Is Pikachu-EX worth grading?
Pokémon · XY Black Star Promos · XY124 · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 10 Pikachu-EX sells for $9,906 against $433 raw: a $9,473 spread, 23× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($2,847) 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)
- $433
- PSA 10
- $9,906
- PSA 9
- $2,847
- Gem premium
- 23×
- 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 | $9,906 | +$9,448 | +$9,423 | +$9,323 |
| PSA 9 | $2,847 | +$2,389 | +$2,364 | +$2,264 |
| PSA 8 | $900 | +$442 | +$417 | +$317 |
Net = sale price − $433 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% | $4,612 | +$4,129 |
| 50% | $6,376 | +$5,894 |
| 75% | $8,141 | +$7,658 |
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 | $9,906 | 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 | SGC | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $9,906 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | $2,000 | — | — |
| 9 | $2,847 | $323 | — | — | $2,499 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $211 | $1000 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $900 | $561 | $570 | — | $650 | $375 |
| 7.5 | $688 | $101 | $365 | — | $330 | — |
| 7 | $589 | $369 | — | — | $381 | $490 |
| 6.5 | — | $58.86 | — | — | $324 | — |
| 6 | $368 | — | — | $203 | $183 | $253 |
| 5.5 | — | $200 | $301 | — | $260 | — |
| 5 | $255 | $215 | — | $214 | $350 | $247 |
| 4 | $125 | $162 | — | — | — | $179 |
| 3.5 | — | $165 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | $212 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | $187 | $40.00 | — | — | — | $106 |
| 1.5 | $116 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $298 | $82.02 | — | — | — | $197 |
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 Pikachu-EX — FAQ
Is Pikachu-EX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Pikachu-EX sells for $9,906 against $433 raw: a $9,473 spread, 23× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($2,847) 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 Pikachu-EX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Pikachu-EX (XY Black Star Promos XY124) sells for about $9,906 versus $433 for a raw near-mint copy — a 23× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Pikachu-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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