Is Cyndaquil worth grading?
Pokémon · SWSH Black Star Promos · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 745× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Cyndaquil sells for $499 against $0.67 raw: a $499 spread, 745× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($10.01) 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)
- $0.67
- PSA 10
- $499
- PSA 9
- $10.01
- Gem premium
- 745×
- 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 | $499 | +$474 | +$449 | +$349 |
| PSA 9 | $10.01 | −$15.66 | −$40.66 | −$141 |
| PSA 8 | $31.77 | +$6.10 | −$18.90 | −$119 |
Net = sale price − $0.67 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% | $132 | +$81.67 |
| 50% | $255 | +$204 |
| 75% | $377 | +$326 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 8%. 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 | $499 | 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 | $499 | — |
| 9 | $10.01 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $5.00 |
| 8 | $31.77 | $21.52 |
| 7 | $10.03 | $3.00 |
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 Cyndaquil — FAQ
Is Cyndaquil worth grading?
A PSA 10 Cyndaquil sells for $499 against $0.67 raw: a $499 spread, 745× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($10.01) 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 Cyndaquil worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Cyndaquil (SWSH Black Star Promos) sells for about $499 versus $0.67 for a raw near-mint copy — a 745× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Cyndaquil 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 Cyndaquil break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Cyndaquil breaks even when it gems about 8% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $10.01).
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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