Is Sandile worth grading?
Pokémon · Black Bolt · 135/086 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 20× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Sandile sells for $278 against $13.97 raw: a $264 spread, 20× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($27.62) 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)
- $13.97
- PSA 10
- $278
- PSA 9
- $27.62
- Gem premium
- 20×
- As of
- Oct 4, 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 | $278 | +$239 | +$214 | +$114 |
| PSA 9 | $27.62 | −$11.35 | −$36.35 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $20.65 | −$18.32 | −$43.32 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $13.97 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% | $90.26 | +$26.29 |
| 50% | $153 | +$88.93 |
| 75% | $216 | +$152 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 15%. 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 | $278 | 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.
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Grading Sandile — FAQ
Is Sandile worth grading?
A PSA 10 Sandile sells for $278 against $13.97 raw: a $264 spread, 20× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($27.62) 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 Sandile worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Sandile (Black Bolt 135/086) sells for about $278 versus $13.97 for a raw near-mint copy — a 20× premium as of Oct 4, 2026.
What centering does Sandile 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 Sandile break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Sandile breaks even when it gems about 15% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $27.62).
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