Is Houndoom V worth grading?
Pokémon · Darkness Ablaze · 178/189 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 13× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Houndoom V sells for $79.95 against $6.08 raw: a $73.87 spread, 13× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.17) 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)
- $6.08
- PSA 10
- $79.95
- PSA 9
- $26.17
- Gem premium
- 13×
- 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 | $79.95 | +$48.87 | +$23.87 | −$76.13 |
| PSA 9 | $26.17 | −$4.91 | −$29.91 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $10.51 | −$20.57 | −$45.57 | −$146 |
Net = sale price − $6.08 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% | $39.62 | −$16.46 |
| 50% | $53.06 | −$3.02 |
| 75% | $66.51 | +$10.43 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 56%. 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 | $79.95 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $39.01 | −$40.94 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $13.01 | −$66.94 | 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 Houndoom V — FAQ
Is Houndoom V worth grading?
A PSA 10 Houndoom V sells for $79.95 against $6.08 raw: a $73.87 spread, 13× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.17) 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 Houndoom V worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Houndoom V (Darkness Ablaze 178/189) sells for about $79.95 versus $6.08 for a raw near-mint copy — a 13× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Houndoom V?
By resale value, PSA 10 leads at $79.95, ahead of CGC 10 at $39.01. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Houndoom V 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 Houndoom V break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Houndoom V breaks even when it gems about 56% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $26.17).
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