Is Tympole worth grading?
Pokémon · Black Bolt · 019/086 · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of Tympole sell for $22.00, only $21.82 above the $0.18 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($7.83) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $0.18
- PSA 10
- $22.00
- PSA 9
- $7.83
- Gem premium
- 122×
- 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 | $22.00 | −$3.18 | −$28.18 | −$128 |
| PSA 9 | $7.83 | −$17.35 | −$42.35 | −$142 |
| PSA 8 | $11.43 | −$13.75 | −$38.75 | −$139 |
Net = sale price − $0.18 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% | $11.37 | −$38.81 |
| 50% | $14.91 | −$35.27 |
| 75% | $18.46 | −$31.72 |
At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.
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 | $22.00 | 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 Tympole — FAQ
Is Tympole worth grading?
PSA 10 copies of Tympole sell for $22.00, only $21.82 above the $0.18 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($7.83) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
How much is a PSA 10 Tympole worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Tympole (Black Bolt 019/086) sells for about $22.00 versus $0.18 for a raw near-mint copy — a 122× premium as of Oct 4, 2026.
What centering does Tympole 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.
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