Is Lugia worth grading?
Pokémon · Darkness Ablaze · 140/189 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 183× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lugia sells for $91.48 against $0.50 raw: a $90.98 spread, 183× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.03) 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)
- $0.50
- PSA 10
- $91.48
- PSA 9
- $22.03
- Gem premium
- 183×
- As of
- Oct 7, 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 | $91.48 | +$65.98 | +$40.98 | −$59.02 |
| PSA 9 | $22.03 | −$3.47 | −$28.47 | −$128 |
| PSA 8 | $11.86 | −$13.64 | −$38.64 | −$139 |
Net = sale price − $0.50 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% | $39.39 | −$11.11 |
| 50% | $56.76 | +$6.26 |
| 75% | $74.12 | +$23.62 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 41%. 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 | $91.48 | 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 Lugia — FAQ
Is Lugia worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lugia sells for $91.48 against $0.50 raw: a $90.98 spread, 183× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.03) 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 Lugia worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lugia (Darkness Ablaze 140/189) sells for about $91.48 versus $0.50 for a raw near-mint copy — a 183× premium as of Oct 7, 2026.
What centering does Lugia 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 Lugia break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lugia breaks even when it gems about 41% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $22.03).
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