Is Charizard VMAX worth grading?
Pokémon · Darkness Ablaze · 020/189 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 3.0× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Charizard VMAX sells for $154 against $50.85 raw: a $104 spread, 3.0× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($59.09) 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)
- $50.85
- PSA 10
- $154
- PSA 9
- $59.09
- Gem premium
- 3.0×
- 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 | $154 | +$78.50 | +$53.50 | −$46.50 |
| PSA 9 | $59.09 | −$16.76 | −$41.76 | −$142 |
| PSA 8 | $42.24 | −$33.61 | −$58.61 | −$159 |
Net = sale price − $50.85 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% | $82.91 | −$17.95 |
| 50% | $107 | +$5.87 |
| 75% | $131 | +$29.69 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 44%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGS 10 | $237 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| TAG 10 | $172 | −$64.25 | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| PSA 10 | $154 | −$82.16 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $122 | −$114 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $83.02 | −$153 | 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 | $111 | $58.82 | $205 | $74.77 | $172 | $111 |
| 9.5 | — | $29.00 | $61.43 | $26.00 | — | — |
| 9 | $42.87 | $33.82 | $53.86 | $33.24 | $65.70 | $43.96 |
| 8.5 | — | $20.14 | $32.00 | $29.00 | — | — |
| 8 | $27.07 | $30.00 | — | $26.00 | — | $27.76 |
| 7.5 | — | $29.96 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | $34.90 | $22.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $19.00 | $14.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | $17.00 | $17.00 | $20.00 | $9.00 | — | — |
| 4 | $18.52 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | $12.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | $34.99 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $17.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other Darkness Ablaze cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Charizard VMAX — FAQ
Is Charizard VMAX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Charizard VMAX sells for $154 against $50.85 raw: a $104 spread, 3.0× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($59.09) 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 VMAX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Charizard VMAX (Darkness Ablaze 020/189) sells for about $154 versus $50.85 for a raw near-mint copy — a 3.0× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Charizard VMAX?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $237, ahead of TAG 10 at $172. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Charizard VMAX need for a BGS 10?
BGS publishes 55/45 front and 70/30 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 VMAX break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Charizard VMAX breaks even when it gems about 44% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $59.09).
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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