Is Alolan Ninetales worth grading?
Pokémon · Burning Shadows · 28/147 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 79× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Alolan Ninetales sells for $150 against $1.91 raw: a $148 spread, 79× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.85) 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)
- $1.91
- PSA 10
- $150
- PSA 9
- $24.85
- Gem premium
- 79×
- 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 | $150 | +$123 | +$98.09 | −$1.91 |
| PSA 9 | $24.85 | −$2.06 | −$27.06 | −$127 |
| PSA 8 | $56.95 | +$30.04 | +$5.04 | −$94.96 |
Net = sale price − $1.91 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% | $56.14 | +$4.23 |
| 50% | $87.42 | +$35.52 |
| 75% | $119 | +$66.80 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 22%. 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 | $399 | 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.
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Other Burning Shadows cards worth checking
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Grading Alolan Ninetales — FAQ
Is Alolan Ninetales worth grading?
A PSA 10 Alolan Ninetales sells for $150 against $1.91 raw: a $148 spread, 79× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.85) 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 Alolan Ninetales worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Alolan Ninetales (Burning Shadows 28/147) sells for about $150 versus $1.91 for a raw near-mint copy — a 79× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Alolan Ninetales 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 Alolan Ninetales break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Alolan Ninetales breaks even when it gems about 22% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $24.85).
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