Is Venusaur & Snivy-GX worth grading?
Pokémon · SM Black Star Promos · SM229 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 4.5× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Venusaur & Snivy-GX sells for $604 against $135 raw: a $469 spread, 4.5× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($133) 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)
- $135
- PSA 10
- $604
- PSA 9
- $133
- Gem premium
- 4.5×
- 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 | $604 | +$444 | +$419 | +$319 |
| PSA 9 | $133 | −$26.86 | −$51.86 | −$152 |
| PSA 8 | $102 | −$57.77 | −$82.77 | −$183 |
Net = sale price − $135 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% | $251 | +$65.84 |
| 50% | $368 | +$184 |
| 75% | $486 | +$301 |
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 | $604 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| TAG 10 | $302 | −$302 | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| CGC 10 | $54.50 | −$549 | 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 | SGC | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $604 | $54.50 | — | — | $302 | $239 |
| 9.5 | — | — | $152 | — | — | — |
| 9 | $133 | $78.49 | $45.00 | — | $99.31 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $62.91 | $60.00 | — | — | — |
| 8 | $102 | $64.99 | — | — | $52.33 | — |
| 7 | $83.75 | $10.00 | — | — | $73.31 | — |
| 6 | $29.00 | — | — | $12.00 | — | — |
| 2 | — | — | — | — | $84.80 | — |
| 1 | $55.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other SM Black Star Promos cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Venusaur & Snivy-GX — FAQ
Is Venusaur & Snivy-GX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Venusaur & Snivy-GX sells for $604 against $135 raw: a $469 spread, 4.5× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($133) 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 Venusaur & Snivy-GX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Venusaur & Snivy-GX (SM Black Star Promos SM229) sells for about $604 versus $135 for a raw near-mint copy — a 4.5× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Venusaur & Snivy-GX?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $604, ahead of TAG 10 at $302. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Venusaur & Snivy-GX 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 Venusaur & Snivy-GX break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Venusaur & Snivy-GX breaks even when it gems about 11% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $133).
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.
Check my card free