Professor Birch's Observations159/160 · Primal Clash Price & Value
Market value · Near Mint
- PSA 8$29pop 78
- PSA 9$59pop 45
- PSA 10$131modelled · pop 12
Why prices differ
TCGplayer's figure is what sellers are asking on their marketplace, not what copies sold for — an asking price sits above a completed sale because it is the start of a negotiation, not the end of one. Our price comes from those same completed sales, adjusted to Near Mint — the median below mixes every condition together, and most copies that change hands are played rather than mint. How we weigh them →
Make sure you have the right card
Every price on this page is for Primal Clash #159/160, 2015. Check yours against the tells below before you buy, sell or grade.
The picture itself is foiled and the card body is flat. This is the standard holo.
What's your copy worth?
✨ Is it worth it?
An AI market read of this card — value, momentum, grading economics, liquidity. It lays out the data; you decide.
Professor Birch's Observations is a Rare Ultra Pokémon card from Primal Clash (#159, released 2015), illustrated by Hitoshi Ariga. It's a Supporter Trainer card. Prices below are aggregated across marketplaces — raw and graded, updated daily and shown in your local currency.
Prices last updated 7 September 2026.
Professor Birch's Observations price history & recent sales
Price history · Raw
We'll email you when this card's value crosses your target.
Verified sales history
Medium confidence22 sales in 90 days, but prices vary widely. · Very liquid — Sells often
Real completed eBay sales, refreshed periodically. Grade read from the listing title. Implausibly priced listings (lots, proxies, empty slabs) and wrong-variant sales are filtered out. Links to eBay are affiliate links — we may earn a commission.
By grade
- Raw$8.6832 sales · 22 in 90d, sells regularly
- PSA 9$46.502 sales
- PSA 7$25.252 sales · 1 in 90d, rare
- CGC 8$31.992 sales · 2 in 90d, rare
- PSA 10$1,5001 sale
- CGC 7.5$11.501 sale · 1 in 90d, rare
Is Professor Birch's Observations worth grading?
Most copies come back PSA 8 — worth $29 against the $83 you put in, a $54 loss. The money is in the 1 in 4 that reach PSA 9 or 10 and sell for $59–$131. Averaged over every outcome that is −$48 a card.
That is the average submitted copy. Tell us about yours and the verdict re-prices — most cards stop being worth grading here. Not sure? Grade it from a photo →
These are set to a flawless copy — the answer above. Change any of them to re-price it for the card in your hand.
Compare graders, and the live market
The verdict above is PSA's — the grader the population report, the ROI table and the price ladder on this page all use. Trader prices all three graders against each other and adds what the asking market is doing right now.
- PSA, CGC and Beckett side by side — each on its own population and its own fees, with Beckett scored on the 9.5 its market actually pays for.
- Lightly and moderately played — the same expected return for a copy that cannot gem.
- Ask vs sold — what the live listings want, against what copies have really closed at.
- Momentum — the 30-day median against the 90-day, per grade.
- Where it sells higher — the Fanatics-versus-eBay premium, with the sale counts behind it.
- Population history — the weekly PSA census, so you can see how fast 10s are arriving before you post the card.
The odds
Professor Birch's Observations is a Ultra Rare in Primal Clash — the pack's hit slot lands on Ultra Rare 10% of the time, split across 16 ultra rare cards in the set, so pulling this exact card is roughly 1 in 161 packs.
Estimates only. Pack odds come from CardTrack's pack model (the same one behind the pack simulator) — not an official rate. Grading odds are the real cumulative PSA population, which skews toward nicer, resubmitted copies, so it overstates the true first-submission gem rate. Full grade-by-grade breakdown below.
Grade-by-grade ROI & risk-adjusted outcomesNet vs raw per target grade, plus the probability-weighted distribution
| Target grade | Est. value | Grading fee | Net vs raw | Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $131.02 | $71 | +$46 | 9.8× |
| PSA 9 | $59.00 | $71 | −$25 | 4.4× |
| PSA 8 | $29.20 | $70 | −$54 | 2.2× |
⚖️ Risk-adjusted return
Best case isn't the whole story. Weighting every grade by how often it actually happens, across 211 PSA-graded copies:
| Outcome | Chance | Value |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | 5.7% | $131.02 |
| PSA 9 | 21.3% | $59.00 |
| PSA 8 — typical | 36% | $29.20 |
| PSA 7 | 27% | $14.00 |
| PSA 6 | 6.2% | $13.36 |
| PSA 5 | 3.3% | $13.36 |
| Other (half grades, authentic) | 0.5% | $13.36 |
Net = graded value − raw value − grading cost (tier fee + ~$20 round-trip shipping), using PSA fees as of 2026-08-26; the paused PSA Value tier is excluded so this isn't overstated. Gem rate is estimated from cumulative PSA population, which skews toward nicer, resubmitted copies — so it overstates the true grade rate. Treat it as a guide, not a guarantee.
