Is Air Balloon worth grading?
Pokémon · Sword & Shield · 156/202 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 167× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Air Balloon sells for $55.00 against $0.33 raw: a $54.67 spread, 167× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.99) 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)
- $0.33
- PSA 10
- $55.00
- PSA 9
- $24.99
- Gem premium
- 167×
- 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 | $55.00 | +$29.67 | +$4.67 | −$95.33 |
| PSA 9 | $24.99 | −$0.34 | −$25.34 | −$125 |
Net = sale price − $0.33 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% | $32.49 | −$17.84 |
| 50% | $39.99 | −$10.34 |
| 75% | $47.50 | −$2.83 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 84%. 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 | $55.00 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other Sword & Shield cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Air Balloon — FAQ
Is Air Balloon worth grading?
A PSA 10 Air Balloon sells for $55.00 against $0.33 raw: a $54.67 spread, 167× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.99) 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 Air Balloon worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Air Balloon (Sword & Shield 156/202) sells for about $55.00 versus $0.33 for a raw near-mint copy — a 167× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Air Balloon 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 Air Balloon break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Air Balloon breaks even when it gems about 84% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $24.99).
Best on iPhone & Android
Check your Pokémon card in the Midpoint app
Scan with your camera to measure centering to the millimeter, get an AI grade with corner and edge close-ups, see what your copy is worth, and track it in your portfolio. Free to start.
