Is Venusaur-EX worth grading?
Pokémon · XY Black Star Promos · XY123 · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 10 Venusaur-EX sells for $6,893 against $233 raw: a $6,661 spread, 30× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($809) 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)
- $233
- PSA 10
- $6,893
- PSA 9
- $809
- Gem premium
- 30×
- 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 | $6,893 | +$6,636 | +$6,611 | +$6,511 |
| PSA 9 | $809 | +$551 | +$526 | +$426 |
| PSA 8 | $484 | +$226 | +$201 | +$101 |
Net = sale price − $233 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% | $2,330 | +$2,047 |
| 50% | $3,851 | +$3,568 |
| 75% | $5,372 | +$5,089 |
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 | $6,893 | 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 | SGC | TAG | ACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $6,893 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | $765 | $392 | — | — | — | $323 |
| 8.5 | — | $114 | — | — | $396 | — |
| 8 | $175 | $226 | $269 | $170 | — | $205 |
| 7.5 | — | $75.00 | $303 | — | $290 | — |
| 7 | $185 | $154 | $158 | — | — | $167 |
| 6.5 | — | — | — | — | $187 | — |
| 6 | $104 | — | — | — | — | $116 |
| 5 | $176 | — | — | — | — | $94.06 |
| 4 | $159 | — | $45.00 | — | — | — |
| 3 | $96.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | $72.96 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | $185 | — | — | — | — | — |
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 Venusaur-EX — FAQ
Is Venusaur-EX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Venusaur-EX sells for $6,893 against $233 raw: a $6,661 spread, 30× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($809) 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 Venusaur-EX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Venusaur-EX (XY Black Star Promos XY123) sells for about $6,893 versus $233 for a raw near-mint copy — a 30× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Venusaur-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.
Check my card free