Population across gradersPSA, CGC, BGS & TAG — every grade, with gem rates
12 of the 218 PSA-graded Professor Birch's Observations copies came back a gem-mint 10 — 5.5%. The rest graded lower.
Bar length is relative to this grader's most common grade; the figure on the right is the share of all 218.
Real graded population from PSA, CGC, BGS & TAG — a lower gem rate means a Professor Birch's Observations 10 is harder to pull.
Copies for sale right now
Professor Birch's Observations Full Art 159/160 | XY Primal Clash LPRaw · eBay$9.39
Professor Birch's Observations 159/160 Ultra Rare Primal Clash Pokemon Holo NMRaw · eBay$17.99
Professor Birch's Observations 159/160 Pokemon TCG XY: Primal Clash LPRaw · eBay$19.86
Professor Birch's Observations 159/160 Rare Ultra Primal Clash Pokemon NMRaw · eBay$25.25
Full Art - Professor Birch's Observations Pokémon XY Primal Clash #159Raw · eBay$29.00
Professor Birch's Observations (159 Full Art) Ultra - Primal Clash 159/160 NMRaw · eBay$37.76Cheapest raw copy $17.99 — 35% above our near-mint estimate of $13
Buying this card on eBay? The free CardTrack extension shows our value and a deal verdict right on the listing. Add to Chrome →
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission. Prices shown are sold-based, not sponsored placements.
All grades & conditions
Every grade we pricePSA / CGC / BGS ladder with per-grade population
| Grade | Relative value | Price |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 10pop 12 | modelled$131$131–$131 | |
| PSA 9pop 45 | $59$50–$68 | |
| PSA 8pop 78 | 2 sold$29$25–$34 | |
| PSA 7pop 61 | $14$12–$16 |
Raw condition ladderNM → damaged, with real sold medians where we have them
Market dataCross-market spread, EU price, momentum & community buzz
Cross-market prices
10% spreadCurrently 10% cheaper on PriceCharting than TCGplayer. These are independent market prices for the same card — a wide gap can mean a buying opportunity. Informational only, not arbitrage advice.
Market signal
Derived from this card's 90-day price history, recent trend and cross-market price gap. Informational, not advice.
Card textAttacks, abilities, weakness / resistance / retreat
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Card detailsSet, rarity, artist, Pokédex & specs
Other Professor Birch's Observations cards
There are 2 different Professor Birch's Observations printings — make sure you're valuing the right one. This is Primal Clash #159 (Rare Ultra).
More from Primal Clash
Frequently asked questions
How much is Professor Birch's Observations (Primal Clash #159) worth?
As of 7 September 2026, Professor Birch's Observations from Primal Clash is worth approximately $13.36 ungraded (near-mint), and around $131 in PSA 10 gem mint. Values are blended from real Cardmarket, eBay sold and TCGplayer prices and update daily.
What is the PSA 10 price for Professor Birch's Observations?
A PSA 10 (gem mint) Professor Birch's Observations from Primal Clash is worth around $131 — roughly 10× the raw ungraded value of $13.36.
Should I grade my Professor Birch's Observations?
Grading is worth it when the PSA 10 premium comfortably beats the grading fee and the card is clean enough to have a real shot at a 10 — the "Should you grade it?" estimate above works that out per grade, net of the current fee.
Is Professor Birch's Observations rare?
Professor Birch's Observations is a Rare Ultra card from Primal Clash (card #159).
How do I know if my Professor Birch's Observations is Holofoil?
The illustration window: The picture itself is foiled and the card body is flat. This is the standard holo.
Cite & embed this card
Free to use with attribution to CardTrack.
Professor Birch's Observations (Primal Clash #159) — Pokémon market value $13.36, PSA 10 $131.02. Source: CardTrack, https://cardtrack.com/pokemon/card/primal-clash/professor-birch-s-observations-159<iframe src="https://cardtrack.com/embed/card?id=xy5-159" width="100%" height="160" style="border:0;max-width:460px" title="Professor Birch's Observations price — CardTrack" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font:12px system-ui">Source: <a href="https://cardtrack.com">CardTrack</a></p>