Is Lucario worth grading?
Pokémon · SM Black Star Promos · SM54 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 343× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lucario sells for $1,114 against $3.25 raw: a $1,111 spread, 343× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($27.52) 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)
- $3.25
- PSA 10
- $1,114
- PSA 9
- $27.52
- Gem premium
- 343×
- 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 | $1,114 | +$1,086 | +$1,061 | +$961 |
| PSA 9 | $27.52 | −$0.73 | −$25.73 | −$126 |
| PSA 8 | $21.78 | −$6.47 | −$31.47 | −$131 |
Net = sale price − $3.25 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% | $299 | +$246 |
| 50% | $571 | +$517 |
| 75% | $842 | +$789 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 2%. 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 | $1,114 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $1,114 | — |
| 9.5 | — | $15.00 |
| 9 | $27.52 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $6.00 |
| 8 | $21.78 | — |
| 7 | $10.56 | $3.00 |
| 6.5 | — | $16.00 |
| 6 | $11.50 | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other SM Black Star Promos cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Lucario — FAQ
Is Lucario worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lucario sells for $1,114 against $3.25 raw: a $1,111 spread, 343× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($27.52) 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 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lucario (SM Black Star Promos SM54) sells for about $1,114 versus $3.25 for a raw near-mint copy — a 343× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Lucario 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 Lucario break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lucario breaks even when it gems about 2% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $27.52).
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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