Is Ho-Oh worth grading?
Pokémon · POP Series 5 · 1/17 · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 10 Ho-Oh sells for $335 against $20.00 raw: a $315 spread, 17× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($135) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $20.00
- PSA 10
- $335
- PSA 9
- $135
- Gem premium
- 17×
- 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 | $335 | +$290 | +$265 | +$165 |
| PSA 9 | $135 | +$89.93 | +$64.93 | −$35.07 |
| PSA 8 | $174 | +$129 | +$104 | +$3.84 |
Net = sale price − $20.00 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% | $185 | +$115 |
| 50% | $235 | +$165 |
| 75% | $285 | +$215 |
Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.
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 | $335 | 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 | BGS | TAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $335 | — | — | — |
| 9 | $300 | — | — | — |
| 8.5 | $173 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $178 | $74.89 | $62.00 | — |
| 7 | $118 | $40.00 | — | — |
| 6.5 | — | $6.00 | — | — |
| 6 | $46.85 | — | — | $85.00 |
| 5.5 | — | $20.40 | — | — |
| 5 | $33.25 | $6.00 | — | — |
| 4.5 | — | $9.00 | — | — |
| 4 | $240 | — | — | — |
| 1 | $88.53 | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other POP Series 5 cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Ho-Oh — FAQ
Is Ho-Oh worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ho-Oh sells for $335 against $20.00 raw: a $315 spread, 17× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($135) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Ho-Oh worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ho-Oh (POP Series 5 1/17) sells for about $335 versus $20.00 for a raw near-mint copy — a 17× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Ho-Oh 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.
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