Is Kingdra worth grading?
Pokémon · XY Black Star Promos · XY39 · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A CGC 10 Kingdra sells for $500 against $37.09 raw: a $463 spread, 13× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($75.01) 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)
- $37.09
- CGC 10
- $500
- PSA 9
- $75.01
- Gem premium
- 13×
- 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 — CGC 10 | $500 | +$438 | +$413 | +$313 |
| PSA 9 | $75.01 | +$12.92 | −$12.08 | −$112 |
| PSA 8 | $35.00 | −$27.09 | −$52.09 | −$152 |
Net = sale price − $37.09 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% | $181 | +$94.17 |
| 50% | $288 | +$200 |
| 75% | $394 | +$307 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 3%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CGC 10 | $500 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | $500 | — |
| 9.5 | — | $175 | — |
| 9 | $75.01 | $21.74 | — |
| 8.5 | — | $9.63 | $26.00 |
| 8 | $58.75 | $11.00 | — |
| 7 | $54.00 | — | — |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Kingdra — FAQ
Is Kingdra worth grading?
A CGC 10 Kingdra sells for $500 against $37.09 raw: a $463 spread, 13× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($75.01) 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 centering does Kingdra need for a CGC 10?
CGC 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 Kingdra break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Kingdra breaks even when it gems about 3% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $75.01).
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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