Is M Salamence-EX worth grading?
Pokémon · XY Black Star Promos · XY171 · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 9 M Salamence-EX sells for $175 against $68.81 raw: a $106 spread, 2.5× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($103) 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)
- $68.81
- PSA 9
- $175
- PSA 9
- $103
- Gem premium
- 2.5×
- 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 9 | $175 | +$81.09 | +$56.09 | −$43.91 |
| PSA 9 | $103 | +$9.37 | −$15.63 | −$116 |
| PSA 8 | $94.45 | +$0.64 | −$24.36 | −$124 |
Net = sale price − $68.81 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% | $121 | +$2.30 |
| 50% | $139 | +$20.23 |
| 75% | $157 | +$38.16 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 22%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | $175 | — | — | — |
| 8.5 | — | $81.00 | $71.00 | — |
| 8 | $50.14 | $20.50 | — | — |
| 7.5 | — | $22.50 | — | — |
| 7 | $55.00 | — | — | $45.00 |
| 6.5 | $45.00 | — | — | — |
| 6 | $35.00 | — | — | — |
| 5 | $19.98 | — | — | — |
| 4 | $35.00 | — | — | — |
| 3 | $22.00 | — | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Grading M Salamence-EX — FAQ
Is M Salamence-EX worth grading?
A PSA 9 M Salamence-EX sells for $175 against $68.81 raw: a $106 spread, 2.5× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($103) 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.
What gem rate makes grading M Salamence-EX break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting M Salamence-EX breaks even when it gems about 22% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $103).
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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