Best Ampharos Cards to Grade
The Ampharos 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: Ampharos (Aquapolis) at an expected +$4,260.
Ranked by expected profit 22
| # | Card | Raw | PSA 9 | PSA 10 | Cost | Best case | Gem rate | Expected | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expected +$4,260 per submission: 5.7% of 669 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($70,000), and a PSA 9 ($2,500) still clears the $4,056 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $337 | $2,500 | $70,000 | $3,719 | +$65,944 | 5.7% | +$4,260 | 669 high |
| 2 | Expected +$2,540 per submission: 2.6% of 836 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($59,999), and a PSA 9 ($5,156) still clears the $3,830 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $211 | $5,156 | $59,999 | $3,619 | +$56,169 | 2.6% | +$2,540 | 836 high |
| 3 | Expected +$2,355 per submission: 3.9% of 1,429 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($39,600), and a PSA 9 ($4,000) still clears the $2,675 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $260 | $4,000 | $39,600 | $2,415 | +$36,925 | 3.9% | +$2,355 | 1,429 high |
| 4 | Expected +$777 per submission: 6.6% of 335 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($9,999), and a PSA 9 ($729) still clears the $809 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $90 | $729 | $9,999 | $719 | +$9,190 | 6.6% | +$777 | 335 high |
| 5 | Expected +$384 per submission: 1.8% of 851 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($8,000), and a PSA 9 ($1,400) still clears the $764 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $65 | $1,400 | $8,000 | $699 | +$7,236 | 1.8% | +$384 | 851 high |
| 6 | Expected +$363 per submission: 4.4% of 948 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($9,000), and a PSA 9 ($464) still clears the $844 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $135 | $464 | $9,000 | $709 | +$8,156 | 4.4% | +$363 | 948 high |
| 7 | Expected +$319 per submission: 3.4% of 238 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,600), and a PSA 9 ($750) still clears the $424 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $19 | $750 | $3,600 | $405 | +$3,176 | 3.4% | +$319 | 238 high |
| 8 | Expected +$289 per submission: 18.3% of 496 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,888), and a PSA 9 ($164) still clears the $269 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $31 | $164 | $1,888 | $238 | +$1,618 | 18.3% | +$289 | 496 high |
| 9 | Expected +$244 per submission: 22% of 1,003 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,525), and a PSA 9 ($175) still clears the $297 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $63 | $175 | $1,525 | $234 | +$1,228 | 22% | +$244 | 1,003 high |
| 10 | Expected +$188 per submission: 58.5% of 376 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($471), and only a PSA 10 covers the $110 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $25 | $60 | $471 | $85 | +$361 | 58.5% | +$188 | 376 high |
| 11 | Expected +$174 per submission: 8.4% of 427 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,399), and a PSA 9 ($286) still clears the $363 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $120 | $286 | $2,399 | $243 | +$2,036 | 8.4% | +$174 | 427 high |
| 12 | Expected +$123 per submission: 4.1% of 537 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,120), and a PSA 9 ($183) still clears the $431 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $31 | $183 | $3,120 | $400 | +$2,689 | 4.1% | +$123 | 537 high |
| 13 | Expected +$113 per submission: 49.3% of 365 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($360), and a PSA 9 ($160) still clears the $131 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $47 | $160 | $360 | $84 | +$230 | 49.3% | +$113 | 365 high |
| 14 | Expected +$87 per submission: 47.8% of 247 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($299), and only a PSA 10 covers the $92 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $9 | $84 | $299 | $83 | +$207 | 47.8% | +$87 | 247 high |
| 15 | Expected +$83 per submission: 39.2% of 181 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($400), and only a PSA 10 covers the $110 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $26 | $70 | $400 | $84 | +$290 | 39.2% | +$83 | 181 high |
| 16 | Expected +$75 per submission: 4.2% of 167 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,000), and a PSA 9 ($250) still clears the $272 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $33 | $250 | $2,000 | $239 | +$1,728 | 4.2% | +$75 | 167 high |
| 17 | Expected +$74 per submission: 3.5% of 1,933 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,000), and a PSA 9 ($222) still clears the $431 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $32 | $222 | $3,000 | $399 | +$2,569 | 3.5% | +$74 | 1,933 high |
| 18 | Expected +$40 per submission: 16.7% of 18 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($400), and a PSA 9 ($100) still clears the $92 you have in it. Confidence low on that sample. | $8 | $100 | $400 | $84 | +$308 | 16.7% | +$40 | 18 low |
| 19 | Expected +$17 per submission: 38.5% of 192 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($234), and only a PSA 10 covers the $89 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $7 | $40 | $234 | $82 | +$144 | 38.5% | +$17 | 192 high |
| 20 | Expected loss −$14 per submission: 41.5% of 735 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($170), and only a PSA 10 covers the $102 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $20 | $30 | $170 | $82 | +$68 | 41.5% | −$14 | 735 high |
| 21 | Expected loss −$25 per submission: 0.2% of 1,103 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,413), and a PSA 9 ($408) still clears the $193 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $79 | $408 | $1,413 | $114 | +$1,220 | 0.2% | −$25 | 1,103 high |
| 22 | Expected loss −$33 per submission: 17.3% of 98 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($311), and only a PSA 10 covers the $123 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence medium on that sample. | $40 | $59 | $311 | $83 | +$188 | 17.3% | −$33 | 98 medium |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | $12 | — | $590 | $86 | +$492 | — | — | none <10 | |
| 24 | $42 | — | $540 | $85 | +$413 | — | — | 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 Ampharos ranking
Every Ampharos card listed here clears one bar: its PSA 10 price beats its raw price by more than the cost of grading it. 24 Ampharos printings pass. 22 of them (92%) have a gem-rate sample of at least ten graded copies in the population reports, and 19 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 Ampharos from Aquapolis, gems 5.7% of the time across 669 graded copies: +$4,260 is what a long run of submissions would average, $65,944 is what one lucky copy returns.
The median gem rate across the sampled Ampharos cards is 8.4%. Roughly one submitted copy in 12 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 22 ranked cards, 16 still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, 6 need a 10 to break even and 3 lose money on expectation. 20 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 Ampharos from Mega Evolution Black Star Promos at +$492.
Before you submit a Ampharos 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 Ampharos card list, or see how gem-mint premiums run across the whole catalogue on the PSA premium index.