A CGC 8 to PSA 8 crossover sounds like a sideways move, but the population reports say the same number can mean three different PSA grades. On Base Set Unlimited Charizard a CGC 8 sits partly among PSA 7s; on most cards we checked it sits squarely on PSA 8; on the 1996 Japanese Base Set Charizard it sits among PSA 9s.
Since none of the graders reveal how often crossovers succeed, the figures below are Pokemon Pricing’s estimate, worked from each company’s population counts. What they show is that the grade you set as your minimum, 7, 8 or 9, matters more at this level than the crossover itself.
As of October 23, 2026: every PSA crossover carries a stated minimum; a card that misses it goes home in the old slab and the fee stands. Booking starts at $59.99 per card on Standard, which insures to $1,000. Of nine cards compared, the CGC 8 band reaches PSA 8 or better in full on six, and on two of those six it lands on PSA 9.
CGC 8 to PSA 8 by the numbers: nine cards
Card by card, we placed CGC’s 8s within that company’s numeric ranking, then looked up which PSA grades occupy the same slice of PSA’s ranking for the same card. The CGC side was captured from the live report on October 23, 2026. PSA’s live report needs a login, so PSA counts come from archived PSA price pages that show population columns, dated by month below.
| Card | CGC 8 slice of CGC numeric slabs | PSA 8-or-better line (snapshot) | PSA grades in that slice, our estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Set Unlimited Charizard | 21.2% to 32.9% | 26.6% (Mar 2026) | 46% PSA 8; the lower part PSA 7.5 and PSA 7 |
| Base Set Unlimited Mewtwo | 32.9% to 47.2% | 46.0% (Jun 2025) | 92% PSA 8; a sliver PSA 7 |
| 1st Edition Blastoise | 27.8% to 39.1% | 40.1% (Oct 2025) | All PSA 8 |
| 1st Edition Venusaur | 26.4% to 36.6% | 44.6% (Jul 2025) | 11% PSA 8.5, the rest PSA 8 |
| Evolving Skies Umbreon VMAX 215 | 92.9% to 96.1% | 96.3% (Jun 2025) | All PSA 8 |
| 151 Charizard ex 199 | 91.2% to 96.3% | 96.8% (Apr 2025) | All PSA 8 |
| Van Gogh Pikachu (SVP 085) | 93.2% to 96.3% | 95.4% (Jan 2026) | 70% PSA 8, 30% PSA 7 |
| Japanese Base Set Charizard | 19.1% to 27.7% | PSA 9 line: 27.7% (Jun 2025) | All PSA 9 |
| Umbreon VMAX 095, Eevee Heroes | 95.0% to 97.1% | PSA 9 line: 97.4% (Jul 2025) | All PSA 9 (only 5 CGC 8s) |
Read the Mewtwo row like this. CGC 8 Mewtwos are the copies between the top 32.9% and the top 47.2% of CGC’s report. On PSA’s report, PSA 8s and everything above fill the top 46.0%. All but the last sliver of the CGC 8 slice sits above that line, so by population a CGC 8 Mewtwo is a PSA 8.
Our estimate in one sentence: for a CGC 8, holding the grade at PSA is the population-implied result on most cards, a drop toward PSA 7 is implied for Base Unlimited Charizard and part of the Van Gogh Pikachu band, and a lift to PSA 9 is implied for the two Japanese cards.
Three cards, three answers
Base Set Unlimited Charizard: half the band sits on PSA 7
This is the card that breaks the idea that CGC grades run equal to or lower than PSA’s. CGC has given 8 or better to 32.9% of its numeric Unlimited Charizards. PSA, on a pile of copies many times larger, has given 8 or better to only 26.6%, and 7 or better to 43.7%. So the lower part of the CGC 8 slice lands among PSA 7s. Whether that is because PSA grades the card harder or because PSA’s pile includes far more played copies, the population data cannot say. It does say that a minimum of 8 on a CGC 8 Unlimited Charizard is a real hurdle, not a formality.
The sale record points the same way. On Goldin, a CGC 8.5 Unlimited Charizard went for $808 (8/16/26) and a PSA 8 for $1,708 (9/13/26), both all-in prices with Goldin’s buyer’s premium (“Buyer’s Premium 22% ($19 min)”). The market priced a CGC grade half a point higher below the PSA 8. Our research found no Goldin sale of a CGC 8 Unlimited Charizard to compare directly.
