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Should I Grade My Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex?
Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex · Ascended Heroes 281/217 · Special Illustration Rare
Short answer: Only if a PSA 10 sells for more than $342.97. At the recent eBay raw sold median of $245.00 (PokémonTCG.io has no TCGplayer price for this card yet), PSA Standard grading ($59.99, the cheapest level whose $1,000 max value covers the recent PSA 10 median and that sale), $25.00 shipping and 13.25% selling fees break even at that graded sale price. Recent PSA 10 sales clear that bar (see the sold comps). Check your card’s centering before you pay to grade, and remember many cards come back a 9 or lower.
- Set
- Ascended Heroes
- Year
- 2026
- Number
- 281/217
- Rarity
- Special Illustration Rare
- Artist
- Mitsuhiro Arita
- Raw price
- $245.00 eBay sold median, 17 sales, Oct 3 – Oct 18, 2026, via PriceCharting, as of Oct 20, 2026 (PokémonTCG.io has no TCGplayer price for this card yet)
- PSA 10 median
- $488.00 (25 eBay sales)
Prices as of Oct 20, 2026. Raw price: eBay sold median via PriceCharting (PokémonTCG.io has no TCGplayer price for this card yet). 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 Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex 281/217 by PSA grade, from sales listed on PriceCharting[4] 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 | $488.00† | 25 | Oct 11 – Oct 19 |
| PSA 9 | $225.00† | 25 | Sep 25 – Oct 18 |
| PSA 8 | $239.25 | 12 | Aug 6 – Oct 16 |
† 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: the PSA 10 median, $488.00[4], is $145.03 above this page’s $342.97 break-even, so a PSA 10 selling at that price would beat selling raw.
Raw price: eBay sold median, $245.00† from 17 sales, Oct 3 – Oct 18, 2026, via PriceCharting[4], as of Oct 20, 2026 (PokémonTCG.io has no TCGplayer price for this card yet). The calculator uses it as the raw price. Sealed, foreign-language, lot and wrong-card sales are not counted. We switch to the TCGplayer price once one is available.
Our take: At the recent PSA 10 median ($488.00), a 10 would net about $125.81 more than selling raw at the $245.00 eBay raw sold median, after PSA Standard grading ($59.99), $25.00 shipping and 13.25% selling fees. At the PSA 9 median ($225.00), a 9 would net about $102.34 less than selling raw (also PSA Standard, $59.99). Grading only pays if your chance of a 10 is better than about 45% (assuming anything less comes back a 9, which is optimistic), so submit only sharp, well-centered copies.[4]
PSA population
PSA has graded 3,716 copies; 2,584 are PSA 10s (69.5% gem rate) and 1,010 are PSA 9s. That means 30.5% of graded copies did not get a 10, so check that a PSA 9 sale would still beat selling raw before you count on a 10.
Source: PriceCharting PSA population report, checked Oct 24, 2026.
The calculator below is prefilled with this card, its raw price and the recent PSA 10 sold median. Change the graded value if your copy or the market differs (we never estimate graded prices: the figures on this page are real sales with sources), then add it to My Collection or share the result.
PSA 10 vs raw calculator
Assuming a PSA 10 (recent median). Change it if you expect a 9.
See recent PSA 9 sales on eBay Pick a card firstAuto-picked Standard: the cheapest tier whose $1,000 max value covers the graded value and break-even.
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 Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex 281/217
- Ascended Heroes has two English Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex prints: 079/217 (Double Rare, aky CG Works) and 281/217, the Special Illustration Rare by Mitsuhiro Arita. This page is for 281/217.[1]
- Searches for this card also show the Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex from Destined Rivals. That is a different card from a different set, with its own price.
- 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.[2] Measure yours with the centering checker and read the PSA grading guide before you submit.
Related
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- All popular cards
Before you grade: check centering from a photo · PSA grading guide · Is it worth grading Pokémon cards?
FAQ
Is Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex 281/217 worth grading?
Only if recent PSA 10 sales are above $342.97. That is the break-even at the eBay raw sold median of $245.00 (17 sales via PriceCharting, as of Oct 20, 2026; PokémonTCG.io has no TCGplayer price for this card yet) with PSA Standard grading ($59.99), $25.00 shipping and 13.25% selling fees. The median of 25 recent PSA 10 eBay sales (Oct 11 – Oct 19, 2026, listed on PriceCharting) is $488.00, above that break-even. We never estimate graded prices: these are real sold listings, and the calculator’s graded value is editable.
Which Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex is the Special Illustration Rare?
281/217 from Ascended Heroes, illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. 079/217 is the Double Rare.
Which PSA service level do I need for Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex 281/217?
PSA prices each service level by the card's declared value, which should be what the graded card is worth, not its raw price. Recent PSA 10 sales have a median of $488.00, and a PSA 10 has to sell above $342.97 to beat selling raw. The cheapest level whose max value covers both is Standard ($59.99 per card, max value $1,000; fees checked 2026-10-19). If recent PSA 10 sales are above $1,000, PSA may upcharge you to Priority ($79.99, max $1,500) or higher. The calculator below picks the right level from the graded value you enter.
Sources
- PokémonTCG.io: every English Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex print in Ascended Heroes (number, rarity, artist)
- PSA Grading Standards (psacard.com)
- PokémonTCG.io card record (set, number, image; no TCGplayer price yet)
- PriceCharting: Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex 281/217 (Ascended Heroes) completed sales (raw and PSA), eBay sold listings (retrieved Oct 20, 2026)
Prices change daily. We refresh raw prices from PokémonTCG.io (this card uses the eBay raw sold median until it has a TCGplayer price) 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.