Is John Elway #21 worth grading?
Football · Football Cards 1990 Fleer · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 39× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 John Elway #21 sells for $57.39 against $1.49 raw: a $55.90 spread, 39× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.00) 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)
- $1.49
- PSA 10
- $57.39
- PSA 9
- $15.00
- Gem premium
- 39×
- As of
- Sep 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 | $57.39 | +$30.90 | +$5.90 | −$94.10 |
| PSA 9 | $15.00 | −$11.49 | −$36.49 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $9.79 | −$16.70 | −$41.70 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $1.49 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% | $25.60 | −$25.89 |
| 50% | $36.20 | −$15.30 |
| 75% | $46.79 | −$4.70 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 86%. 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 | $75.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| SGC 10 | $75.00 | best | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| PSA 10 | $57.39 | −$17.61 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $34.00 | −$41.00 | 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.
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Grading John Elway #21 — FAQ
Is John Elway #21 worth grading?
A PSA 10 John Elway #21 sells for $57.39 against $1.49 raw: a $55.90 spread, 39× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.00) 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 John Elway #21 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 John Elway #21 (Football Cards 1990 Fleer) sells for about $57.39 versus $1.49 for a raw near-mint copy — a 39× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for John Elway #21?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $75.00, ahead of SGC 10 at $75.00. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does John Elway #21 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 John Elway #21 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Elway #21 breaks even when it gems about 86% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $15.00).
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