Is Rush Brown #54 worth grading?
Football · Football Cards 1981 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 56× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Rush Brown #54 sells for $69.75 against $1.25 raw: a $68.50 spread, 56× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.50) 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)
- $1.25
- PSA 10
- $69.75
- PSA 9
- $16.50
- Gem premium
- 56×
- As of
- Jul 11, 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 | $69.75 | +$43.50 | +$18.50 | −$81.50 |
| PSA 9 | $16.50 | −$9.75 | −$34.75 | −$135 |
Net = sale price − $1.25 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% | $29.81 | −$21.44 |
| 50% | $43.13 | −$8.13 |
| 75% | $56.44 | +$5.19 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 65%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGS 10 | $91.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $69.75 | −$21.25 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $42.00 | −$49.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $42.00 | −$49.00 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $69.75 | $42.00 | $91.00 | $42.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $18.00 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $16.50 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $3.19 |
Run your own numbers
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Other 1981 Topps cards worth checking
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Grading Rush Brown #54 — FAQ
Is Rush Brown #54 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Rush Brown #54 sells for $69.75 against $1.25 raw: a $68.50 spread, 56× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.50) 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 Rush Brown #54 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Rush Brown #54 (Football Cards 1981 Topps) sells for about $69.75 versus $1.25 for a raw near-mint copy — a 56× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Rush Brown #54?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $91.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $69.75. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Rush Brown #54 need for a BGS 10?
BGS publishes 55/45 front and 70/30 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 Rush Brown #54 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Rush Brown #54 breaks even when it gems about 65% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.50).
Is your football card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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