Is Explorer's Guidance worth grading?
Pokémon · Temporal Forces · 147/162 · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of Explorer's Guidance sell for $13.00, only $12.88 above the $0.12 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. Even a PSA 9 ($74.96) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $0.12
- PSA 10
- $13.00
- PSA 9
- $74.96
- Gem premium
- 108×
- 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 | $13.00 | −$12.12 | −$37.12 | −$137 |
| PSA 9 | $74.96 | +$49.84 | +$24.84 | −$75.16 |
| PSA 8 | $24.99 | −$0.13 | −$25.13 | −$125 |
Net = sale price − $0.12 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% | $59.47 | +$9.35 |
| 50% | $43.98 | −$6.14 |
| 75% | $28.49 | −$21.63 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 40%. 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 | $13.00 | 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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Raw conditions & history →Run your own numbers
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Other Temporal Forces cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Explorer's Guidance — FAQ
Is Explorer's Guidance worth grading?
PSA 10 copies of Explorer's Guidance sell for $13.00, only $12.88 above the $0.12 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. Even a PSA 9 ($74.96) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
How much is a PSA 10 Explorer's Guidance worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Explorer's Guidance (Temporal Forces 147/162) sells for about $13.00 versus $0.12 for a raw near-mint copy — a 108× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Explorer's Guidance 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 Explorer's Guidance break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Explorer's Guidance breaks even when it gems about 40% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $74.96).
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