Is Champions Festival worth grading?
Pokémon · SM Black Star Promos · SM78 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 4.1× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Champions Festival sells for $2,025 against $490 raw: a $1,535 spread, 4.1× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($236) 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)
- $490
- PSA 10
- $2,025
- PSA 9
- $236
- Gem premium
- 4.1×
- 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 | $2,025 | +$1,510 | +$1,485 | +$1,385 |
| PSA 9 | $236 | −$279 | −$304 | −$404 |
| PSA 8 | $259 | −$256 | −$281 | −$381 |
Net = sale price − $490 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% | $683 | +$143 |
| 50% | $1,131 | +$591 |
| 75% | $1,578 | +$1,038 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 17%. 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 | $2,025 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $308 | −$1,717 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $2,025 | $308 | — |
| 9.5 | — | $111 | — |
| 9 | $700 | $438 | $237 |
| 8.5 | — | $162 | $74.00 |
| 8 | $274 | $241 | — |
| 7.5 | — | $300 | — |
| 7 | $324 | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
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Other SM Black Star Promos cards worth checking
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Grading Champions Festival — FAQ
Is Champions Festival worth grading?
A PSA 10 Champions Festival sells for $2,025 against $490 raw: a $1,535 spread, 4.1× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($236) 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 Champions Festival worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Champions Festival (SM Black Star Promos SM78) sells for about $2,025 versus $490 for a raw near-mint copy — a 4.1× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Champions Festival?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $2,025, ahead of CGC 10 at $308. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Champions Festival 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 Champions Festival break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Champions Festival breaks even when it gems about 17% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $236).
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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