Is Houndstone worth grading?
Pokémon · Scarlet & Violet Black Star Promos · 042 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 285× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Houndstone sells for $160 against $0.56 raw: a $159 spread, 285× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($7.95) 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)
- $0.56
- PSA 10
- $160
- PSA 9
- $7.95
- Gem premium
- 285×
- 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 | $160 | +$134 | +$109 | +$9.22 |
| PSA 9 | $7.95 | −$17.61 | −$42.61 | −$143 |
| PSA 8 | $5.00 | −$20.56 | −$45.56 | −$146 |
Net = sale price − $0.56 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% | $45.91 | −$4.65 |
| 50% | $83.86 | +$33.30 |
| 75% | $122 | +$71.26 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 28%. 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 | $160 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA |
|---|---|
| 10 | $160 |
| 9 | $7.95 |
| 8 | $5.00 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other Scarlet & Violet Black Star Promos cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Houndstone — FAQ
Is Houndstone worth grading?
A PSA 10 Houndstone sells for $160 against $0.56 raw: a $159 spread, 285× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($7.95) 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 Houndstone worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Houndstone (Scarlet & Violet Black Star Promos 042) sells for about $160 versus $0.56 for a raw near-mint copy — a 285× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Houndstone 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 Houndstone break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Houndstone breaks even when it gems about 28% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $7.95).
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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