The Shining Legends cards worth grading are secret Mewtwo GX 78/73, Shining Mew 40/73, Shining Rayquaza 56/73, and rainbow Entei GX 74/73 and Raichu GX 75/73. Grading means submitting a card to PSA for authentication, condition scoring, and sealed encapsulation on a 1-10 scale.
Shining Legends is a special holiday set that launched in the U.S. on October 6, 2017, according to The Pokémon Company International announcement. It was sold through branded products rather than booster boxes and revived the Neo-era Shining style with Shinings, GXs, full arts, and rainbow secrets through Mewtwo GX 78/73, as described in the Bleeding Cool set guide.
Table of Contents
- Why Mewtwo GX 78/73 is the top target
- Which Shinings justify grading fees?
- Are the rainbow GX secrets worth submitting?
- What should you check before you submit?
Why Mewtwo GX 78/73 is the top target
Secret Mewtwo GX 78/73 is the set's consensus chase card. The PokeInvest market tracker reports raw copies around $608 versus PSA 10 copies around $8,158, a gross margin near $7,551 before grading fees, in the PokeInvest market tracker. PSA certification data corroborates that premium and scarcity.
PSA certification verification shows PSA 10 estimates around $8,524-$9,121, with only about 2,753-2,759 PSA 10 copies among roughly 17,200 total graded. That gap makes Mewtwo GX 78/73 the clearest grading candidate. Only a PSA 10 captures the full premium.
Which Shinings justify grading fees?
Shining Mew 40/73 is the top Shining worth grading. PSA certification verification places PSA 10 estimates around $1,373-$1,395 with a population near 3,385-3,394, versus PSA 9 estimates of only about $230-$243. Shining Rayquaza 56/73 is the next-best Shining candidate.
PSA certification verification places PSA 10 estimates around $1,160-$1,264 with a population near 2,935, while PSA 9 estimates fall to about $190-$210. The pattern is consistent across both Shinings. A PSA 10 holds four-figure value, while a PSA 9 drops sharply.
Are the rainbow GX secrets worth submitting?
Rainbow secrets Entei GX 74/73 and Raichu GX 75/73 form the mid-tier grading targets. PSA certification verification and CardCodex price-guide data place PSA 10 estimates around $236-$264 and $246 respectively, versus raw prices near $30. The dollar gain is smaller than for Mewtwo GX or the top Shinings.
The percentage gain from raw to PSA 10 remains large enough to cover grading on clean copies. These are selective submissions, not bulk submissions. Reserve them for cards that look capable of PSA 10.
What should you check before you submit?
PSA 10 Gem Mint requires virtually perfect cards with about 55/45 front and 75/25 back centering. PSA grading standards explained via Just Collecting news note that only pack-fresh, sharp-cornered, well-centered chase Secrets and Shinings should be submitted because PSA 9s often lose money after fees, in the Just Collecting grading guide. Screen each candidate in strong light before paying: Do not submit off-center, worn, or uncertain PSA 9 candidates for these mid-tier cards.
- Front and back centering looks even, near 55/45 front and 75/25 back
- Corners are sharp with no whitening or bends
- Surface is clean with no scratches, print lines, or edge wear
- Card comes from a pack-fresh pull that went directly to a sleeve
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