Giovanni's Magikarp

A PSA 10 currently sells for about $518.70, raw the card sits at $18.38 — 28,2× as much. Of 1.276 copies already graded, 27 % received a 10 and 39 % a 9. Mathematically, submitting returns $202.86 on average, before fees and shipping. Rule of thumb: submit when the value at a realistic grade is at least double the raw value — which is the case here. Centering decides it: an off-centre card will not get a 10. The grade distribution comes from the PSA Population Report; people pre-sort before submitting, so your own hit rate may differ.

Across 54 auctions the median was $13.57, across 59 fixed-price sales $18.69. Fixed price therefore fetched about 38 % more — for this card patience with a set price is the better route.

Half of all sales fell between $10.46 and $18.59, with a median of $13.63. Selling fast lands you nearer the lower end; with patience, good photos and a complete title the upper end is achievable.

The cheapest genuine sales were around $8.89. Offers well below $5.33 are typically fakes, mislabelled cards or a different variant — ask for photos of all four borders and a close-up of the surface.

lastsold uses only real sales — eBay plus auction houses like Goldin & Fanatics — recent sales count more (recency weighting), outliers and fakes are removed. It's not an estimate but actual sold prices, separated by condition, language and grading.