Is Whirlipede worth grading?
Pokémon · Black Bolt · 055/086 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 565× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Whirlipede sells for $62.11 against $0.11 raw: a $62.00 spread, 565× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.50) 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)
- $0.11
- PSA 10
- $62.11
- PSA 9
- $24.50
- Gem premium
- 565×
- 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 | $62.11 | +$37.00 | +$12.00 | −$88.00 |
| PSA 9 | $24.50 | −$0.61 | −$25.61 | −$126 |
Net = sale price − $0.11 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% | $33.90 | −$16.21 |
| 50% | $43.30 | −$6.80 |
| 75% | $52.71 | +$2.60 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 68%. 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 | $62.11 | 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 Whirlipede — FAQ
Is Whirlipede worth grading?
A PSA 10 Whirlipede sells for $62.11 against $0.11 raw: a $62.00 spread, 565× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.50) 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 Whirlipede worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Whirlipede (Black Bolt 055/086) sells for about $62.11 versus $0.11 for a raw near-mint copy — a 565× premium as of Oct 4, 2026.
What centering does Whirlipede 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 Whirlipede break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Whirlipede breaks even when it gems about 68% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $24.50).
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