Is Houndour worth grading?
Pokémon · Obsidian Flames · 204/197 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 16× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Houndour sells for $172 against $10.77 raw: a $161 spread, 16× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.39) 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)
- $10.77
- PSA 10
- $172
- PSA 9
- $23.39
- Gem premium
- 16×
- 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 | $172 | +$136 | +$111 | +$10.73 |
| PSA 9 | $23.39 | −$12.38 | −$37.38 | −$137 |
| PSA 8 | $16.40 | −$19.37 | −$44.37 | −$144 |
Net = sale price − $10.77 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% | $60.42 | −$0.35 |
| 50% | $97.44 | +$36.67 |
| 75% | $134 | +$73.70 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 25%. 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 | $172 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| TAG 10 | $115 | −$56.96 | 55/45 | 72/28 |
| CGC 10 | $47.34 | −$124 | 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 | $172 | $47.34 | — | — | $115 | — |
| 9.5 | — | $14.80 | $69.99 | $11.00 | — | — |
| 9 | $23.39 | $15.70 | $20.15 | $9.45 | $24.87 | $15.92 |
| 8.5 | $15.00 | $9.12 | $7.87 | $10.99 | $27.99 | — |
| 8 | $16.40 | $7.50 | — | — | — | — |
| 7.5 | — | $7.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | $9.95 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | $11.48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | $17.50 | — | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other Obsidian Flames cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Houndour — FAQ
Is Houndour worth grading?
A PSA 10 Houndour sells for $172 against $10.77 raw: a $161 spread, 16× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.39) 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 Houndour worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Houndour (Obsidian Flames 204/197) sells for about $172 versus $10.77 for a raw near-mint copy — a 16× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Houndour?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $172, ahead of TAG 10 at $115. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Houndour 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 Houndour break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Houndour breaks even when it gems about 25% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $23.39).
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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