Shining Magikarp

A PSA 10 currently sells for about $29,401, raw the card sits at $2,264 — 13,0× as much. Of 285 copies already graded, 6 % received a 10 and 25 % a 9. Mathematically, submitting returns $5,056 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 68 auctions the median was $1,751, across 64 fixed-price sales $1,679. There is no meaningful difference — what matters here is how fast you want to sell.

Half of all sales fell between $402.74 and $1,345, with a median of $882.78. 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 $41.07. Offers well below $24.64 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.