Pikachu · Base Set 2
Back · 6.5 — corners 6.5 · edges 9.0 · surface 3.5
Centering is graded on both faces, and the final grade weights the front more heavily.
Surface is the weakest sub-score, so it's the most likely thing to cost this card a grade. Print lines, scratches, dimples and gloss. Holo cards scratch easily and it rarely photographs well.
Worth about $3.05 raw. See what it's worth in every grade →
An estimate from one photo — not a grade, and not affiliated with PSA. Lighting, angle and photo quality all move these numbers, and a grader sees the card in person.
Square, 1600×1600, with the grade and our mark along the bottom — sized so eBay's square crop doesn't cut your card.
The short version
Pikachu is playing for a mid grade.
The card is held back by one thing: surface at 4.5, against edges at 9.0. Fix nothing and it grades where surface allows — but it also means a sharper, straighter-on photo is worth taking, because a single weak reading is the one most likely to be the camera rather than the card.
Worth repeating: this is one photo read by a model, not a grade. Lighting and angle move these numbers, and a grader has the card in hand.
Grade one of yours free →What each score measures
How evenly the border frames the art, front and back. PSA publishes a tolerance per grade — it is the one sub-score you can measure yourself before you send.
Clear corner wear. Corners cost more grades than any other factor, and this is the card's ceiling.
Sharpness under magnification. Softening from shuffling or a binder shows here first, and corners cost more grades than anything else.
Edges are strong, with only the faintest wear visible.
Whitening and nicks along the card's edge, most visible on dark borders.
Clear surface damage — scratches, print lines or dimpling. This is the hardest fault to talk a grader out of.
Print lines, scratches, dimples and gloss. Holo cards scratch easily and it rarely photographs well.
How many already exist
PSA has graded 3,024 copies of Pikachu.
PSA has graded 2,883 copies of Pikachu.
CGC has graded 1,130 copies of Pikachu.
TAG has graded 15 copies of Pikachu.
A large or fast-growing gem population dilutes the premium a 10 carries, so this matters alongside the current price — not just how much a 10 is worth today.