Is Charizard-EX worth grading?
Pokémon · XY Black Star Promos · XY121 · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 10 Charizard-EX sells for $6,924 against $206 raw: a $6,718 spread, 34× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($622) 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)
- $206
- PSA 10
- $6,924
- PSA 9
- $622
- Gem premium
- 34×
- 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 | $6,924 | +$6,693 | +$6,668 | +$6,568 |
| PSA 9 | $622 | +$391 | +$366 | +$266 |
| PSA 8 | $297 | +$66.36 | +$41.36 | −$58.64 |
Net = sale price − $206 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% | $2,197 | +$1,941 |
| 50% | $3,773 | +$3,517 |
| 75% | $5,348 | +$5,092 |
Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.
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 | $6,924 | best | 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 | $2,997 | — | — | — | — |
| 9.5 | — | $336 | — | — | — |
| 9 | $343 | $314 | $245 | — | — |
| 8.5 | $395 | $229 | $178 | $193 | — |
| 8 | $170 | $55.57 | $228 | — | $137 |
| 7.5 | — | $23.09 | $56.00 | $260 | — |
| 7 | $108 | $53.53 | — | $195 | $86.98 |
| 6.5 | — | $26.28 | — | — | — |
| 6 | $146 | $28.06 | — | $81.70 | $107 |
| 5.5 | — | $26.00 | — | — | — |
| 5 | $48.08 | — | — | — | $76.17 |
| 4.5 | — | $69.60 | — | — | — |
| 4 | $105 | — | — | — | $89.15 |
| 3 | $84.97 | — | — | — | — |
| 2.5 | $100 | $30.00 | — | — | — |
| 2 | $68.75 | — | — | — | $63.77 |
| 1.5 | — | $16.00 | — | — | — |
| 1 | $142 | — | — | $47.73 | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other XY Black Star Promos cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Charizard-EX — FAQ
Is Charizard-EX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Charizard-EX sells for $6,924 against $206 raw: a $6,718 spread, 34× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($622) 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 Charizard-EX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Charizard-EX (XY Black Star Promos XY121) sells for about $6,924 versus $206 for a raw near-mint copy — a 34× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Charizard-EX 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.
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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