Best Alakazam Cards to Grade
The Alakazam cards worth grading, ranked by expected profit per submission — every grade outcome weighted by how often the card actually receives it — after current grading fees. The PSA 10 best case is shown on every row but does not decide the order. Top pick: Alakazam (Expedition Base Set) at an expected +$2,961.
Ranked by expected profit 21
| # | Card | Raw | PSA 9 | PSA 10 | Cost | Best case | Gem rate | Expected | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expected +$2,961 per submission: 6.3% of 1,139 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($45,600), and a PSA 9 ($1,565) still clears the $2,800 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $325 | $1,565 | $45,600 | $2,475 | +$42,800 | 6.3% | +$2,961 | 1,139 high |
| 2 | Expected +$2,239 per submission: 16.5% of 934 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($8,499), and a PSA 9 ($5,000) still clears the $1,656 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $952 | $5,000 | $8,499 | $704 | +$6,843 | 16.5% | +$2,239 | 934 high |
| 3 | Expected +$2,023 per submission: 3.2% of 2,593 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($31,720), and a PSA 9 ($7,000) still clears the $3,438 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $1,102 | $7,000 | $31,720 | $2,336 | +$28,282 | 3.2% | +$2,023 | 2,593 high |
| 4 | Expected +$599 per submission: 10% of 7,752 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($6,300), and a PSA 9 ($545) still clears the $855 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $173 | $545 | $6,300 | $682 | +$5,445 | 10% | +$599 | 7,752 high |
| 5 | Expected +$581 per submission: 2.2% of 489 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($15,000), and a PSA 9 ($1,625) still clears the $1,244 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $75 | $1,625 | $15,000 | $1,169 | +$13,756 | 2.2% | +$581 | 489 high |
| 6 | Expected +$228 per submission: 2.3% of 740 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($9,600), and a PSA 9 ($355) still clears the $770 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $55 | $355 | $9,600 | $715 | +$8,830 | 2.3% | +$228 | 740 high |
| 7 | Expected +$181 per submission: 21.3% of 3,397 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,050), and a PSA 9 ($200) still clears the $160 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $50 | $200 | $1,050 | $110 | +$890 | 21.3% | +$181 | 3,397 high |
| 8 | Expected +$162 per submission: 23% of 760 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($850), and a PSA 9 ($150) still clears the $106 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $18 | $150 | $850 | $88 | +$744 | 23% | +$162 | 760 high |
| 9 | Expected +$145 per submission: 16.1% of 1,783 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,125), and a PSA 9 ($175) still clears the $149 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $38 | $175 | $1,125 | $111 | +$976 | 16.1% | +$145 | 1,783 high |
| 10 | Expected +$81 per submission: 2.3% of 19,817 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($4,500), and a PSA 9 ($350) still clears the $484 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $70 | $350 | $4,500 | $414 | +$4,016 | 2.3% | +$81 | 19,817 high |
| 11 | Expected +$65 per submission: 1.4% of 4,988 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($6,800), and a PSA 9 ($305) still clears the $732 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $45 | $305 | $6,800 | $687 | +$6,068 | 1.4% | +$65 | 4,988 high |
| 12 | Expected +$42 per submission: 2.1% of 4,431 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,000), and a PSA 9 ($300) still clears the $469 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $70 | $300 | $3,000 | $399 | +$2,531 | 2.1% | +$42 | 4,431 high |
| 13 | Expected +$41 per submission: 40.3% of 370 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($432), and a PSA 9 ($256) still clears the $244 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $160 | $256 | $432 | $84 | +$188 | 40.3% | +$41 | 370 high |
| 14 | Expected +$40 per submission: 30.5% of 544 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($300), and only a PSA 10 covers the $92 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $9 | $80 | $300 | $83 | +$208 | 30.5% | +$40 | 544 high |
| 15 | Expected +$39 per submission: 27.1% of 1,396 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($384), and only a PSA 10 covers the $101 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $17 | $60 | $384 | $84 | +$283 | 27.1% | +$39 | 1,396 high |
