Is Quick Ball worth grading?
Pokémon · Sword & Shield · 179/202 · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of Quick Ball sell for $15.00, only $14.77 above the $0.23 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. Even a PSA 9 ($77.50) 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)
- $0.23
- PSA 10
- $15.00
- PSA 9
- $77.50
- Gem premium
- 65×
- 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 | $15.00 | −$10.23 | −$35.23 | −$135 |
| PSA 9 | $77.50 | +$52.27 | +$27.27 | −$72.73 |
Net = sale price − $0.23 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% | $61.88 | +$11.65 |
| 50% | $46.25 | −$3.98 |
| 75% | $30.63 | −$19.61 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 44%. 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 | $300 | 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 | CGC |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $300 | — |
| 9 | $30.00 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $24.50 |
| 8 | — | $43.00 |
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 Quick Ball — FAQ
Is Quick Ball worth grading?
PSA 10 copies of Quick Ball sell for $15.00, only $14.77 above the $0.23 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. Even a PSA 9 ($77.50) 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 Quick Ball worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Quick Ball (Sword & Shield 179/202) sells for about $15.00 versus $0.23 for a raw near-mint copy — a 65× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Quick Ball 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 Quick Ball break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Quick Ball breaks even when it gems about 44% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $77.50).
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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