Is Alolan Raichu worth grading?
Pokémon · SM Black Star Promos · SM72 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 34× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Alolan Raichu sells for $1,426 against $41.67 raw: a $1,384 spread, 34× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($66.14) 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)
- $41.67
- PSA 10
- $1,426
- PSA 9
- $66.14
- Gem premium
- 34×
- 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 | $1,426 | +$1,359 | +$1,334 | +$1,234 |
| PSA 9 | $66.14 | −$0.53 | −$25.53 | −$126 |
| PSA 8 | $60.03 | −$6.64 | −$31.64 | −$132 |
Net = sale price − $41.67 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% | $406 | +$314 |
| 50% | $746 | +$654 |
| 75% | $1,086 | +$994 |
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 | $2,247 | 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 | $2,247 | — |
| 9 | $89.00 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $42.93 |
| 8 | $300 | $19.00 |
| 7.5 | — | $7.00 |
| 5 | $20.00 | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
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Grading Alolan Raichu — FAQ
Is Alolan Raichu worth grading?
A PSA 10 Alolan Raichu sells for $1,426 against $41.67 raw: a $1,384 spread, 34× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($66.14) 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 Alolan Raichu worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Alolan Raichu (SM Black Star Promos SM72) sells for about $1,426 versus $41.67 for a raw near-mint copy — a 34× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Alolan Raichu 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 Alolan Raichu break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Alolan Raichu breaks even when it gems about 2% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $66.14).
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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