Is Sceptile-EX worth grading?
Pokémon · XY Black Star Promos · XY53 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 76× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Sceptile-EX sells for $705 against $9.28 raw: a $696 spread, 76× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($30.15) 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)
- $9.28
- PSA 10
- $705
- PSA 9
- $30.15
- Gem premium
- 76×
- 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 | $705 | +$671 | +$646 | +$546 |
| PSA 9 | $30.15 | −$4.13 | −$29.13 | −$129 |
| PSA 8 | $30.81 | −$3.47 | −$28.47 | −$128 |
Net = sale price − $9.28 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% | $199 | +$140 |
| 50% | $368 | +$308 |
| 75% | $536 | +$477 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 4%. 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 | $705 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $705 | — |
| 9 | $30.15 | — |
| 8 | $30.81 | $13.27 |
| 7 | $10.01 | — |
| 6 | $10.03 | — |
| 4.5 | — | $9.00 |
| 1 | $39.00 | — |
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 Sceptile-EX — FAQ
Is Sceptile-EX worth grading?
A PSA 10 Sceptile-EX sells for $705 against $9.28 raw: a $696 spread, 76× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($30.15) 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 Sceptile-EX worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Sceptile-EX (XY Black Star Promos XY53) sells for about $705 versus $9.28 for a raw near-mint copy — a 76× premium as of Aug 10, 2026.
What centering does Sceptile-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.
What gem rate makes grading Sceptile-EX break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Sceptile-EX breaks even when it gems about 4% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $30.15).
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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