Is Ninetales worth grading?
Pokémon · Obsidian Flames · 029/197 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 410× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ninetales sells for $86.00 against $0.21 raw: a $85.79 spread, 410× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($9.07) 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)
- $0.21
- PSA 10
- $86.00
- PSA 9
- $9.07
- Gem premium
- 410×
- As of
- Oct 11, 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 | $86.00 | +$60.79 | +$35.79 | −$64.21 |
| PSA 9 | $9.07 | −$16.14 | −$41.14 | −$141 |
| PSA 8 | $20.00 | −$5.21 | −$30.21 | −$130 |
Net = sale price − $0.21 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% | $28.30 | −$21.91 |
| 50% | $47.53 | −$2.68 |
| 75% | $66.77 | +$16.56 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 53%. 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 | $86.00 | 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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Grading Ninetales — FAQ
Is Ninetales worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ninetales sells for $86.00 against $0.21 raw: a $85.79 spread, 410× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($9.07) 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 Ninetales worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ninetales (Obsidian Flames 029/197) sells for about $86.00 versus $0.21 for a raw near-mint copy — a 410× premium as of Oct 11, 2026.
What centering does 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 Ninetales break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ninetales breaks even when it gems about 53% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $9.07).
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