Is ホウオウ worth grading?
Pokémon · めざめる伝説 · No.250 · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of ホウオウ sell for $2,181, only $0.00 above the $35,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($454) 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)
- $35,000
- PSA 10
- $2,181
- PSA 9
- $454
- Gem premium
- 0.1×
- 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 | $2,181 | −$32,844 | −$32,869 | −$32,969 |
| PSA 9 | $454 | −$34,571 | −$34,596 | −$34,696 |
| PSA 8 | $235 | −$34,790 | −$34,815 | −$34,915 |
Net = sale price − $35,000 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% | $886 | −$34,164 |
| 50% | $1,318 | −$33,732 |
| 75% | $1,750 | −$33,300 |
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 | $2,181 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $902 | −$1,279 | 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 | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $2,181 | $902 | — | — | — | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | $388 | $190 | — | — |
| 9 | $454 | $175 | $148 | — | — | $201 |
| 8.5 | — | $70.87 | $52.01 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $235 | $98.30 | $70.00 | — | — | — |
| 7.5 | — | $52.98 | $47.00 | — | — | — |
| 7 | $25.80 | $60.00 | — | $53.00 | — | $160 |
| 6.5 | — | $118 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $105 | — | — | — | $200 | — |
| 5 | $36.94 | $55.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | $89.64 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | $58.87 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $53.27 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other めざめる伝説 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 $2,181, only $0.00 above the $35,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($454) 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 (めざめる伝説 No.250) sells for about $2,181 versus $35,000 for a raw near-mint copy — a 0.1× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for ホウオウ?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $2,181, ahead of CGC 10 at $902. 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.
Check my card free