Is ライチュウ worth grading?
Pokémon · 伝説の飛翔 · 038/082 · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of ライチュウ sell for $296, only $0.00 above the $8,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($30.58) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $8,000
- PSA 10
- $296
- PSA 9
- $30.58
- Gem premium
- 0.0×
- 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 | $296 | −$7,729 | −$7,754 | −$7,854 |
| PSA 9 | $30.58 | −$7,994 | −$8,019 | −$8,119 |
| PSA 8 | $13.00 | −$8,012 | −$8,037 | −$8,137 |
Net = sale price − $8,000 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% | $96.84 | −$7,953 |
| 50% | $163 | −$7,887 |
| 75% | $229 | −$7,821 |
At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.
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 | $296 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $107 | −$189 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $203 | $107 |
| 9 | $60.35 | $26.40 |
| 8 | $70.00 | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 伝説の飛翔 cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading ライチュウ — FAQ
Is ライチュウ worth grading?
PSA 10 copies of ライチュウ sell for $296, only $0.00 above the $8,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($30.58) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
How much is a PSA 10 ライチュウ worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 ライチュウ (伝説の飛翔 038/082) sells for about $296 versus $8,000 for a raw near-mint copy — a 0.0× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for ライチュウ?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $296, ahead of CGC 10 at $107. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does ライチュウ 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.
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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