Is Special Delivery Pikachu worth grading?
Pokémon · SWSH Black Star Promos · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 7.6× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Special Delivery Pikachu sells for $3,522 against $464 raw: a $3,058 spread, 7.6× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($477) 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)
- $464
- PSA 10
- $3,522
- PSA 9
- $477
- Gem premium
- 7.6×
- As of
- Oct 12, 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 | $3,522 | +$3,033 | +$3,008 | +$2,908 |
| PSA 9 | $477 | −$11.31 | −$36.31 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $352 | −$136 | −$161 | −$261 |
Net = sale price − $464 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% | $1,238 | +$725 |
| 50% | $2,000 | +$1,486 |
| 75% | $2,761 | +$2,247 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 1%. 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 | $3,522 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $1,750 | −$1,772 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $275 | −$3,247 | 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 Special Delivery Pikachu — FAQ
Is Special Delivery Pikachu worth grading?
A PSA 10 Special Delivery Pikachu sells for $3,522 against $464 raw: a $3,058 spread, 7.6× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($477) 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 Special Delivery Pikachu worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Special Delivery Pikachu (SWSH Black Star Promos) sells for about $3,522 versus $464 for a raw near-mint copy — a 7.6× premium as of Oct 12, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Special Delivery Pikachu?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $3,522, ahead of CGC 10 at $1,750. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Special Delivery 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 Special Delivery Pikachu break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Special Delivery Pikachu breaks even when it gems about 1% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $477).
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