Evolving Skies Umbreon VMAX 215: a straight swap
On this modern alt art, 8 is a low grade at both companies. CGC 8s are the bottom few percent of CGC’s numeric slabs (between the top 92.9% and the top 96.1%), and PSA 8 or better covers 96.3% of PSA’s. The CGC 8 slice falls entirely within PSA 8. The same is true of 151 Charizard ex. On these cards an 8 is mostly a sign of a visible flaw, and both companies seem to find the same flaws.
Japanese Base Set Charizard: the CGC 8 that looks like a PSA 9
The 1996 Japanese Charizard runs the other way. CGC has graded only 27.7% of its numeric copies 8 or better, while PSA 9 or better alone covers 27.7% of PSA’s numeric copies (a coincidence of rounding; the CGC line sits a hair inside the PSA one). Every CGC 8 falls in PSA 9 territory by population. That is the strongest case in our sample for setting a minimum higher than the CGC grade. Our Japanese and modern crossover guide looks at why Japanese cards behave differently.
Centering: the rule the population data cannot see
PSA 8 is NM-MT, with front centering of “approximately 65/35 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.” PSA 9 tightens the front to 60/40. CGC’s scale also lists 65/35 for its 8, but the line reads “For sports and non-sports cards, centering must be 65/35 or better.” For Pokémon cards, CGC sets no centering number for an 8.
That gap is the most common reason a mid-grade crossover can fail even on a card where the population math looks safe. A CGC 8 with 70/30 borders is legal at CGC and capped at PSA 7. The reverse also holds: a CGC 8 that got its grade for a surface scratch but is centered 55/45 may be the copy that clears a minimum of 9 on the Japanese Charizard. Measure the borders before you choose a minimum.
Picking a minimum: 7, 8 or 9
PSA insists on a number: “When using the Crossover Service, YOU MUST provide a minimum grade on the submission form.” The minimum is a floor, not a target, so a card set at 8 that PSA sees as a 9 comes back a PSA 9.
- Minimum 8 keeps the grade and fails on any lower opinion. On Unlimited Charizard the population estimate leaves only 46% of the CGC 8 band above that floor.
- Minimum 9 only makes sense where PSA 9s share the slice, as on the Japanese Base Charizard. Elsewhere it sends the card home in CGC plastic most of the time, fee paid.
- Minimum 7 accepts a downgrade to get the PSA label. Whether that is a trade up depends on the card’s prices, and on Unlimited Charizard the Goldin sales above suggest a PSA slab one grade down can still outsell the CGC one.
A miss has a fixed cost and no other damage: “If your item doesn’t meet the minimum grade, it is returned to you in the original holder.” The failed-crossover explainer lays out that return trip, and the grade below this one, CGC 7.5 to PSA 8, is almost entirely a question of fees.
What PSA’s own price pages say each step is worth
The archived PSA pages we used for population also carry an average-price column for each PSA grade (PSA does not say over what period). Treat these as PSA’s figures on the snapshot date, not current values.
| Card (PSA snapshot) | Average, PSA 7 | Average, PSA 8 | Average, PSA 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Set Unlimited Charizard (Mar 2026) | $550.87 | $860.33 | $2,066.76 |
| Base Set Unlimited Mewtwo (Jun 2025) | $52.94 | $76.77 | $162.69 |
| Japanese Base Set Charizard (Jun 2025) | $300.66 | $384.33 | $829.50 |
Three things follow, all our arithmetic on PSA’s published averages. On Mewtwo, the $59.99 Standard fee equals about 78% of an average PSA 8, so crossing a CGC 8 Mewtwo for the label spends most of what the slab is worth. On Japanese Base Charizard, the step from an average PSA 8 to an average PSA 9 is $445.17, which is what makes the PSA 9 minimum interesting on that card. On Unlimited Charizard the PSA 8-to-9 step is $1,206.43, but the population data gives a CGC 8 no overlap with PSA 9 there.
Fees and the service-level trap
PSA’s price list, read October 23, 2026, charges $59.99 for Standard (insured to $1,000), $79.99 for Priority (to $1,500) and $199.00 for Express (to $2,500); the Value tiers are shown as “Value Services Are Temporarily Paused”. PSA notes that minimum grades are “only available on select service levels” and does not list them, so check the submission form before assuming the Standard price applies to a crossover.
The tier is set by what the card is worth after grading, not before. Per PSA’s FAQ, a graded item found to exceed its tier’s coverage gets moved up: PSA “will upgrade the service level for that item”, with the extra charged to you. A PSA 8 Unlimited Charizard that sells for $1,708 sits above the Priority ceiling, so a successful cross would be billed at Express rates. Budget for the tier the card will occupy if it succeeds.
