Best Ho-Oh Cards to Grade
The Ho-Oh cards worth grading, ranked by expected profit per submission — every grade outcome weighted by how often the card actually receives it — after current grading fees. The PSA 10 best case is shown on every row but does not decide the order. Top pick: Ho-oh (Skyridge) at an expected +$6,000.
Ranked by expected profit 21
| # | Card | Raw | PSA 9 | PSA 10 | Cost | Best case | Gem rate | Expected | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expected +$6,000 per submission: 8.3% of 1,294 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($52,800), and a PSA 9 ($18,000) still clears the $7,903 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $4,356 | $18,000 | $52,800 | $3,547 | +$44,897 | 8.3% | +$6,000 | 1,294 high |
| 2 | Expected +$3,403 per submission: 5.2% of 444 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($54,800), and a PSA 9 ($3,000) still clears the $3,625 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $58 | $3,000 | $54,800 | $3,567 | +$51,175 | 5.2% | +$3,403 | 444 high |
| 3 | Expected +$3,058 per submission: 4.8% of 971 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($55,000), and a PSA 9 ($2,166) still clears the $3,824 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $255 | $2,166 | $55,000 | $3,569 | +$51,176 | 4.8% | +$3,058 | 971 high |
| 4 | Expected +$2,004 per submission: 3.1% of 852 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($15,000), and a PSA 9 ($7,300) still clears the $1,593 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $424 | $7,300 | $15,000 | $1,169 | +$13,407 | 3.1% | +$2,004 | 852 high |
| 5 | Expected +$539 per submission: 1% of 105 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($60,000), and a PSA 9 ($1,225) still clears the $3,845 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $226 | $1,225 | $60,000 | $3,619 | +$56,155 | 1% | +$539 | 105 high |
| 6 | Expected +$447 per submission: 3.2% of 1,063 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($5,600), and a PSA 9 ($2,000) still clears the $811 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $136 | $2,000 | $5,600 | $675 | +$4,789 | 3.2% | +$447 | 1,063 high |
| 7 | Expected +$398 per submission: 2.6% of 273 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,825), and a PSA 9 ($1,494) still clears the $278 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $41 | $1,494 | $1,825 | $237 | +$1,547 | 2.6% | +$398 | 273 high |
| 8 | Expected +$308 per submission: 26% of 2,737 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,390), and a PSA 9 ($169) still clears the $167 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $53 | $169 | $1,390 | $114 | +$1,223 | 26% | +$308 | 2,737 high |
| 9 | Expected +$278 per submission: 3.1% of 1,022 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,850), and a PSA 9 ($1,000) still clears the $480 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $82 | $1,000 | $2,850 | $398 | +$2,370 | 3.1% | +$278 | 1,022 high |
| 10 | Expected +$86 per submission: 17.3% of 758 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($911), and only a PSA 10 covers the $106 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $17 | $46 | $911 | $89 | +$805 | 17.3% | +$86 | 758 high |
| 11 | Expected +$46 per submission: 0.3% of 369 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($449), and a PSA 9 ($364) still clears the $103 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $19 | $364 | $449 | $84 | +$346 | 0.3% | +$46 | 369 high |
| 12 | Expected +$31 per submission: 57.7% of 14,150 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($348), and only a PSA 10 covers the $233 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $150 | $156 | $348 | $83 | +$115 | 57.7% | +$31 | 14,150 high |
| 13 | Expected +$28 per submission: 1.4% of 3,583 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,310), and a PSA 9 ($810) still clears the $542 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $300 | $810 | $2,310 | $242 | +$1,768 | 1.4% | +$28 | 3,583 high |
| 14 | Expected +$23 per submission: 4.8% of 124 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($300), and a PSA 9 ($207) still clears the $103 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $20 | $207 | $300 | $83 | +$197 | 4.8% | +$23 | 124 high |
| 15 | Expected +$21 per submission: 17.9% of 413 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($405), and only a PSA 10 covers the $104 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $20 | $100 | $405 | $84 | +$301 | 17.9% | +$21 | 413 high |
