Is Piplup worth grading?
Pokémon · Phantasmal Flames · 027/094 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 680× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Piplup sells for $116 against $0.17 raw: a $115 spread, 680× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($14.50) 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)
- $0.17
- PSA 10
- $116
- PSA 9
- $14.50
- Gem premium
- 680×
- 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 | $116 | +$90.39 | +$65.39 | −$34.61 |
| PSA 9 | $14.50 | −$10.67 | −$35.67 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $14.00 | −$11.17 | −$36.17 | −$136 |
Net = sale price − $0.17 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% | $39.77 | −$10.41 |
| 50% | $65.03 | +$14.86 |
| 75% | $90.30 | +$40.13 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 35%. 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 | $116 | best | 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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Other Phantasmal Flames cards worth checking
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Grading Piplup — FAQ
Is Piplup worth grading?
A PSA 10 Piplup sells for $116 against $0.17 raw: a $115 spread, 680× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($14.50) 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 (Phantasmal Flames 027/094) sells for about $116 versus $0.17 for a raw near-mint copy — a 680× premium as of Oct 3, 2026.
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 35% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $14.50).
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