Is Charizard worth grading?
Pokémon · Vivid Voltage · 025/185 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 28× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Charizard sells for $98.91 against $3.53 raw: a $95.38 spread, 28× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.53) 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)
- $3.53
- PSA 10
- $98.91
- PSA 9
- $22.53
- Gem premium
- 28×
- 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 | $98.91 | +$70.38 | +$45.38 | −$54.62 |
| PSA 9 | $22.53 | −$6.00 | −$31.00 | −$131 |
| PSA 8 | $19.27 | −$9.26 | −$34.26 | −$134 |
Net = sale price − $3.53 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% | $41.63 | −$11.91 |
| 50% | $60.72 | +$7.19 |
| 75% | $79.81 | +$26.28 |
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 | $151 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| TAG 10 | $100 | −$50.86 | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| SGC 10 | $80.00 | −$70.86 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $51.65 | −$99.21 | 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 | $151 | $51.65 | — | $80.00 | $100 | — |
| 9.5 | $41.30 | $21.35 | $32.52 | — | — | — |
| 9 | $24.00 | $19.77 | $68.00 | $8.00 | — | $18.77 |
| 8.5 | — | $14.59 | $39.00 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $20.88 | $10.00 | — | $8.00 | — | $31.54 |
| 7.5 | — | $15.82 | — | — | $15.50 | — |
| 7 | $16.47 | $8.50 | — | — | — | — |
| 6.5 | — | $9.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $14.64 | $3.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | $25.17 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | $8.75 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | $20.41 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $16.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other Vivid Voltage cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Charizard — FAQ
Is Charizard worth grading?
A PSA 10 Charizard sells for $98.91 against $3.53 raw: a $95.38 spread, 28× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.53) 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 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Charizard (Vivid Voltage 025/185) sells for about $98.91 versus $3.53 for a raw near-mint copy — a 28× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Charizard?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $151, ahead of TAG 10 at $100. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Charizard 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 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Charizard breaks even when it gems about 41% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $22.53).
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.
Check my card free