| 16 | Expected loss −$22 per submission: 3.5% of 288 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,550), and only a PSA 10 covers the $243 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $8 | $50 | $1,550 | $235 | +$1,308 | 3.5% | −$22 | 288 high |
| 17 | Expected loss −$23 per submission: 28.8% of 950 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($180), and only a PSA 10 covers the $89 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $7 | $20 | $180 | $82 | +$91 | 28.8% | −$23 | 950 high |
| 18 | Expected loss −$30 per submission: 61.5% of 7,249 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($122), and only a PSA 10 covers the $120 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $39 | $42 | $122 | $81 | +$1 | 61.5% | −$30 | 7,249 high |
| 19 | Expected loss −$40 per submission: 7.6% of 288 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($100), and only a PSA 10 covers the $87 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $6 | $70 | $100 | $81 | +$13 | 7.6% | −$40 | 288 high |
| 20 | Expected loss −$58 per submission: 0% of 10 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($538), and only a PSA 10 covers the $118 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence low on that sample. | $33 | $85 | $538 | $85 | +$420 | 0% | −$58 | 10 low |
| 21 | Expected loss −$64 per submission: 1.9% of 484 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($699), and only a PSA 10 covers the $106 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $19 | $40 | $699 | $87 | +$593 | 1.9% | −$64 | 484 high |
Best case only — no gem-rate evidence 2
Fewer than 10 graded copies in the PSA and CGC population reports. They clear the grading cost if they gem — that is all the numbers support.
| # | Card | Raw | PSA 9 | PSA 10 | Cost | Best case | Gem rate | Expected | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | $85 | — | $450 | $84 | +$281 | — | — | none <10 | |
| 23 | $9 | — | $312 | $83 | +$220 | — | — | none <10 |
Expected = every grade outcome weighted by its share of the card's graded population, minus the raw price and the grading cost (PSA tier fee for the graded value plus ~$20 round-trip shipping, fees as of 2026-09-26). Best case is the PSA 10 leg alone. Gem rates come from a self-selected population — collectors grade their cleanest copies — so read them as an upper bound. Raw is a blended market price, not a sale of your copy. Full method and filters on the grading index.
How to read the Ho-Oh ranking
Every Ho-Oh card listed here clears one bar: its PSA 10 price beats its raw price by more than the cost of grading it. 23 Ho-Oh printings pass. 21 of them (91%) have a gem-rate sample of at least ten graded copies in the population reports, and 15 of those keep a positive expected value once every grade outcome is weighted by how often the card actually receives it.
The order is expected profit, not the PSA 10 best case, which rewards the widest raw-to-gem gap whether the card gems one time in two or one in fifty. Here the top row, the Ho-oh from Skyridge, gems 8.3% of the time across 1,294 graded copies: +$6,000 is what a long run of submissions would average, $44,897 is what one lucky copy returns.
The median gem rate across the sampled Ho-Oh cards is 4.8%. Roughly one submitted copy in 21 came back PSA 10, and most rows here still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, so the PSA 9 price does most of the work. Of the 21 ranked cards, 12 still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, 9 need a 10 to break even and 6 lose money on expectation. 20 rest on a hundred or more graded copies.
2 cards sit below the ranking with a best case only, fewer than ten graded copies. The largest best case among them is the Ho-oh from Wizards Black Star Promos at +$281.
Before you submit a Ho-Oh card
Grading pays on condition. The four things every grader scores — centering, corners, edges and surface — can be checked at home before paying a fee, and a copy that is visibly off-centre or has a whitened corner will not gem whatever the population says. Those gem rates come from a self-selected population of clean copies, so a random copy does worse.
The cost column assumes a PSA submission at the tier covering the card's PSA 10 value, fees as of 2026-09-26, and raw is CardTrack's blended near-mint price, not a sale of your copy: pay more, or hold a lighter copy, and the break-even moves against you. Test a card with your own numbers in the ROI calculator, see the printings that fail the bar on the Ho-Oh card list, or see how gem-mint premiums run across the whole catalogue on the PSA premium index.