Is Charmander worth grading?
Pokémon · McDonald's Collection 2021 · 9/25 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 138× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Charmander sells for $110 against $0.80 raw: a $110 spread, 138× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.60) 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)
- $0.80
- PSA 10
- $110
- PSA 9
- $21.60
- Gem premium
- 138×
- 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 | $110 | +$84.56 | +$59.56 | −$40.44 |
| PSA 9 | $21.60 | −$4.20 | −$29.20 | −$129 |
| PSA 8 | $10.51 | −$15.29 | −$40.29 | −$140 |
Net = sale price − $0.80 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% | $43.79 | −$7.01 |
| 50% | $65.98 | +$15.18 |
| 75% | $88.17 | +$37.37 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 33%. 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 | $186 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $65.00 | −$121 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $24.13 | −$162 | 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 | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $186 | $24.13 | — | $65.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | $39.89 | $30.00 | $36.00 | — |
| 9 | $26.62 | $16.29 | $24.00 | $9.99 | $19.89 |
| 8.5 | — | $9.85 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $15.96 | $5.50 | — | — | — |
| 7.5 | — | $1.25 | — | — | — |
| 7 | $11.70 | $49.99 | — | — | — |
| 6 | $5.01 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | $9.50 | $45.00 | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Other McDonald's Collection 2021 cards worth checking
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Grading Charmander — FAQ
Is Charmander worth grading?
A PSA 10 Charmander sells for $110 against $0.80 raw: a $110 spread, 138× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.60) 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 Charmander worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Charmander (McDonald's Collection 2021 9/25) sells for about $110 versus $0.80 for a raw near-mint copy — a 138× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Charmander?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $186, ahead of SGC 10 at $65.00. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Charmander 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 Charmander break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Charmander breaks even when it gems about 33% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $21.60).
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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