Is Escape Rope worth grading?
Pokémon · Burning Shadows · 163/147 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 5.2× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Escape Rope sells for $84.97 against $16.49 raw: a $68.48 spread, 5.2× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.46) 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)
- $16.49
- PSA 10
- $84.97
- PSA 9
- $28.46
- Gem premium
- 5.2×
- 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 | $84.97 | +$43.48 | +$18.48 | −$81.52 |
| PSA 9 | $28.46 | −$13.03 | −$38.03 | −$138 |
| PSA 8 | $36.47 | −$5.02 | −$30.02 | −$130 |
Net = sale price − $16.49 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% | $42.59 | −$23.90 |
| 50% | $56.72 | −$9.77 |
| 75% | $70.84 | +$4.35 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 67%. 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 | $84.97 | 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 | $84.97 | — |
| 9 | $28.46 | — |
| 8 | $36.47 | $9.00 |
| 7 | $20.00 | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other Burning Shadows cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Escape Rope — FAQ
Is Escape Rope worth grading?
A PSA 10 Escape Rope sells for $84.97 against $16.49 raw: a $68.48 spread, 5.2× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.46) 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 Escape Rope worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Escape Rope (Burning Shadows 163/147) sells for about $84.97 versus $16.49 for a raw near-mint copy — a 5.2× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Escape Rope 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 Escape Rope break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Escape Rope breaks even when it gems about 67% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $28.46).
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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