The 2001 Neo Discovery Umbreon holo is the quiz card in this issue, in a PSA 2. PSA calls a 2 "Good," which means creasing, heavy wear, rounded corners, a card that was played with. Rip Station's estimate on this copy is $432. It is in the $200 machine.
Why a low grade on this card is a real price
- The character. Umbreon, Charizard, Pikachu, Mew, Lugia, Rayquaza: a short list of Pokemon whose cards carry a premium in every grade, because the buyer wants the picture, not the slab. The Neo Discovery Umbreon is the first English Umbreon holo and the one most collectors mean when they say "the Umbreon."
- The population. Neo-era holos were opened by children, played in decks and shuffled without sleeves. The grade distribution is bottom-heavy, which makes clean copies scarce and expensive; the PSA 10 on this card is a four-figure object. When the top of the ladder is that high, the bottom rungs are pulled up with it.
- Authentication. A PSA 2 has been examined, confirmed genuine and sealed. On a 25-year-old holo in a market with convincing fakes, that is the service most of the price pays for. A raw Umbreon in the same condition sells for much less than a slabbed one, not because the slab adds beauty but because it removes doubt.
The ladder on this card
Rip Station's card page shows the lanes. The shape is typical of a vintage chase card: a steep cliff from 10 to 9, a gentler slope through 8 to 5, and a long flat tail from 4 down to 1 where the price is mostly "it is a real Umbreon." A PSA 2 at $432 sits on that tail.
When a low grade is not worth it
On a common, or on a modern card with thousands of 10s, nothing below a 9 carries value beyond the raw card, and the grading fee is money lost. The test before you buy or grade a low-grade card is one question: what does the 10 sell for? If the answer is four figures, the 2 is a card. If it is $40, the 2 is a grading fee.
Grade Expectations ran in The Pack Report, October 14, 2026: A $2.2 Million Trophy Pikachu, With Eleven Days to Go. Published by Rip Station.