The other companies do not shortcut this. CGC’s crossover runs only into CGC holders and only “if CGC Cards believes that the card will receive a grade that is the same or higher”; TAG offers no crossover at all. If you are thinking about a fresh CGC holder rather than a PSA one, our note on reholdering versus regrading separates the two services. For how many of each Base Set holo exist in slabs at all, see our Base Set holo population hub, and for every grade pair in one place, the crossover grading hub. The half-grade above this one is covered in CGC 8.5 to PSA 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a CGC 8 cross over to a PSA 8?
No pass rate exists in print. Our population comparison gives a different answer per card: for Unlimited Charizard just 46% of the CGC 8 band reaches PSA 8, on Mewtwo 92%, and on 1st Edition Blastoise, Evolving Skies Umbreon VMAX 215 and 151 Charizard ex the whole band does.
Can a CGC 8 come back a PSA 9?
On some cards the population data points that way. For the 1996 Japanese Base Set Charizard and the Eevee Heroes Umbreon VMAX 095, the CGC 8 band sits entirely where PSA 9s sit. On the English vintage and modern cards we checked, it sits on PSA 8.5 or lower.
Is a CGC 8 the same as a PSA 8?
Both sit at the near mint-mint level and both cite 65/35 front centering, but CGC attaches that ratio to baseball-type issues; for game cards like Pokemon it publishes no centering cutoff for an 8. The populations show the two labels can sit a full grade apart on the same card.
What happens if my CGC 8 does not make the minimum?
You get the card back untouched in CGC plastic, and the fee for whichever tier you booked is not refunded.
Is crossing a CGC 8 worth the PSA fee?
On low-value cards it rarely adds up: Standard costs $59.99, while PSA’s archived page put the average PSA 8 Mewtwo at $76.77. On cards where a PSA 9 is possible, the step from PSA 8 to PSA 9 can be several hundred dollars.
Sources
- Crossover Service — PSA, read October 23, 2026
- Trading Card Grading: services and prices — PSA, read October 23, 2026
- Grading Standards — PSA, read October 23, 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions — PSA, read October 23, 2026
- Grading Scale — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- CGC Cards grading services and fees — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- Population report: Base Set Unlimited — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- Population report: Base Set 1st Edition — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- Population report: Evolving Skies — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- Population report: Scarlet & Violet 151 — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- Population report: Scarlet & Violet Black Star Promos — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- Population report: Japanese Base Set — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- Population report: Eevee Heroes (S6a) — CGC Cards, read October 23, 2026
- Auction Prices Realized: 1999 Pokemon Game Charizard-Holo (population columns) — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine capture of March 2, 2026
- CardFacts: 1999 Nintendo Pokemon Game Mewtwo-Holo #10 (population columns) — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine capture of June 9, 2025
- Auction Prices Realized: 1999 Pokemon Game 1st Edition Blastoise-Holo — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine capture of October 21, 2025
- CardFacts: 1999 Nintendo Pokemon Game Venusaur-Holo 1st Edition #15 — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine capture of July 6, 2025
- Auction Prices Realized: Evolving Skies Full Art / Umbreon Vmax #215 — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine capture of June 26, 2025
- Auction Prices Realized: 2023 Pokemon Mew EN-151 Charizard Ex #199 — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine capture of April 7, 2025
- Auction Prices Realized: Pokemon x Van Gogh Pikachu With Grey Felt Hat — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine capture of January 25, 2026
- Auction Prices Realized: 1996 Pokemon Japanese Basic Charizard-Holo #6 — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine capture of June 20, 2025
- Auction Prices Realized: Eevee Heroes Full Art / Umbreon Vmax-Hyper #095 — PSA, archived by the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine capture of July 17, 2025
- About Goldin (buyer’s premium table) — Goldin, read October 23, 2026
- 1999 Pokemon Base Set Holo #4 Charizard – PSA NM-MT 8 — Goldin, auction ending 9/13/26, read October 23, 2026
- 1999 Pokemon Base Set Holo #4 Charizard – CGC NM/MINT+ 8.5 — Goldin, auction ending 8/16/26, read October 23, 2026
No grading company publishes crossover pass rates. Any crossover odds on this page are Pokemon Pricing’s estimate, labelled as one, built from the published grading standards and population reports on the dates shown. Fees, populations and sale prices change; check the grading company’s current price list before submitting. This article is collector information, not investment advice. Pokémon and all card names are trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc. and GAME FREAK inc.; Pokemon Pricing is not affiliated with them or with any grading company.