Foilio

Free scanner · estimates only

Which cards are worth grading?

The top Pokémon cards where grading plausibly pays off right now, ranked by estimated net gain after grading fees. Every figure is a transparent model estimate from clean data, not a marketplace comp. Pick the grading tier you'd use and see the list update.

Assume grading cost:
1Rocket's Mewtwo exRocket's Mewtwo exTeam Rocket Returns · Rare · Midraw €5,201.01 · est. graded €18,203.54+€3,823.57 ≈ 3.4× all-in2PikachuPikachuPokémon Rumble · Midraw €1,932.18 · est. graded €6,762.63+€1,371.95 ≈ 3.4× all-in3M Rayquaza EXM Rayquaza EXAncient Origins · Secret Rare · Midraw €1,884.75 · est. graded €6,596.63+€1,336.38 ≈ 3.4× all-in4Rocket's Articuno exRocket's Articuno exTeam Rocket Returns · Rare · Midraw €1,394.56 · est. graded €4,880.96+€968.74 ≈ 3.3× all-in5Primal Kyogre EXPrimal Kyogre EXAncient Origins · Secret Rare · Midraw €1,247.37 · est. graded €4,365.80+€858.34 ≈ 3.3× all-in6Mew δMew δPOP Series 5 · Rare · Midraw €902.60 · est. graded €3,159.10+€599.77 ≈ 3.2× all-in7Gengar exGengar exFireRed & LeafGreen · Rare · Midraw €897.87 · est. graded €3,142.55+€596.22 ≈ 3.2× all-in8Umbreon exUmbreon exUnseen Forces · Rare · Midraw €853.21 · est. graded €2,986.24+€562.72 ≈ 3.2× all-in9RayquazaRayquazaEmerald · Rare · Midraw €700.58 · est. graded €2,452.03+€448.25 ≈ 3.2× all-in10GengarGengarTriumphant · Rare PRIME · Midraw €658.90 · est. graded €2,306.15+€416.99 ≈ 3.1× all-in11Espeon δEspeon δDelta Species · Rare · Midraw €651.71 · est. graded €2,280.99+€411.60 ≈ 3.1× all-in12Snorlax LV.XSnorlax LV.XRising Rivals · Rare Holo LV.X · Midraw €646.11 · est. graded €2,261.39+€407.40 ≈ 3.1× all-in13Lugia exLugia exUnseen Forces · Rare · Midraw €633.92 · est. graded €2,218.72+€398.26 ≈ 3.1× all-in14Latias & Latios GXLatias & Latios GXTeam Up · Ultra Rare · Modernraw €2,019.73 · est. graded €4,645.38+€1,104.36 ≈ 2.2× all-in15Primal Groudon EXPrimal Groudon EXAncient Origins · Secret Rare · Midraw €535.77 · est. graded €1,875.20+€324.64 ≈ 3.1× all-in16Giratina VGiratina VLost Origin · Ultra Rare · Modernraw €1,430.61 · est. graded €3,290.40+€759.72 ≈ 2.2× all-in17Special Delivery PikachuSpecial Delivery PikachuSWSH Black Star Promos · Promo · Modernraw €1,374.75 · est. graded €3,161.92+€727.04 ≈ 2.2× all-in18Magikarp & Wailord GXMagikarp & Wailord GXTeam Up · Ultra Rare · Modernraw €1,374.64 · est. graded €3,161.67+€726.98 ≈ 2.2× all-in19Rocket's Suicune exRocket's Suicune exTeam Rocket Returns · Rare · Midraw €463.08 · est. graded €1,620.78+€270.13 ≈ 3.0× all-in20Umbreon exUmbreon exPrismatic Evolutions · Special illustration rare · Modernraw €1,151.81 · est. graded €2,649.16+€596.62 ≈ 2.2× all-in21Rocket's Snorlax exRocket's Snorlax exTeam Rocket Returns · Rare · Midraw €443.49 · est. graded €1,552.22+€255.43 ≈ 3.0× all-in22Mew exMew exLegend Maker · Rare · Midraw €422.08 · est. graded €1,477.28+€239.38 ≈ 3.0× all-in23Special Delivery BidoofSpecial Delivery BidoofSWSH Black Star Promos · Promo · Modernraw €998.93 · est. graded €2,297.54+€507.19 ≈ 2.1× all-in24Rayquaza VMAXRayquaza VMAXEvolving Skies · Secret Rare · Modernraw €991.99 · est. graded €2,281.58+€503.13 ≈ 2.1× all-in25CharizardCharizardPlasma Storm · Secret Rare · Midraw €416.09 · est. graded €1,456.31+€234.88 ≈ 3.0× all-in26Pikachu exPikachu exAscended Heroes · Special illustration rare · Modernraw €962.16 · est. graded €2,212.97+€485.68 ≈ 2.1× all-in27Mew exMew exPaldean Fates · Special illustration rare · Modernraw €962.07 · est. graded €2,212.76+€485.63 ≈ 2.1× all-in28Team Magma's Groudon EXTeam Magma's Groudon EXDouble Crisis · Ultra Rare · Midraw €390.67 · est. graded €1,367.35+€215.82 ≈ 2.9× all-in29LugiaLugiaCall of Legends · Holo Rare · Midraw €387.20 · est. graded €1,355.20+€213.22 ≈ 2.9× all-in30Mega Gengar exMega Gengar exAscended Heroes · Special illustration rare · Modernraw €830.30 · est. graded €1,909.69+€408.54 ≈ 2.1× all-in

