Hello! I have been out of the Pokémon card loop for a while, and have recently come back into the addiction. I have a potential trade on my hands, but I’m finding it difficult to see if this is a fair trade.
My PSA 9 Base Unlimited Charizard for his PSA 1 Gold Star Espeon.
Would this be a straight trade? Is one side off balance? I can see recently sold Zards on eBay, but PSA 1 GS Espeon only has a pop of 2, and it is hard to judge its value.
What is your opinion of this potential trade?
I don’t know if I would trade a Charizard for a PSA 1 anything… Would that person probably sell you it? I’m sure that your charizard could surely garner something a bit better than a gold star that has gone through a washing machine.
PSA 1 is almost the worst condition a card can get, so don’t go off pop report alone when determining value or rarity. Personally I would not do that trade, you can get much much better for your Zard.
The PSA grading scale goes from 1-10. A PSA 1 is the grade given to cards in the worst condition they will grade, and a PSA 10 is given to cards in the best condition. There are 2 Espeon Gold Stars in the worst condition possible, and 52 in the best condition possible. Your Charizard is only one grade below the best possible, I wouldn’t trade it for the worst of the worst.
Nowhere near equal.
Agree with the others, that is a terrible trade.
Certain PSA grades, like PSA 1 and PSA 8.5, can have low populations for that specific grade. That doesn’t make the card rare and/or valuable.
Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I will take your advice and not go through with the trade. Thanks!
Random question, was this deal proposed through Virbank by any chance?
It was found through reddit. This other person made a post on r/pokemontcgtrades. He valued his PSA 1 GS Espeon at $275, and was searching for a graded Base Zard. I happened to have an extra PSA 9 and thought I would post here before going through with the trade.
If you need this person’s screen name, let me know.
Honestly the trade isn’t terrible. I’d say it’s pretty unlikely you’d find a poor condition Gold Star Espeon for under $200. I mean yeah, it’s in terrible condition, but it’s magnitudes more rare than a PSA 9 base charizard. If you’re trying for a gold star set, it’s not a completely uneven trade as others are saying.
which card would you rather have in your collection? After answering I’d choose that option
No collection is complete without at least a couple of cards in shitty condition! 
I say go for it if you really want the card.
I just bought a gold star espeon for 150, a little over two weeks ago.
Should I get it graded?
Post a picture of the card front and back, the answer is going to be most likely “yes”