Is Lucario & Melmetal-GX worth grading?
Pokémon · Unbroken Bonds · 203/214 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 4.9× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lucario & Melmetal-GX sells for $218 against $44.20 raw: a $173 spread, 4.9× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($54.25) 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)
- $44.20
- PSA 10
- $218
- PSA 9
- $54.25
- Gem premium
- 4.9×
- 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 | $218 | +$148 | +$123 | +$23.41 |
| PSA 9 | $54.25 | −$14.95 | −$39.95 | −$140 |
| PSA 8 | $40.96 | −$28.24 | −$53.24 | −$153 |
Net = sale price − $44.20 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% | $95.09 | +$0.89 |
| 50% | $136 | +$41.73 |
| 75% | $177 | +$82.57 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 24%. 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 | $250 | best | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| PSA 10 | $218 | −$32.39 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $78.20 | −$172 | 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 | SGC | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $218 | $78.20 | — | $250 | $100 |
| 9.5 | — | $25.00 | $60.00 | — | — |
| 9 | $54.25 | $29.80 | — | $44.86 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $26.00 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $40.96 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | $15.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $38.00 | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Lucario & Melmetal-GX — FAQ
Is Lucario & Melmetal-GX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lucario & Melmetal-GX sells for $218 against $44.20 raw: a $173 spread, 4.9× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($54.25) 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 Lucario & Melmetal-GX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lucario & Melmetal-GX (Unbroken Bonds 203/214) sells for about $218 versus $44.20 for a raw near-mint copy — a 4.9× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lucario & Melmetal-GX?
By resale value, TAG 10 leads at $250, ahead of PSA 10 at $218. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lucario & Melmetal-GX 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 Lucario & Melmetal-GX break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lucario & Melmetal-GX breaks even when it gems about 24% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $54.25).
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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