Is Zekrom worth grading?
Pokémon · BW Black Star Promos · BW005 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 512× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Zekrom sells for $4,000 against $7.81 raw: a $3,992 spread, 512× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.00) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $7.81
- PSA 10
- $4,000
- PSA 9
- $20.00
- Gem premium
- 512×
- As of
- Sep 27, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — PSA 10 | $4,000 | +$3,967 | +$3,942 | +$3,842 |
| PSA 9 | $20.00 | −$12.81 | −$37.81 | −$138 |
| PSA 8 | $78.78 | +$45.97 | +$20.97 | −$79.03 |
Net = sale price − $7.81 raw value − fee. Fee tiers are illustrative; plug your grader's current price into the calculator below.
Expected value — how often does it need to gem?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $1,015 | +$957 |
| 50% | $2,010 | +$1,952 |
| 75% | $3,005 | +$2,947 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 1%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
Which grader pays the most — and what a 10 takes
All centering standards →| Grader | 10 sells for | vs best | Front centering for a 10 | Back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $4,000 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
Tolerances are each company's published centering standard for its top grade; surface, corners and edges must also be clean. Centering is the one you can measure yourself before you pay.
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Grading Zekrom — FAQ
Is Zekrom worth grading?
A PSA 10 Zekrom sells for $4,000 against $7.81 raw: a $3,992 spread, 512× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.00) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Zekrom worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Zekrom (BW Black Star Promos BW005) sells for about $4,000 versus $7.81 for a raw near-mint copy — a 512× premium as of Sep 27, 2026.
What centering does Zekrom need for a PSA 10?
PSA publishes 55/45 front and 75/25 back centering as the tolerance for a 10 (Gem Mint). Off-center copies are capped below the top grade regardless of surface — measure yours before paying the fee.
What gem rate makes grading Zekrom break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Zekrom breaks even when it gems about 1% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $20.00).
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