Is Lucario VSTAR worth grading?
Pokémon · SWSH Black Star Promos · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 36× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lucario VSTAR sells for $108 against $2.99 raw: a $105 spread, 36× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.15) 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)
- $2.99
- PSA 10
- $108
- PSA 9
- $22.15
- Gem premium
- 36×
- 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 | $108 | +$79.93 | +$54.93 | −$45.07 |
| PSA 9 | $22.15 | −$5.84 | −$30.84 | −$131 |
| PSA 8 | $16.72 | −$11.27 | −$36.27 | −$136 |
Net = sale price − $2.99 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% | $43.59 | −$9.40 |
| 50% | $65.03 | +$12.04 |
| 75% | $86.48 | +$33.49 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 36%. 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 | $108 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| TAG 10 | $93.20 | −$14.72 | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| CGC 10 | $27.31 | −$80.61 | 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 | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $108 | $27.31 | — | $93.20 | $37.77 |
| 9.5 | — | $19.41 | $25.00 | — | — |
| 9 | $22.15 | $9.06 | — | — | — |
| 8.5 | — | $12.62 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $16.72 | $5.53 | $20.93 | — | — |
| 7.5 | — | $4.00 | — | — | — |
| 7 | $12.40 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $7.16 | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Lucario VSTAR — FAQ
Is Lucario VSTAR worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lucario VSTAR sells for $108 against $2.99 raw: a $105 spread, 36× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.15) 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 Lucario VSTAR worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lucario VSTAR (SWSH Black Star Promos) sells for about $108 versus $2.99 for a raw near-mint copy — a 36× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lucario VSTAR?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $108, ahead of TAG 10 at $93.20. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lucario VSTAR 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 Lucario VSTAR break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lucario VSTAR breaks even when it gems about 36% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $22.15).
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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