Is Combusken worth grading?
Pokémon · Nintendo Black Star Promos · 009 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 7.1× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Combusken sells for $763 against $108 raw: a $655 spread, 7.1× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($84.97) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $108
- PSA 10
- $763
- PSA 9
- $84.97
- Gem premium
- 7.1×
- 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 | $763 | +$630 | +$605 | +$505 |
| PSA 9 | $84.97 | −$47.53 | −$72.53 | −$173 |
| PSA 8 | $115 | −$18.00 | −$43.00 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $108 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% | $254 | +$96.89 |
| 50% | $424 | +$266 |
| 75% | $593 | +$436 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 11%. 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 | $763 | best | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $763 | — |
| 9 | $84.97 | $115 |
| 8 | $115 | $37.00 |
| 7 | $50.10 | — |
| 4 | $44.82 | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other Nintendo Black Star Promos cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Combusken — FAQ
Is Combusken worth grading?
A PSA 10 Combusken sells for $763 against $108 raw: a $655 spread, 7.1× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($84.97) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Combusken worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Combusken (Nintendo Black Star Promos 009) sells for about $763 versus $108 for a raw near-mint copy — a 7.1× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Combusken 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 Combusken break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Combusken breaks even when it gems about 11% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $84.97).
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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