Is Dark Houndoom worth grading?
Pokémon · Team Rocket Returns · 5/109 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 16× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Dark Houndoom sells for $1,458 against $93.37 raw: a $1,365 spread, 16× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($112) 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)
- $93.37
- PSA 10
- $1,458
- PSA 9
- $112
- Gem premium
- 16×
- 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 | $1,458 | +$1,340 | +$1,315 | +$1,215 |
| PSA 9 | $112 | −$5.93 | −$30.93 | −$131 |
| PSA 8 | $103 | −$15.66 | −$40.66 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $93.37 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% | $449 | +$306 |
| 50% | $785 | +$642 |
| 75% | $1,122 | +$978 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 2%. 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 | $3,707 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $389 | −$3,318 | 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 | TAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $3,707 | $389 | — | — |
| 9.5 | — | $492 | $358 | — |
| 9 | $244 | $122 | $50.94 | $195 |
| 8.5 | — | $148 | — | — |
| 8 | $71.92 | $66.60 | $36.00 | — |
| 7.5 | — | $94.00 | — | — |
| 7 | $75.14 | $60.00 | — | — |
| 6.5 | — | $13.00 | — | — |
| 6 | $98.14 | — | — | — |
| 5 | $29.88 | — | — | — |
| 4 | $55.30 | — | — | — |
| 2 | $79.99 | — | — | — |
| 1 | $142 | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Other Team Rocket Returns cards worth checking
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Grading Dark Houndoom — FAQ
Is Dark Houndoom worth grading?
A PSA 10 Dark Houndoom sells for $1,458 against $93.37 raw: a $1,365 spread, 16× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($112) 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 Dark Houndoom worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Dark Houndoom (Team Rocket Returns 5/109) sells for about $1,458 versus $93.37 for a raw near-mint copy — a 16× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Dark Houndoom?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $3,707, ahead of CGC 10 at $389. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Dark Houndoom 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 Dark Houndoom break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Dark Houndoom breaks even when it gems about 2% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $112).
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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