“Est. graded” is what the model expects a top grade to be worth; “Est. net gain” is that figure after grading fees, weighted by a typical top-grade chance for the era. Neither is a sale price or a comp. Your card's real outcome depends on its condition and the live market. The full method is below.

PSA paused its cheap Value tiers on Jun 2 2026 to clear a backlog (no firm reopen date), so the cheapest PSA route right now is Regular ($79.99). For budget grading today, CGC (London, from ~£24) is often the better-value route for EU sellers. Verified 2026-06-17, confirm on psacard.com before submitting.

Found one worth grading?

Run your exact numbers in the ROI calculator, then verify any slab's grade and scarcity by cert below. Free, no account.

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How this is estimated

We take each card's raw Cardmarket trend price (EUR, from the free TCGdex catalog) and multiply it by a published grade-uplift rule of thumb for the card's era, roughly 2-3x for modern cards, 4-7x for vintage. We subtract real 2026 PSA grading fees plus shipping, weight by a typical top-grade chance for the era, and rank by estimated net gain relative to the raw price. Cards under €40 raw are filtered out, below that, grading rarely pays.

The uplift multipliers are an estimate, not a comp. There is no free, licence-clean source of graded sale prices, so we don't pretend to have one, and we never use eBay or any marketplace sold-listing data. Precise graded comps and price history are a planned Pro upgrade.

Every figure here is an estimate from a disclosed model, not a sale price. Estimated graded value = the card's raw Cardmarket trend price x a published, era-based grade-uplift rule of thumb, it is NOT an eBay/auction comp, and Foilio does not use any marketplace sold-listing data. Grading fees are real 2026 PSA figures (in USD, shown converted to EUR at a fixed rate); EU sellers also pay shipping and import VAT on top. Outcomes vary card to card. Informational only, not financial advice. Confirm condition and live prices before submitting anything.

Raw prices: Cardmarket via TCGdex (trend price, EUR). Population & cert (where shown): official PSA Public API. Foilio is not affiliated with PSA or Cardmarket. · Model v1.1.0, assumptions reviewed 2026-06-17.

Grade it with which company?

The graders compared. Cost, turnaround and EU access are sourced facts; resale positions are rough estimates that vary per card, we show none where reliable data doesn't exist.

