Best Base Set 2 Cards to Grade
The Base Set 2 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: Charizard at an expected +$172.
Ranked by expected profit 24
| # | Card | Raw | PSA 9 | PSA 10 | Cost | Best case | Gem rate | Expected | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expected +$172 per submission: 0.3% of 23,165 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($57,600), and a PSA 9 ($1,900) still clears the $3,995 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $400 | $1,900 | $57,600 | $3,595 | +$53,605 | 0.3% | +$172 | 23,165 high |
| 2 | Expected +$125 per submission: 0.5% of 5,301 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($34,125), and a PSA 9 ($250) still clears the $2,380 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $20 | $250 | $34,125 | $2,360 | +$31,745 | 0.5% | +$125 | 5,301 high |
| 3 | Expected +$102 per submission: 16.1% of 716 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($900), and a PSA 9 ($101) still clears the $109 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $20 | $101 | $900 | $89 | +$791 | 16.1% | +$102 | 716 high |
| 4 | Expected +$93 per submission: 0.5% of 11,528 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($21,000), and a PSA 9 ($750) still clears the $1,369 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $140 | $750 | $21,000 | $1,229 | +$19,631 | 0.5% | +$93 | 11,528 high |
| 5 | Expected +$93 per submission: 1.8% of 4,503 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($6,117), and a PSA 9 ($329) still clears the $735 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $55 | $329 | $6,117 | $680 | +$5,382 | 1.8% | +$93 | 4,503 high |
| 6 | Expected +$77 per submission: 3% of 3,539 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($4,000), and a PSA 9 ($136) still clears the $439 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $30 | $136 | $4,000 | $409 | +$3,561 | 3% | +$77 | 3,539 high |
| 7 | Expected +$63 per submission: 1.4% of 4,988 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($6,800), and a PSA 9 ($300) still clears the $732 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $45 | $300 | $6,800 | $687 | +$6,068 | 1.4% | +$63 | 4,988 high |
| 8 | Expected +$49 per submission: 0.9% of 3,376 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($8,100), and a PSA 9 ($325) still clears the $735 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $35 | $325 | $8,100 | $700 | +$7,365 | 0.9% | +$49 | 3,376 high |
| 9 | Expected +$38 per submission: 0.9% of 2,420 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($9,000), and a PSA 9 ($210) still clears the $726 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $17 | $210 | $9,000 | $709 | +$8,274 | 0.9% | +$38 | 2,420 high |
| 10 | Expected +$36 per submission: 1.9% of 4,203 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,750), and a PSA 9 ($170) still clears the $447 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $40 | $170 | $3,750 | $407 | +$3,304 | 1.9% | +$36 | 4,203 high |
| 11 | Expected +$36 per submission: 2.5% of 3,451 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,550), and a PSA 9 ($151) still clears the $437 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $32 | $151 | $3,550 | $405 | +$3,113 | 2.5% | +$36 | 3,451 high |
| 12 | Expected +$25 per submission: 13.5% of 347 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($469), and a PSA 9 ($105) still clears the $95 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $10 | $105 | $469 | $85 | +$375 | 13.5% | +$25 | 347 high |
| 13 | Expected +$12 per submission: 2.4% of 4,669 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,500), and a PSA 9 ($120) still clears the $261 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $17 | $120 | $2,500 | $244 | +$2,239 | 2.4% | +$12 | 4,669 high |
| 14 | Expected +$11 per submission: 0.9% of 2,597 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($7,500), and a PSA 9 ($146) still clears the $728 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $34 | $146 | $7,500 | $694 | +$6,772 | 0.9% | +$11 | 2,597 high |
| 15 | Expected +$11 per submission: 21.7% of 543 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($360), and only a PSA 10 covers the $89 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $5 | $34 | $360 | $84 | +$271 | 21.7% | +$11 | 543 high |
| 16 | Expected +$4 per submission: 1.1% of 9,835 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($5,000), and a PSA 9 ($330) still clears the $519 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $100 | $330 | $5,000 | $419 | +$4,481 | 1.1% | +$4 | 9,835 high |
| 17 | Expected +$2 per submission: 0.8% of 2,856 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($6,600), and a PSA 9 ($210) still clears the $720 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $35 | $210 | $6,600 | $685 | +$5,880 | 0.8% | +$2 | 2,856 high |
| 18 | Expected loss −$7 per submission: 21.6% of 204 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($284), and only a PSA 10 covers the $89 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $6 | $37 | $284 | $83 | +$196 | 21.6% | −$7 | 204 high |
| 19 | Expected loss −$16 per submission: 0.8% of 3,443 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($5,760), and a PSA 9 ($155) still clears the $717 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $40 | $155 | $5,760 | $677 | +$5,043 | 0.8% | −$16 | 3,443 high |
| 20 | Expected loss −$18 per submission: 0.9% of 2,805 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($3,960), and a PSA 9 ($200) still clears the $435 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $26 | $200 | $3,960 | $409 | +$3,525 | 0.9% | −$18 | 2,805 high |
| 21 | Expected loss −$24 per submission: 1% of 3,458 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,950), and a PSA 9 ($138) still clears the $431 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $32 | $138 | $2,950 | $399 | +$2,519 | 1% | −$24 | 3,458 high |
| 22 | Expected loss −$28 per submission: 21.5% of 205 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($138), and only a PSA 10 covers the $88 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $7 | $54 | $138 | $81 | +$50 | 21.5% | −$28 | 205 high |
| 23 | Expected loss −$34 per submission: 34.2% of 120 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($108), and only a PSA 10 covers the $87 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $6 | $35 | $108 | $81 | +$21 | 34.2% | −$34 | 120 high |
| 24 | Expected loss −$45 per submission: 0.6% of 3,831 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($454), and a PSA 9 ($200) still clears the $105 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $20 | $200 | $454 | $85 | +$349 | 0.6% | −$45 | 3,831 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 Base Set 2 ranking
Every Base Set 2 card listed here clears one bar: its PSA 10 price beats its raw price by more than the cost of grading it. 24 cards from the set pass. 24 of them (100%) 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 Charizard from Base Set 2, gems 0.3% of the time across 23,165 graded copies: +$172 is what a long run of submissions would average, $53,605 is what one lucky copy returns.
The median gem rate across the sampled Base Set 2 cards is 1.4%. Roughly one submitted copy in 71 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 24 ranked cards, 20 still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, 4 need a 10 to break even and 7 lose money on expectation. 24 rest on a hundred or more graded copies.
Before you submit a Base Set 2 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 Base Set 2 card list, or see how gem-mint premiums run across the whole catalogue on the PSA premium index.