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Should I Grade My Base Set Charizard?
Charizard · Base Set 4/102 · Rare Holo
Short answer: Only if a PSA 10 sells for more than $1,075.68. At today’s raw price of $954.65, PSA Priority grading ($79.99, the cheapest level whose $1,500 max value covers that sale), $25.00 shipping and 13.25% selling fees break even at that graded sale price. There are too few recent PSA 10 sales to show a median, so check sold listings and your card’s centering before you pay to grade, and remember many cards come back a 9 or lower.
- Pictured
- Unlimited print, the one priced on this page
- Set
- Base Set
- Year
- 1999
- Number
- 4/102
- Rarity
- Rare Holo
- Artist
- Mitsuhiro Arita
- Raw price
- $954.65 TCGplayer market (Holofoil)
Prices as of Oct 20, 2026. TCGplayer market price via PokémonTCG.io (TCGplayer data dated 2026/10/15). Graded figures are eBay sold comps via PriceCharting as of Oct 20, 2026, not estimates.
See recent PSA 10 sales on eBayRecent graded sales
Median eBay sold prices for Base Set Charizard by PSA grade, from sales listed on PriceCharting[6] in the 90 days to Oct 20, 2026. Each sale there links to its eBay listing. These are real sales, not our estimates. Grades with fewer than 3 sales are not shown.
| Grade | Median sold | Sales | Sale dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | Not enough recent sales: only 2 in 90 days (we need at least 3), so no median is shown. | ||
| PSA 9 | $3,788.00† | 15 | Sep 29 – Oct 18 |
| PSA 8 | $1,415.78† | 12 | Oct 9 – Oct 18 |
† PriceCharting lists only its most recent sales for this grade, so its median covers only the sale dates shown (often just the last few weeks), not the full 90 days. The real 90-day sale count is higher.
Break-even check: there are too few recent PSA 10 sales[6] to compare with this page’s $1,075.68 break-even, so the calculator’s graded value is left blank. Enter one from recent sold listings.
eBay raw (ungraded) sales median: $332.50† (8 sales, Oct 15 – Oct 19, 2026; PriceCharting / eBay sold[6]), 65% below the TCGplayer market price the calculator uses. Many of these listings don’t state condition, so it is not a near-mint price.
Our take: There are too few recent PSA 10 sales to judge whether a 10 pays. At the PSA 9 median ($3,788.00), a 9 would net about $2,083.93 more than selling raw at $954.65, after PSA Super Express grading ($349.00), $25.00 shipping and 13.25% selling fees.[6]
The calculator below is prefilled with this card and its raw price. Recent PSA 10 sales are too few to show, so enter the PSA 10 value from recent sold listings (we never estimate graded prices for you), then add it to My Collection or share the result.
PSA 10 vs raw calculator
Auto-picked Priority: the cheapest tier whose $1,500 max value covers the $1,075.68 break-even. It updates when you enter a graded value.
Fees per card from psacard.com, verified 2026-10-15. Value tiers paused since June 2, 2026.
| Net if sold raw (after selling fees) | |
| Total grading costs (fee + shipping + insurance) | |
| Net if graded & sold (after all fees) | |
| Grading profit vs. selling raw | |
| Break-even graded sale value |
Counting on a PSA 10? It needs about 55/45 front centering (PSA 9: about 60/40). Measure your card's centering from a photo before you pay to grade.
Assumes the card actually gets the grade you chose. Lower grades are common — try PSA 8/9 values too.
Grading notes for Base Set Charizard
- Identify your print first, because they are priced separately. Bulbapedia lists four English Base Set print runs: 1st Edition (1st Edition stamp, no drop shadow around the art box, thinner HP and attack text), Shadowless (the same but no stamp), Unlimited (drop shadow and thicker text) and a later Unlimited with a “©1999–2000” copyright line.[1]
- The raw price loaded here is TCGplayer’s market price for its “Base Set” Charizard 4/102 listing. If yours is 1st Edition or Shadowless, replace the raw price with recent sales of that exact print.[2]
- Look-alike reprints exist. The same art was reprinted in Base Set 2 (4/130) and Legendary Collection (3/110), and in Celebrations’ Classic Collection, which keeps the number 4/102 but adds a 25th Anniversary logo to the artwork and drops the Wizards of the Coast copyright.[3]
- General guidance for any card: PSA says a Gem Mint 10 needs four sharp corners, full original gloss, no staining and centering within about 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back.[4] Measure yours with the centering checker and read the PSA grading guide before you submit.
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Before you grade: check centering from a photo · PSA grading guide · Is it worth grading Pokémon cards?
FAQ
Is Base Set Charizard worth grading?
Only if recent PSA 10 sales are above $1,075.68. That is the break-even at the TCGplayer raw market price of $954.65 (as of Oct 20, 2026) with PSA Priority grading ($79.99), $25.00 shipping and 13.25% selling fees. There are too few recent PSA 10 sales to show a median. We never estimate graded prices; check recent sold listings and enter the value in the calculator.
Is my Base Set Charizard 1st Edition, Shadowless or Unlimited?
1st Edition copies have the 1st Edition stamp and no drop shadow around the art box. Shadowless copies have no stamp and no drop shadow. Unlimited copies have a drop shadow along the art box and thicker HP and attack text.
Which PSA service level do I need for Base Set Charizard?
PSA prices each service level by the card's declared value, which should be what the graded card is worth, not its raw price. A PSA 10 has to sell above $1,075.68 to beat selling raw, and the cheapest level that covers that is Priority ($79.99 per card, max value $1,500; fees checked 2026-10-19). If recent PSA 10 sales are above $1,500, PSA may upcharge you to Express ($199.00, max $2,500) or higher. The calculator below picks the right level from the graded value you enter.
Sources
- Bulbapedia: Base Set (TCG), print runs
- TCGplayer: Charizard, Base Set 4/102 (product 42382)
- Bulbapedia: Charizard (Base Set 4), reprints
- PSA Grading Standards (psacard.com)
- PokémonTCG.io card record (set, number, image, TCGplayer market price)
- PriceCharting: Charizard 4/102 (Base Set) completed sales, eBay sold listings (retrieved Oct 20, 2026)
Prices change daily. We refresh raw prices from PokémonTCG.io and graded sold comps from PriceCharting (eBay sold listings), and show the dates above. Not affiliated with PSA, The Pokémon Company, TCGplayer, PriceCharting or eBay.