Is Slowpoke worth grading?
Pokémon · Team Magma vs Team Aqua · 45/95 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 7.3× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Slowpoke sells for $99.59 against $13.66 raw: a $85.93 spread, 7.3× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.10) 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)
- $13.66
- PSA 10
- $99.59
- PSA 9
- $26.10
- Gem premium
- 7.3×
- 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 | $99.59 | +$60.93 | +$35.93 | −$64.07 |
| PSA 9 | $26.10 | −$12.56 | −$37.56 | −$138 |
| PSA 8 | $160 | +$121 | +$96.04 | −$3.96 |
Net = sale price − $13.66 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% | $44.47 | −$19.19 |
| 50% | $62.84 | −$0.81 |
| 75% | $81.22 | +$17.56 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 51%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CGC 10 | $243 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| PSA 10 | $99.59 | −$143 | 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 | BGS | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $99.59 | $243 | — | — |
| 9.5 | — | $175 | — | — |
| 9 | $188 | $175 | $55.00 | $40.49 |
| 8.5 | — | $89.73 | — | — |
| 8 | $160 | $72.00 | — | — |
| 7.5 | — | $11.00 | — | — |
| 7 | $79.70 | — | — | — |
| 6 | $29.87 | — | — | — |
| 5 | $24.88 | — | — | — |
| 4 | $24.99 | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Slowpoke — FAQ
Is Slowpoke worth grading?
A PSA 10 Slowpoke sells for $99.59 against $13.66 raw: a $85.93 spread, 7.3× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.10) 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 Slowpoke worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Slowpoke (Team Magma vs Team Aqua 45/95) sells for about $99.59 versus $13.66 for a raw near-mint copy — a 7.3× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Slowpoke?
By resale value, CGC 10 leads at $243, ahead of PSA 10 at $99.59. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Slowpoke need for a CGC 10?
CGC 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 Slowpoke break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Slowpoke breaks even when it gems about 51% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $26.10).
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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