Best Ancient Origins Cards to Grade
The Ancient Origins 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: Lugia-EX at an expected +$1,086.
Ranked by expected profit 29
| # | Card | Raw | PSA 9 | PSA 10 | Cost | Best case | Gem rate | Expected | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expected +$1,086 per submission: 16% of 3,015 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($7,000), and a PSA 9 ($700) still clears the $877 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $188 | $700 | $7,000 | $689 | +$6,123 | 16% | +$1,086 | 3,015 high |
| 2 | Expected +$965 per submission: 23.3% of 3,321 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($4,620), and a PSA 9 ($760) still clears the $697 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $282 | $760 | $4,620 | $415 | +$3,922 | 23.3% | +$965 | 3,321 high |
| 3 | Expected +$942 per submission: 9.3% of 579 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($9,800), and a PSA 9 ($2,070) still clears the $1,517 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $800 | $2,070 | $9,800 | $717 | +$8,283 | 9.3% | +$942 | 579 high |
| 4 | Expected +$876 per submission: 23.5% of 1,407 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,995), and a PSA 9 ($420) still clears the $500 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $91 | $420 | $3,995 | $409 | +$3,495 | 23.5% | +$876 | 1,407 high |
| 5 | Expected +$690 per submission: 16.3% of 3,093 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($4,755), and a PSA 9 ($630) still clears the $699 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $282 | $630 | $4,755 | $417 | +$4,056 | 16.3% | +$690 | 3,093 high |
| 6 | Expected +$610 per submission: 20% of 1,148 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,499), and a PSA 9 ($255) still clears the $479 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $75 | $255 | $3,499 | $404 | +$3,020 | 20% | +$610 | 1,148 high |
| 7 | Expected +$403 per submission: 22.3% of 775 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,200), and only a PSA 10 covers the $273 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $32 | $100 | $2,200 | $241 | +$1,927 | 22.3% | +$403 | 775 high |
| 8 | Expected +$343 per submission: 10.8% of 500 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,500), and a PSA 9 ($175) still clears the $414 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $10 | $175 | $3,500 | $404 | +$3,086 | 10.8% | +$343 | 500 high |
| 9 | Expected +$301 per submission: 21.5% of 636 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,825), and only a PSA 10 covers the $287 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $50 | $115 | $1,825 | $237 | +$1,538 | 21.5% | +$301 | 636 high |
| 10 | Expected +$254 per submission: 22% of 1,003 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,599), and only a PSA 10 covers the $298 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $63 | $140 | $1,599 | $235 | +$1,301 | 22% | +$254 | 1,003 high |
| 11 | Expected +$250 per submission: 22.3% of 1,421 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,350), and a PSA 9 ($230) still clears the $203 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $90 | $230 | $1,350 | $113 | +$1,146 | 22.3% | +$250 | 1,421 high |
| 12 | Expected +$249 per submission: 26.6% of 1,708 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,250), and a PSA 9 ($190) still clears the $188 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $76 | $190 | $1,250 | $112 | +$1,062 | 26.6% | +$249 | 1,708 high |
| 13 | Expected +$241 per submission: 18.3% of 496 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,615), and a PSA 9 ($164) still clears the $266 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $31 | $164 | $1,615 | $235 | +$1,349 | 18.3% | +$241 | 496 high |
| 14 | Expected +$240 per submission: 29.7% of 607 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,000), and a PSA 9 ($135) still clears the $132 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $42 | $135 | $1,000 | $90 | +$868 | 29.7% | +$240 | 607 high |
| 15 | Expected +$187 per submission: 6% of 2,380 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,400), and a PSA 9 ($270) still clears the $468 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $65 | $270 | $3,400 | $403 | +$2,932 | 6% | +$187 | 2,380 high |
| 16 | Expected +$172 per submission: 20.8% of 636 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,160), and only a PSA 10 covers the $147 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $35 | $100 | $1,160 | $112 | +$1,013 | 20.8% | +$172 | 636 high |
| 17 | Expected +$101 per submission: 24.7% of 1,402 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($660), and only a PSA 10 covers the $97 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $10 | $67 | $660 | $87 | +$563 | 24.7% | +$101 | 1,402 high |
| 18 | Expected +$31 per submission: 26.9% of 550 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($399), and only a PSA 10 covers the $119 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $35 | $71 | $399 | $84 | +$280 | 26.9% | +$31 | 550 high |
| 19 | Expected +$20 per submission: 41.1% of 248 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($218), and only a PSA 10 covers the $90 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $8 | $42 | $218 | $82 | +$128 | 41.1% | +$20 | 248 high |
| 20 | Expected +$18 per submission: 22.7% of 607 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($312), and only a PSA 10 covers the $91 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $8 | $81 | $312 | $83 | +$221 | 22.7% | +$18 | 607 high |
| 21 | 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 | +$145 | 38.5% | +$17 | 192 high |
| 22 | Expected +$14 per submission: 16.5% of 188 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($480), and only a PSA 10 covers the $102 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $17 | $80 | $480 | $85 | +$378 | 16.5% | +$14 | 188 high |
| 23 | Expected +$9 per submission: 3% of 203 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,750), and a PSA 9 ($261) still clears the $537 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $140 | $261 | $2,750 | $397 | +$2,213 | 3% | +$9 | 203 high |
| 24 | Expected loss −$15 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% | −$15 | 735 high |
| 25 | Expected loss −$16 per submission: 23.5% of 98 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($249), and only a PSA 10 covers the $90 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence medium on that sample. | $8 | $32 | $249 | $82 | +$159 | 23.5% | −$16 | 98 medium |
| 26 | Expected loss −$20 per submission: 24.4% of 889 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($200), and only a PSA 10 covers the $101 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $19 | $55 | $200 | $82 | +$99 | 24.4% | −$20 | 889 high |
| 27 | Expected loss −$31 per submission: 19.6% of 276 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($126), and only a PSA 10 covers the $91 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $10 | $80 | $126 | $81 | +$35 | 19.6% | −$31 | 276 high |
| 28 | Expected loss −$35 per submission: 12.5% of 313 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($314), and only a PSA 10 covers the $103 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $20 | $50 | $314 | $83 | +$211 | 12.5% | −$35 | 313 high |
| 29 | Expected loss −$50 per submission: 17.7% of 282 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($153), and only a PSA 10 covers the $97 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $15 | $43 | $153 | $82 | +$56 | 17.7% | −$50 | 282 high |
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 Ancient Origins ranking
Every Ancient Origins card listed here clears one bar: its PSA 10 price beats its raw price by more than the cost of grading it. 29 cards from the set pass. 29 of them (100%) have a gem-rate sample of at least ten graded copies in the population reports, and 23 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 Lugia-EX from Ancient Origins, gems 16% of the time across 3,015 graded copies: +$1,086 is what a long run of submissions would average, $6,123 is what one lucky copy returns.
The median gem rate across the sampled Ancient Origins cards is 22%. Roughly one submitted copy in 5 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 29 ranked cards, 13 still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, 16 need a 10 to break even and 6 lose money on expectation. 28 rest on a hundred or more graded copies.
Before you submit a Ancient Origins 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 Ancient Origins card list, or see how gem-mint premiums run across the whole catalogue on the PSA premium index.