Is Pikachu worth grading?
Pokémon · Sword & Shield · 065/202 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 189× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Pikachu sells for $160 against $0.85 raw: a $159 spread, 189× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.37) 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)
- $0.85
- PSA 10
- $160
- PSA 9
- $19.37
- Gem premium
- 189×
- 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 | $160 | +$134 | +$109 | +$9.49 |
| PSA 9 | $19.37 | −$6.48 | −$31.48 | −$131 |
| PSA 8 | $11.04 | −$14.81 | −$39.81 | −$140 |
Net = sale price − $0.85 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% | $54.61 | +$3.76 |
| 50% | $89.86 | +$39.01 |
| 75% | $125 | +$74.25 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $244 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $42.13 | −$202 | 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 | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $244 | $42.13 | — | — | $45.66 |
| 9.5 | — | $51.01 | — | — | — |
| 9 | $75.03 | $15.91 | $21.50 | — | — |
| 8.5 | — | $11.95 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $57.15 | $6.00 | — | — | — |
| 7 | $21.45 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $67.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | — | — | — | $5.00 | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
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Other Sword & Shield cards worth checking
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Grading Pikachu — FAQ
Is Pikachu worth grading?
A PSA 10 Pikachu sells for $160 against $0.85 raw: a $159 spread, 189× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.37) 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 Pikachu worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Pikachu (Sword & Shield 065/202) sells for about $160 versus $0.85 for a raw near-mint copy — a 189× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Pikachu?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $244, ahead of CGC 10 at $42.13. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Pikachu 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 Pikachu break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Pikachu breaks even when it gems about 22% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.37).
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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