Is Lucario & Melmetal-GX worth grading?
Pokémon · SM Black Star Promos · SM192 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 4.1× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lucario & Melmetal-GX sells for $299 against $72.20 raw: a $226 spread, 4.1× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($71.42) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $72.20
- PSA 10
- $299
- PSA 9
- $71.42
- Gem premium
- 4.1×
- 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 | $299 | +$201 | +$176 | +$76.31 |
| PSA 9 | $71.42 | −$25.78 | −$50.78 | −$151 |
| PSA 8 | $65.18 | −$32.02 | −$57.02 | −$157 |
Net = sale price − $72.20 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% | $128 | +$5.99 |
| 50% | $185 | +$62.77 |
| 75% | $242 | +$120 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 22%. 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 | $315 | best | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| PSA 10 | $299 | −$16.78 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $159 | −$156 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $106 | −$210 | 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 | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $299 | $159 | — | $106 | $315 | $245 |
| 9.5 | — | $68.00 | $259 | $9.00 | — | — |
| 9 | $71.42 | $79.19 | $40.00 | — | $70.00 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $78.39 | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | $65.18 | $33.86 | — | $49.00 | — | — |
| 7.5 | — | $39.65 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | $45.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $43.62 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $46.06 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Other SM Black Star Promos cards worth checking
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Grading Lucario & Melmetal-GX — FAQ
Is Lucario & Melmetal-GX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lucario & Melmetal-GX sells for $299 against $72.20 raw: a $226 spread, 4.1× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($71.42) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. 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 (SM Black Star Promos SM192) sells for about $299 versus $72.20 for a raw near-mint copy — a 4.1× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lucario & Melmetal-GX?
By resale value, TAG 10 leads at $315, ahead of PSA 10 at $299. 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 22% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $71.42).
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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