Is Blastoise ex worth grading?
Pokémon · FireRed & LeafGreen · 104/112 · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of Blastoise ex sell for $592, only $16.39 above the $575 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. Even a PSA 9 ($1,834) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $575
- PSA 10
- $592
- PSA 9
- $1,834
- Gem premium
- 1.0×
- 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 | $592 | −$8.61 | −$33.61 | −$134 |
| PSA 9 | $1,834 | +$1,234 | +$1,209 | +$1,109 |
| PSA 8 | $944 | +$344 | +$319 | +$219 |
Net = sale price − $575 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% | $1,524 | +$899 |
| 50% | $1,213 | +$588 |
| 75% | $902 | +$277 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 97%. 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 | $2,029 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| PSA 10 | $592 | −$1,438 | 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 | SGC | TAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $592 | $2,029 | — | — | — |
| 9.5 | — | $1,204 | $1,060 | — | — |
| 9 | $1,834 | $840 | $1,372 | — | — |
| 8.5 | — | $480 | $860 | — | — |
| 8 | $944 | $425 | $450 | — | $800 |
| 7 | $675 | — | — | — | — |
| 6.5 | — | — | — | — | $405 |
| 6 | $648 | — | — | $157 | $370 |
| 5 | $406 | — | — | — | — |
| 4.5 | — | — | $140 | — | — |
| 4 | $51.00 | — | — | $60.00 | — |
| 3 | $218 | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | $234 | — | — | $150 | — |
| 1 | $227 | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other FireRed & LeafGreen cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Blastoise ex — FAQ
Is Blastoise ex worth grading?
PSA 10 copies of Blastoise ex sell for $592, only $16.39 above the $575 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. Even a PSA 9 ($1,834) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
How much is a PSA 10 Blastoise ex worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Blastoise ex (FireRed & LeafGreen 104/112) sells for about $592 versus $575 for a raw near-mint copy — a 1.0× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Blastoise ex?
By resale value, CGC 10 leads at $2,029, ahead of PSA 10 at $592. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Blastoise ex 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 Blastoise ex break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Blastoise ex breaks even when it gems about 97% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $1,834).
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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