Is Lucario VSTAR worth grading?
Pokémon · SWSH Black Star Promos · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 13× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lucario VSTAR sells for $140 against $10.73 raw: a $129 spread, 13× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.27) 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)
- $10.73
- PSA 10
- $140
- PSA 9
- $26.27
- Gem premium
- 13×
- 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 | $140 | +$104 | +$78.86 | −$21.14 |
| PSA 9 | $26.27 | −$9.46 | −$34.46 | −$134 |
| PSA 8 | $19.89 | −$15.84 | −$40.84 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $10.73 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% | $54.60 | −$6.13 |
| 50% | $82.93 | +$22.20 |
| 75% | $111 | +$50.53 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 30%. 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 | $263 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| TAG 10 | $182 | −$80.85 | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| PSA 10 | $140 | −$123 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $56.60 | −$206 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $19.12 | −$244 | 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 | $140 | $56.60 | $263 | $19.12 | $182 | $109 |
| 9.5 | — | $29.60 | $60.53 | $9.50 | — | — |
| 9 | $26.27 | $18.87 | $35.53 | $19.89 | $38.52 | $26.41 |
| 8.5 | $15.00 | $15.35 | $19.52 | $5.50 | $13.50 | — |
| 8 | $19.89 | $13.35 | — | — | $29.99 | $20.55 |
| 7.5 | — | $10.02 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | $21.30 | $19.46 | — | — | — | $16.18 |
| 6.5 | — | $10.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $16.56 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5.5 | — | $10.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | $10.34 | — | — | — | $15.00 | — |
| 4 | $12.47 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | $25.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | $15.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Other SWSH Black Star Promos cards worth checking
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Grading Lucario VSTAR — FAQ
Is Lucario VSTAR worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lucario VSTAR sells for $140 against $10.73 raw: a $129 spread, 13× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.27) 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 $140 versus $10.73 for a raw near-mint copy — a 13× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lucario VSTAR?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $263, ahead of TAG 10 at $182. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lucario VSTAR 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 Lucario VSTAR break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lucario VSTAR breaks even when it gems about 30% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $26.27).
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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