Is Charizard ex worth grading?
Pokémon · Obsidian Flames · 228/197 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 8.3× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Charizard ex sells for $307 against $36.93 raw: a $271 spread, 8.3× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($58.81) 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)
- $36.93
- PSA 10
- $307
- PSA 9
- $58.81
- Gem premium
- 8.3×
- As of
- Aug 17, 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 | $307 | +$246 | +$221 | +$121 |
| PSA 9 | $58.81 | −$3.12 | −$28.12 | −$128 |
| PSA 8 | $37.12 | −$24.81 | −$49.81 | −$150 |
Net = sale price − $36.93 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% | $121 | +$34.03 |
| 50% | $183 | +$96.19 |
| 75% | $245 | +$158 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 11%. 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 | $307 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| TAG 10 | $267 | −$40.92 | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| CGC 10 | $123 | −$185 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $110 | −$197 | 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 | $307 | $123 | — | $110 | $267 | $176 |
| 9.5 | — | $71.44 | $136 | $41.75 | — | — |
| 9 | $58.81 | $40.05 | $69.67 | $41.66 | $76.17 | $57.65 |
| 8.5 | $29.65 | $37.16 | $33.43 | $14.85 | $34.24 | — |
| 8 | $37.12 | $14.44 | — | $17.00 | $36.17 | $44.28 |
| 7.5 | — | $18.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | $40.56 | $17.00 | — | — | — | $53.50 |
| 6 | $15.10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | $38.09 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | $32.04 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | $42.79 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $133 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other Obsidian Flames cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Charizard ex — FAQ
Is Charizard ex worth grading?
A PSA 10 Charizard ex sells for $307 against $36.93 raw: a $271 spread, 8.3× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($58.81) 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 Charizard ex worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Charizard ex (Obsidian Flames 228/197) sells for about $307 versus $36.93 for a raw near-mint copy — a 8.3× premium as of Aug 17, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Charizard ex?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $307, ahead of TAG 10 at $267. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Charizard ex 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 Charizard ex break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Charizard ex breaks even when it gems about 11% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $58.81).
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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