Is Houndoom worth grading?
Pokémon · SWSH Black Star Promos · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 7.5× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Houndoom sells for $107 against $14.37 raw: a $92.74 spread, 7.5× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($29.00) 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)
- $14.37
- PSA 10
- $107
- PSA 9
- $29.00
- Gem premium
- 7.5×
- 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 | $107 | +$67.74 | +$42.74 | −$57.26 |
| PSA 9 | $29.00 | −$10.37 | −$35.37 | −$135 |
| PSA 8 | $9.00 | −$30.37 | −$55.37 | −$155 |
Net = sale price − $14.37 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% | $48.53 | −$15.84 |
| 50% | $68.06 | +$3.69 |
| 75% | $87.58 | +$23.21 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 45%. 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 | $107 | 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 | $107 | — |
| 9 | $29.00 | $12.20 |
| 8.5 | — | $3.00 |
| 8 | $9.00 | — |
| 5 | $11.50 | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other SWSH Black Star Promos cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Houndoom — FAQ
Is Houndoom worth grading?
A PSA 10 Houndoom sells for $107 against $14.37 raw: a $92.74 spread, 7.5× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($29.00) 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 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Houndoom (SWSH Black Star Promos) sells for about $107 versus $14.37 for a raw near-mint copy — a 7.5× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Houndoom 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 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Houndoom breaks even when it gems about 45% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $29.00).
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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