| 16 | Expected +$37 per submission: 1.4% of 4,750 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($6,405), and a PSA 9 ($186) still clears the $744 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $61 | $186 | $6,405 | $683 | +$5,661 | 1.4% | +$37 | 4,750 high |
| 17 | Expected +$18 per submission: 8.5% of 117 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($528), and a PSA 9 ($175) still clears the $100 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $15 | $175 | $528 | $85 | +$427 | 8.5% | +$18 | 117 high |
| 18 | Expected loss −$5 per submission: 36% of 1,648 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($170), and only a PSA 10 covers the $88 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $6 | $35 | $170 | $82 | +$82 | 36% | −$5 | 1,648 high |
| 19 | Expected loss −$10 per submission: 29.3% of 38,166 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($312), and only a PSA 10 covers the $153 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $70 | $75 | $312 | $83 | +$159 | 29.3% | −$10 | 38,166 high |
| 20 | Expected loss −$23 per submission: 6.8% of 721 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($500), and only a PSA 10 covers the $104 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $19 | $86 | $500 | $85 | +$396 | 6.8% | −$23 | 721 high |
| 21 | Expected loss −$34 per submission: 38.3% of 3,636 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($110), and only a PSA 10 covers the $92 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $11 | $29 | $110 | $81 | +$17 | 38.3% | −$34 | 3,636 high |
Best case only — no gem-rate evidence 2
Fewer than 10 graded copies in the PSA and CGC population reports. They clear the grading cost if they gem — that is all the numbers support.
| # | Card | Raw | PSA 9 | PSA 10 | Cost | Best case | Gem rate | Expected | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | $314 | — | $35,700 | $2,376 | +$33,010 | — | — | none <10 | |
| 23 | $7 | — | $200 | $82 | +$111 | — | — | none <10 |
Expected = every grade outcome weighted by its share of the card's graded population, minus the raw price and the grading cost (PSA tier fee for the graded value plus ~$20 round-trip shipping, fees as of 2026-09-26). Best case is the PSA 10 leg alone. Gem rates come from a self-selected population — collectors grade their cleanest copies — so read them as an upper bound. Raw is a blended market price, not a sale of your copy. Full method and filters on the grading index.
How to read the Alakazam ranking
Every Alakazam card listed here clears one bar: its PSA 10 price beats its raw price by more than the cost of grading it. 23 Alakazam printings pass. 21 of them (91%) have a gem-rate sample of at least ten graded copies in the population reports, and 17 of those keep a positive expected value once every grade outcome is weighted by how often the card actually receives it.
The order is expected profit, not the PSA 10 best case, which rewards the widest raw-to-gem gap whether the card gems one time in two or one in fifty. Here the top row, the Alakazam from Expedition Base Set, gems 6.3% of the time across 1,139 graded copies: +$2,961 is what a long run of submissions would average, $42,800 is what one lucky copy returns.
The median gem rate across the sampled Alakazam cards is 10%. Roughly one submitted copy in 10 came back PSA 10, and most rows here still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, so the PSA 9 price does most of the work. Of the 21 ranked cards, 15 still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, 6 need a 10 to break even and 4 lose money on expectation. 21 rest on a hundred or more graded copies.
2 cards sit below the ranking with a best case only, fewer than ten graded copies. The largest best case among them is the Alakazam from Mega Evolution Black Star Promos at +$111.
Before you submit a Alakazam card
Grading pays on condition. The four things every grader scores — centering, corners, edges and surface — can be checked at home before paying a fee, and a copy that is visibly off-centre or has a whitened corner will not gem whatever the population says. Those gem rates come from a self-selected population of clean copies, so a random copy does worse.
The cost column assumes a PSA submission at the tier covering the card's PSA 10 value, fees as of 2026-09-26, and raw is CardTrack's blended near-mint price, not a sale of your copy: pay more, or hold a lighter copy, and the break-even moves against you. Test a card with your own numbers in the ROI calculator, see the printings that fail the bar on the Alakazam card list, or see how gem-mint premiums run across the whole catalogue on the PSA premium index.