Is Piplup worth grading?
Pokémon · Phantasmal Flames · 098/094 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 8.7× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Piplup sells for $129 against $14.83 raw: a $114 spread, 8.7× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.60) 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)
- $14.83
- PSA 10
- $129
- PSA 9
- $26.60
- Gem premium
- 8.7×
- 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 | $129 | +$89.20 | +$64.20 | −$35.80 |
| PSA 9 | $26.60 | −$13.23 | −$38.23 | −$138 |
| PSA 8 | $17.22 | −$22.61 | −$47.61 | −$148 |
Net = sale price − $14.83 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% | $52.21 | −$12.62 |
| 50% | $77.81 | +$12.98 |
| 75% | $103 | +$38.59 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 37%. 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 | $133 | best | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| PSA 10 | $129 | −$4.25 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $40.03 | −$93.25 | 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 | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $129 | $40.03 | — | $133 | $54.89 |
| 9.5 | — | $33.77 | $58.65 | — | — |
| 9 | $26.60 | $13.54 | $28.88 | $32.15 | $59.58 |
| 8.5 | $20.50 | $17.09 | $16.98 | $13.73 | — |
| 8 | $17.22 | $9.00 | — | — | $20.15 |
| 7 | $14.02 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $13.51 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | $19.99 | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
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Other Phantasmal Flames cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Piplup — FAQ
Is Piplup worth grading?
A PSA 10 Piplup sells for $129 against $14.83 raw: a $114 spread, 8.7× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.60) 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 Piplup worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Piplup (Phantasmal Flames 098/094) sells for about $129 versus $14.83 for a raw near-mint copy — a 8.7× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Piplup?
By resale value, TAG 10 leads at $133, ahead of PSA 10 at $129. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Piplup 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 Piplup break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Piplup breaks even when it gems about 37% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $26.60).
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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