Is Ultra Ball worth grading?
Pokémon · Brilliant Stars · 150/172 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 446× premium in PSA 8
A PSA 8 Ultra Ball sells for $107 against $0.24 raw: a $107 spread, 446× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($8.50) 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)
- $0.24
- PSA 8
- $107
- PSA 9
- $8.50
- Gem premium
- 446×
- 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 8 | $107 | +$81.76 | +$56.76 | −$43.24 |
| PSA 9 | $8.50 | −$16.74 | −$41.74 | −$142 |
| PSA 8 | $107 | +$81.76 | +$56.76 | −$43.24 |
Net = sale price − $0.24 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% | $33.13 | −$17.12 |
| 50% | $57.75 | +$7.51 |
| 75% | $82.38 | +$32.14 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 42%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA |
|---|---|
| 9 | $8.50 |
| 8 | $107 |
Run your own numbers
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Other Brilliant Stars cards worth checking
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Grading Ultra Ball — FAQ
Is Ultra Ball worth grading?
A PSA 8 Ultra Ball sells for $107 against $0.24 raw: a $107 spread, 446× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($8.50) 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.
What gem rate makes grading Ultra Ball break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ultra Ball breaks even when it gems about 42% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $8.50).
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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