Is Blastoise-EX worth grading?
Pokémon · XY Black Star Promos · XY122 · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 10 Blastoise-EX sells for $6,749 against $288 raw: a $6,460 spread, 23× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($1,182) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $288
- PSA 10
- $6,749
- PSA 9
- $1,182
- Gem premium
- 23×
- 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 | $6,749 | +$6,435 | +$6,410 | +$6,310 |
| PSA 9 | $1,182 | +$868 | +$843 | +$743 |
| PSA 8 | $444 | +$131 | +$106 | +$5.92 |
Net = sale price − $288 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% | $2,574 | +$2,235 |
| 50% | $3,965 | +$3,627 |
| 75% | $5,357 | +$5,019 |
Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.
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 | $6,749 | 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 | BGS | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $6,749 | — | — | — | — |
| 9.5 | — | $285 | — | — | — |
| 9 | $1,182 | $357 | — | — | $607 |
| 8.5 | — | $323 | $625 | — | — |
| 8 | $444 | $256 | — | $360 | $272 |
| 7.5 | — | $207 | — | $230 | — |
| 7 | $290 | $209 | — | — | $208 |
| 6.5 | — | $158 | — | — | — |
| 6 | $210 | $100 | — | — | $114 |
| 5.5 | — | $174 | — | $192 | — |
| 5 | $204 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | $153 | $127 | — | — | — |
| 3 | $126 | $99.99 | — | — | — |
| 2 | $83.80 | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $206 | — | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other XY Black Star Promos cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Blastoise-EX — FAQ
Is Blastoise-EX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Blastoise-EX sells for $6,749 against $288 raw: a $6,460 spread, 23× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($1,182) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Blastoise-EX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Blastoise-EX (XY Black Star Promos XY122) sells for about $6,749 versus $288 for a raw near-mint copy — a 23× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Blastoise-EX 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.
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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