Best Zekrom Cards to Grade
The Zekrom 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: Zekrom (Black & White) at an expected +$1,091.
Ranked by expected profit 23
| # | Card | Raw | PSA 9 | PSA 10 | Cost | Best case | Gem rate | Expected | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expected +$1,091 per submission: 11.2% of 581 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($10,752), and a PSA 9 ($650) still clears the $1,252 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $125 | $650 | $10,752 | $1,127 | +$9,501 | 11.2% | +$1,091 | 581 high |
| 2 | Expected +$581 per submission: 38.3% of 13,406 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,001), and a PSA 9 ($324) still clears the $459 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $220 | $324 | $2,001 | $239 | +$1,542 | 38.3% | +$581 | 13,406 high |
| 3 | Expected +$461 per submission: 31% of 3,808 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,280), and only a PSA 10 covers the $641 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $399 | $480 | $2,280 | $242 | +$1,639 | 31% | +$461 | 3,808 high |
| 4 | Expected +$410 per submission: 0.7% of 1,020 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($16,500), and a PSA 9 ($2,200) still clears the $1,269 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $85 | $2,200 | $16,500 | $1,184 | +$15,231 | 0.7% | +$410 | 1,020 high |
| 5 | Expected +$363 per submission: 0% of 188 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($102,000), and a PSA 9 ($2,200) still clears the $6,259 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $220 | $2,200 | $102,000 | $6,039 | +$95,741 | 0% | +$363 | 188 high |
| 6 | Expected +$329 per submission: 43.7% of 1,618 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($840), and a PSA 9 ($255) still clears the $174 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $86 | $255 | $840 | $88 | +$666 | 43.7% | +$329 | 1,618 high |
| 7 | Expected +$307 per submission: 52.1% of 1,790 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($822), and a PSA 9 ($250) still clears the $226 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $138 | $250 | $822 | $88 | +$596 | 52.1% | +$307 | 1,790 high |
| 8 | Expected +$279 per submission: 11.1% of 243 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,000), and a PSA 9 ($300) still clears the $248 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $9 | $300 | $2,000 | $239 | +$1,752 | 11.1% | +$279 | 243 high |
| 9 | Expected +$267 per submission: 10.6% of 47 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,050), and a PSA 9 ($122) still clears the $408 you have in it. Confidence medium on that sample. | $8 | $122 | $3,050 | $400 | +$2,643 | 10.6% | +$267 | 47 medium |
| 10 | Expected +$234 per submission: 0.9% of 223 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($30,000), and a PSA 9 ($795) still clears the $2,540 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $221 | $795 | $30,000 | $2,319 | +$27,460 | 0.9% | +$234 | 223 high |
| 11 | Expected +$214 per submission: 51% of 10,433 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,290), and only a PSA 10 covers the $713 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $600 | $530 | $1,290 | $113 | +$577 | 51% | +$214 | 10,433 high |
| 12 | Expected +$186 per submission: 10.9% of 55 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,525), and a PSA 9 ($316) still clears the $244 you have in it. Confidence medium on that sample. | $10 | $316 | $1,525 | $234 | +$1,281 | 10.9% | +$186 | 55 medium |
| 13 | Expected +$146 per submission: 31.5% of 6,335 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($771), and only a PSA 10 covers the $173 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $85 | $128 | $771 | $88 | +$598 | 31.5% | +$146 | 6,335 high |
| 14 | Expected +$128 per submission: 7.8% of 167 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,329), and a PSA 9 ($115) still clears the $251 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $9 | $115 | $2,329 | $242 | +$2,078 | 7.8% | +$128 | 167 high |
| 15 | Expected +$124 per submission: 11.8% of 85 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,650), and only a PSA 10 covers the $242 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence medium on that sample. | $6 | $75 | $1,650 | $236 | +$1,409 | 11.8% | +$124 | 85 medium |
| 16 | Expected +$105 per submission: 49.1% of 2,133 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($690), and only a PSA 10 covers the $339 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $252 | $235 | $690 | $87 | +$351 | 49.1% | +$105 | 2,133 high |
| 17 | Expected +$75 per submission: 4.1% of 74 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($4,000), and only a PSA 10 covers the $417 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence medium on that sample. | $8 | $20 | $4,000 | $409 | +$3,583 | 4.1% | +$75 | 74 medium |
| 18 | Expected +$55 per submission: 23.5% of 1,326 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($580), and only a PSA 10 covers the $146 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $60 | $96 | $580 | $86 | +$434 | 23.5% | +$55 | 1,326 high |
| 19 | Expected +$22 per submission: 61.5% of 10,706 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($432), and only a PSA 10 covers the $339 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $255 | $253 | $432 | $84 | +$93 | 61.5% | +$22 | 10,706 high |
| 20 | Expected +$21 per submission: 7.9% of 178 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($760), and only a PSA 10 covers the $98 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $10 | $75 | $760 | $88 | +$662 | 7.9% | +$21 | 178 high |
| 21 | Expected loss −$5 per submission: 23.1% of 6,118 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($286), and only a PSA 10 covers the $99 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $16 | $40 | $286 | $83 | +$187 | 23.1% | −$5 | 6,118 high |
| 22 | Expected loss −$10 per submission: 65.1% of 13,096 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($113), and only a PSA 10 covers the $97 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $16 | $41 | $113 | $81 | +$15 | 65.1% | −$10 | 13,096 high |
| 23 | Expected loss −$38 per submission: 4.2% of 71 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($450), and only a PSA 10 covers the $105 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence medium on that sample. | $21 | $90 | $450 | $84 | +$345 | 4.2% | −$38 | 71 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | $38 | — | $250 | $82 | +$130 | — | — | none <10 | |
| 25 | $26 | — | $229 | $82 | +$121 | — | — | 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 Zekrom ranking
Every Zekrom card listed here clears one bar: its PSA 10 price beats its raw price by more than the cost of grading it. 25 Zekrom printings pass. 23 of them (92%) have a gem-rate sample of at least ten graded copies in the population reports, and 20 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 Zekrom from Black & White, gems 11.2% of the time across 581 graded copies: +$1,091 is what a long run of submissions would average, $9,501 is what one lucky copy returns.
The median gem rate across the sampled Zekrom cards is 11.8%. Roughly one submitted copy in 8 came back PSA 10, and most rows here need that PSA 10 to cover raw price plus fee, so the gem rate decides whether a submission pays. Of the 23 ranked cards, 11 still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, 12 need a 10 to break even and 3 lose money on expectation. 18 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 Pikachu & Zekrom-GX from SM Black Star Promos at +$130.
Before you submit a Zekrom 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 Zekrom card list, or see how gem-mint premiums run across the whole catalogue on the PSA premium index.