Is Charmeleon worth grading?
Pokémon · Obsidian Flames · 027/197 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 255× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Charmeleon sells for $50.96 against $0.20 raw: a $50.76 spread, 255× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.78) 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)
- $0.20
- PSA 10
- $50.96
- PSA 9
- $16.78
- Gem premium
- 255×
- As of
- Sep 6, 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 | $50.96 | +$25.76 | +$0.76 | −$99.24 |
| PSA 9 | $16.78 | −$8.42 | −$33.42 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $14.08 | −$11.12 | −$36.12 | −$136 |
Net = sale price − $0.20 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% | $25.33 | −$24.87 |
| 50% | $33.87 | −$16.33 |
| 75% | $42.41 | −$7.79 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 98%. 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 | $42.04 | 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.
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Grading Charmeleon — FAQ
Is Charmeleon worth grading?
A PSA 10 Charmeleon sells for $50.96 against $0.20 raw: a $50.76 spread, 255× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.78) 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 Charmeleon worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Charmeleon (Obsidian Flames 027/197) sells for about $50.96 versus $0.20 for a raw near-mint copy — a 255× premium as of Sep 6, 2026.
What centering does Charmeleon 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 Charmeleon break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Charmeleon breaks even when it gems about 98% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.78).
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