Is Blacephalon worth grading?
Pokémon · SM Black Star Promos · SM221 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 13× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Blacephalon sells for $140 against $10.62 raw: a $129 spread, 13× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.30) 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)
- $10.62
- PSA 10
- $140
- PSA 9
- $20.30
- Gem premium
- 13×
- 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 | $140 | +$104 | +$79.38 | −$20.62 |
| PSA 9 | $20.30 | −$15.32 | −$40.32 | −$140 |
| PSA 8 | $10.00 | −$25.62 | −$50.62 | −$151 |
Net = sale price − $10.62 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% | $50.23 | −$10.39 |
| 50% | $80.15 | +$19.53 |
| 75% | $110 | +$49.45 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 34%. 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 | $140 | 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 | $140 | — |
| 9 | $20.30 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $40.55 |
| 8 | $10.00 | $30.00 |
| 7 | $31.95 | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
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Grading Blacephalon — FAQ
Is Blacephalon worth grading?
A PSA 10 Blacephalon sells for $140 against $10.62 raw: a $129 spread, 13× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.30) 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 Blacephalon worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Blacephalon (SM Black Star Promos SM221) sells for about $140 versus $10.62 for a raw near-mint copy — a 13× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Blacephalon 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 Blacephalon break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Blacephalon breaks even when it gems about 34% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $20.30).
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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