Misty's Magikarp

A PSA 10 currently sells for about $397.35, raw the card sits at $13.51 — 29,4× as much. Of 1.189 copies already graded, 28 % received a 10 and 43 % a 9. Mathematically, submitting returns $165.47 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 15 auctions the median was $14.00, across 33 fixed-price sales $15.69. Fixed price therefore fetched about 12 % more — for this card patience with a set price is the better route.

Half of all sales fell between $10.60 and $15.27, with a median of $12.53. 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 $8.22. Offers well below $4.93 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.