Surfing Pikachu VMAX — FAQ
Is Surfing Pikachu VMAX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Surfing Pikachu VMAX sells for $95.18 against $8.36 raw: a $86.82 spread, 11× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.60) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Surfing Pikachu VMAX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Surfing Pikachu VMAX (Celebrations) sells for about $95.18 versus $8.36 for a raw near-mint copy — a 11× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Surfing Pikachu VMAX?
By resale value, TAG 10 leads at $103, ahead of PSA 10 at $95.18. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Surfing Pikachu VMAX need for a TAG 10?
TAG publishes 55/45 front and 72/28 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 Surfing Pikachu VMAX break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Surfing Pikachu VMAX breaks even when it gems about 45% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $28.60).
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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