Is Charizard worth grading?
Celebrations · 2021 · Prices as of 2026-07-25 · PSA fee: $80 (current tier)
🟡 Hold
A PSA 9 barely breaks even after the $80 fee, so the whole bet rides on the gem. Hold unless the card looks clean.
Confidence
60%
Medium confidence: break-even floor, inferred gem rate, healthy volume
Why Compz says hold
- ⚠PSA 9 roughly breaks even after the $80 fee — the floor holds, barely
- ⚠Gem difficulty: medium — inferred from the PSA 9→10 price spread (no population data yet)inferred
- ✓Raw $170 → PSA 10 $576: a 3.4× multiple
- ⚠A gem returns +100% on total cost (medium upside)
- ✓Healthy PSA 10 volume (~2,450 sales/yr)
- ⚠Assumes the $80 PSA fee tier this card's value qualifies forassumption
Expected outcomes
| PSA 10 | odds unknown | +$249 | best case |
| PSA 9 | odds unknown | −$9 | base case |
| PSA 8 or lowerest. | odds unknown | −$102 | worst case |
· Needs a PSA 10 or better to profit
No population data — outcome odds unknown; gem difficulty 'medium' is inferred from the PSA 9→10 price spread
Financial summary
Methodology — how Compz makes this call
The call weighs the PSA 9 floor (would you still profit on the base case after real fees?), the gem rate (measured from PSA population data where a verified match exists, otherwise inferred from the PSA 9→10 price spread), the raw→graded spread, and sales volume. Every factor above states whether it is measured, inferred, or an assumption.
The confidence score reflects sales volume and signal quality. It does not yet weigh price momentum or consistency, and it has not yet been calibrated against recorded outcomes — as graded results accumulate in the Grading Desk, this page will show how often Compz was right on closed calls.
Prices are recent sold averages per grade. The ≤8 outcome is an estimate (we track no sub-9 comps): it assumes the card resells near its raw price, losing the grading and selling fees.