Is John Elway [Refractor] #BC7 worth grading?

Football · Football Cards 1996 Bowman's Best Cuts · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A PSA 10 John Elway [Refractor] #BC7 sells for $148 against $14.57 raw: a $134 spread, 10× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($54.90) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.

Raw (NM): $14.57
PSA 10: $148
PSA 9: $54.90
Gem premium: 10×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

John Elway [Refractor] #BC7: net result of grading versus selling raw, by outcome and fee tier
If it comes back…	Sells for	Economy / bulk (~$25.00)	Standard (~$50.00)	Express (~$150)
Gem — PSA 10	$148	+$109	+$83.81	−$16.19
PSA 9	$54.90	+$15.33	−$9.67	−$110
PSA 8	$10.76	−$28.81	−$53.81	−$154

Net = sale price − $14.57 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?

John Elway [Refractor] #BC7: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$78.27	+$13.70
50%	$102	+$37.07
75%	$125	+$60.44

Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 10%. 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 →

John Elway [Refractor] #BC7: top-grade value by grading company with centering tolerance
Grader	10 sells for	vs best	Front centering for a 10	Back
BGS 10	$193	best	55/45	70/30
PSA 10	$148	−$44.62	55/45	75/25
CGC 10	$89.00	−$104	55/45	75/25
SGC 10	$89.00	−$104	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 →

John Elway [Refractor] #BC7 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	PSA	CGC	BGS	SGC	Graded
10	$148	$89.00	$193	$89.00	—
9.5	—	—	—	—	$132
9	—	—	—	—	$54.90
8	—	—	—	—	$10.76
7	—	—	—	—	$6.06

Swipe the table for the other grading companies →

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.

Other 1996 Bowman's Best Cuts cards worth checking

Full set checklist →

$Emmitt Smith [Refractor] #BC2 1996 Bowman's Best Cuts card$

Emmitt Smith [Refractor] #BC2

Raw $29.80PSA 10 $867

$Jerry Rice [Refractor] #BC10 1996 Bowman's Best Cuts card$

Jerry Rice [Refractor] #BC10

Raw $39.07PSA 10 $1,127

$Deion Sanders [Atomic Refractor] #BC9 1996 Bowman's Best Cuts card$

Deion Sanders [Atomic Refractor] #BC9

Raw $41.00PSA 10 $1,180

$Troy Aikman [Atomic Refractor] #BC14 1996 Bowman's Best Cuts card$

Troy Aikman [Atomic Refractor] #BC14

Raw $29.33PSA 10 $839

$Emmitt Smith [Atomic Refractor] #BC2 1996 Bowman's Best Cuts card$

Emmitt Smith [Atomic Refractor] #BC2

Raw $115PSA 10 $3,260

Jerry Rice [Atomic Refractor] #BC10

Raw $192PSA 10 $5,424

Grading John Elway [Refractor] #BC7 — FAQ

Is John Elway [Refractor] #BC7 worth grading?

How much is a PSA 10 John Elway [Refractor] #BC7 worth compared with raw?

A PSA 10 John Elway [Refractor] #BC7 (Football Cards 1996 Bowman's Best Cuts) sells for about $148 versus $14.57 for a raw near-mint copy — a 10× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.

Which grading company is best for John Elway [Refractor] #BC7?

By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $193, ahead of PSA 10 at $148. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.

What centering does John Elway [Refractor] #BC7 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 [Refractor] #BC7 break even?

At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Elway [Refractor] #BC7 breaks even when it gems about 10% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $54.90).

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