Is Ho-Oh worth grading?
Pokémon · XY Black Star Promos · XY153 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 26× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ho-Oh sells for $300 against $11.36 raw: a $289 spread, 26× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($35.00) 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)
- $11.36
- PSA 10
- $300
- PSA 9
- $35.00
- Gem premium
- 26×
- 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 | $300 | +$264 | +$239 | +$139 |
| PSA 9 | $35.00 | −$1.36 | −$26.36 | −$126 |
| PSA 8 | $302 | +$265 | +$240 | +$140 |
Net = sale price − $11.36 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% | $101 | +$39.89 |
| 50% | $168 | +$106 |
| 75% | $234 | +$172 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 10%. 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 | $300 | 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 |
|---|---|
| 10 | $300 |
| 9 | $35.00 |
| 8 | $302 |
| 7 | $17.93 |
| 5 | $29.99 |
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 Ho-Oh — FAQ
Is Ho-Oh worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ho-Oh sells for $300 against $11.36 raw: a $289 spread, 26× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($35.00) 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 Ho-Oh worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ho-Oh (XY Black Star Promos XY153) sells for about $300 versus $11.36 for a raw near-mint copy — a 26× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Ho-Oh 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 Ho-Oh break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ho-Oh breaks even when it gems about 10% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $35.00).
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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