Is Piplup worth grading?
Pokémon · McDonald's Collection 2021 · 20/25 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 312× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Piplup sells for $300 against $0.96 raw: a $299 spread, 312× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($10.81) 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)
- $0.96
- PSA 10
- $300
- PSA 9
- $10.81
- Gem premium
- 312×
- 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 | $300 | +$274 | +$249 | +$149 |
| PSA 9 | $10.81 | −$15.15 | −$40.15 | −$140 |
| PSA 8 | $15.59 | −$10.37 | −$35.37 | −$135 |
Net = sale price − $0.96 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% | $83.09 | +$32.14 |
| 50% | $155 | +$104 |
| 75% | $228 | +$177 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 14%. 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 | $329 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $43.70 | −$285 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $14.00 | −$315 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $329 | $43.70 | — | $14.00 |
| 9.5 | — | $12.50 | — | — |
| 9 | $27.49 | $18.62 | — | — |
| 8.5 | — | $12.51 | $6.03 | — |
| 8 | $15.59 | $14.95 | — | — |
| 7.5 | — | — | $8.40 | — |
| 7 | $7.55 | — | — | — |
| 5 | $4.25 | — | — | — |
| 4 | $4.00 | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
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Other McDonald's Collection 2021 cards worth checking
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Grading Piplup — FAQ
Is Piplup worth grading?
A PSA 10 Piplup sells for $300 against $0.96 raw: a $299 spread, 312× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($10.81) 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 Piplup worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Piplup (McDonald's Collection 2021 20/25) sells for about $300 versus $0.96 for a raw near-mint copy — a 312× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Piplup?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $329, ahead of CGC 10 at $43.70. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Piplup 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 Piplup break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Piplup breaks even when it gems about 14% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $10.81).
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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