PSA

$79.99 (Regular)

Value tiers ($24.99-$64.99) PAUSED since Jun 2 2026

Turnaround: ~25-95 business days
EU access: UK hub; Frankfurt facility opening summer 2026
Resale: Highest resale of any grader (rough est.), esp. modern Pokémon & vintage

Source: psacard.com / cardpulse.club

CGC

$17-20 US · £24 UK (bulk)
Turnaround: ~18 days
EU access: Strongest, London office, GBP pricing
Resale: ≈ 70-90% of a PSA 10 (rough est., varies); gap narrowing in 2026

Source: cgccards.com / cgccards.uk

Beckett (BGS)

~$15-20 base
Turnaround: ~45 days (standard)
EU access: Weak, routes through the US
Resale: BGS 9.5 ≈ 75-88% of a PSA 10 (rough est.); Black Label 10 can exceed PSA 10 but is very rare

Source: pokemonpricetracker.com

SGC

~$25
Turnaround: Fastest, 2-20 days
EU access: US-based, ship transatlantic
Resale: ≈ 10-30% under PSA (rough est.); strong for vintage sports, thinner for Pokémon

Source: gosgc.com / pokemonpricetracker.com

TAG

$149 (cheap tiers closed Jun 2026)
Turnaround: Varies
EU access: US-only
Resale: No reliable resale data, not estimated

Computer-vision grades; boutique. We don't estimate a resale premium (no reliable data).

Source: taggrading.com

PCG (Premier Card Grading)

~$14.95-19.95
Turnaround: ~4-8 weeks
EU access: Mixed / boutique
Resale: No reliable resale data, not estimated

The Alpha Investments (Rudy Lara) majority-owned grader. Budget/enthusiast slab with weak resale liquidity, collectors often re-grade into PSA. Note: 'PCG' is ambiguous (also Prestigious Card Grading & Pokemon Card Grading); this is Premier.

Source: premiercardgrading.com / tcgview.com

Costs, turnaround and EU access are sourced facts as of 2026-06-17 (they change, confirm on the grader's own site). Resale positions are ROUGH ESTIMATES that vary wildly per card, not guarantees. General resale ordering: PSA 10 > BGS 9.5 ≈ CGC 10 > raw. We show no resale estimate for graders without reliable data (TAG, PCG). Informational only, not financial advice.

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Grading · PSA

Verify the grade. See the scarcity.

Enter a PSA certification number to confirm a slab is genuine, see exactly what PSA graded, and check the population, how many exist at that grade and how many are graded higher.

Why population matters

A grade only tells you the condition; the population report tells you the supply. A PSA 9 with thousands of copies graded higher is a different asset than a 9 where only a handful sit above it. Scarcity, of clean, high-grade copies, is what drives value, and it's exactly what pop data reveals.

Deciding whether to grade a raw card? Run the numbers in the grading ROI calculator, and check raw value first with free search.

Data live from the official PSA Public API. Foilio is not affiliated with PSA. Not financial advice.

Questions, answered

Is grading a card worth it?+

Only if the estimated graded value minus the all-in cost (PSA fee + round-trip shipping + EU import VAT) clears a meaningful margin. The scanner ranks the cards where that gap is biggest; under about €40 raw, grading rarely pays.

How is the estimated graded value calculated?+

Raw Cardmarket EUR price x a disclosed, era-based grade-uplift rule of thumb (≈2-3x modern, 4-7x vintage), weighted by a typical top-grade chance for the era. It's a reference estimate, never a sold comp, confirm condition and live prices before submitting.

How much does grading cost?+

Roughly the cheapest realistic PSA route (fee + round-trip shipping/insurance, USD→EUR); EU submitters also pay import VAT on the return. Faster tiers cost more, the graders are compared on this page.

PSA, CGC or BGS, which grader?+

It depends on cost, turnaround and EU access (compared above) and the card itself. PSA has the deepest resale market; CGC is often cheaper/faster for EU submitters. Resale positions are rough estimates that vary per card.