Is Vaporeon VMAX worth grading?
Pokémon · SWSH Black Star Promos · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 10 Vaporeon VMAX sells for $790 against $91.81 raw: a $699 spread, 8.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($120) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $91.81
- PSA 10
- $790
- PSA 9
- $120
- Gem premium
- 8.6×
- 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 | $790 | +$674 | +$649 | +$549 |
| PSA 9 | $120 | +$3.62 | −$21.38 | −$121 |
| PSA 8 | $77.70 | −$39.11 | −$64.11 | −$164 |
Net = sale price − $91.81 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% | $288 | +$146 |
| 50% | $455 | +$314 |
| 75% | $623 | +$481 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 3%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAG 10 | $812 | best | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| PSA 10 | $790 | −$22.04 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $233 | −$579 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $181 | −$632 | 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 | $790 | $233 | — | $181 | $812 | $439 |
| 9.5 | — | $142 | $141 | $74.00 | — | — |
| 9 | $120 | $80.54 | $111 | — | $102 | $107 |
| 8.5 | $61.00 | $60.98 | $26.00 | — | $85.00 | — |
| 8 | $77.70 | $58.08 | — | — | $75.00 | — |
| 7.5 | — | $72.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | $69.97 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $50.94 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5.5 | — | $51.30 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | $25.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | $60.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $120 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Other SWSH Black Star Promos cards worth checking
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Grading Vaporeon VMAX — FAQ
Is Vaporeon VMAX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Vaporeon VMAX sells for $790 against $91.81 raw: a $699 spread, 8.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($120) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Vaporeon VMAX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Vaporeon VMAX (SWSH Black Star Promos) sells for about $790 versus $91.81 for a raw near-mint copy — a 8.6× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Vaporeon VMAX?
By resale value, TAG 10 leads at $812, ahead of PSA 10 at $790. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Vaporeon VMAX need for a TAG 10?
TAG publishes 55/45 front and 72/28 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 Vaporeon VMAX break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Vaporeon VMAX breaks even when it gems about 3% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $120).
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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