Is ホウオウ worth grading?
Pokémon · ひかる闇 · DPBP#300 · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of ホウオウ sell for $941, only $0.00 above the $5,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($37.66) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $5,000
- PSA 10
- $941
- PSA 9
- $37.66
- Gem premium
- 0.2×
- As of
- Aug 10, 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 | $941 | −$4,084 | −$4,109 | −$4,209 |
| PSA 9 | $37.66 | −$4,987 | −$5,012 | −$5,112 |
| PSA 8 | $79.09 | −$4,946 | −$4,971 | −$5,071 |
Net = sale price − $5,000 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% | $263 | −$4,787 |
| 50% | $489 | −$4,561 |
| 75% | $715 | −$4,335 |
At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.
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 | $941 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $305 | −$635 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $938 | $50.00 | — | — |
| 9.5 | — | $49.00 | — | — |
| 9 | $190 | $80.00 | $60.44 | $204 |
| 8 | $22.73 | — | — | — |
| 7 | $48.87 | — | — | — |
| 6 | $89.99 | — | — | — |
| 1 | $72.09 | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other ひかる闇 cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading ホウオウ — FAQ
Is ホウオウ worth grading?
PSA 10 copies of ホウオウ sell for $941, only $0.00 above the $5,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($37.66) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
How much is a PSA 10 ホウオウ worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 ホウオウ (ひかる闇 DPBP#300) sells for about $941 versus $5,000 for a raw near-mint copy — a 0.2× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for ホウオウ?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $941, ahead of CGC 10 at $305. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does ホウオウ 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.
Is your Pokémon card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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