$John Elway [Refractor] #70 (Football Cards 1997 Topps Chrome) — is it worth grading?$

Is John Elway [Refractor] #70 worth grading?

Football · Football Cards 1997 Topps Chrome · full price guide →

Strong grading candidate — 4.9× premium in PSA 10

A PSA 10 John Elway [Refractor] #70 sells for $330 against $67.03 raw: a $263 spread, 4.9× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($90.00) 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): $67.03
PSA 10: $330
PSA 9: $90.00
Gem premium: 4.9×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

John Elway [Refractor] #70: 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	$330	+$238	+$213	+$113
PSA 9	$90.00	−$2.03	−$27.03	−$127
PSA 8	$58.76	−$33.27	−$58.27	−$158

Net = sale price − $67.03 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] #70: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$150	+$32.97
50%	$210	+$92.97
75%	$270	+$153

Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 11%. 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] #70: top-grade value by grading company with centering tolerance
Grader	10 sells for	vs best	Front centering for a 10	Back
BGS 10	$429	best	55/45	70/30
PSA 10	$330	−$99.01	55/45	75/25
CGC 10	$198	−$231	55/45	75/25
SGC 10	$198	−$231	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] #70 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	PSA	CGC	BGS	SGC	Graded
10	$330	$198	$429	$198	—
9.5	—	—	—	—	$99.00
9	—	—	—	—	$90.00
8	—	—	—	—	$58.76

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 1997 Topps Chrome cards worth checking

Full set checklist →

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$Orlando Pace [Refractor] #153 1997 Topps Chrome card$

Orlando Pace [Refractor] #153

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$Brett Favre [Refractor] #1 1997 Topps Chrome card$

Brett Favre [Refractor] #1

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$Warrick Dunn [Refractor] #68 1997 Topps Chrome card$

Warrick Dunn [Refractor] #68

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Grading John Elway [Refractor] #70 — FAQ

Is John Elway [Refractor] #70 worth grading?

How much is a PSA 10 John Elway [Refractor] #70 worth compared with raw?

A PSA 10 John Elway [Refractor] #70 (Football Cards 1997 Topps Chrome) sells for about $330 versus $67.03 for a raw near-mint copy — a 4.9× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.

Which grading company is best for John Elway [Refractor] #70?

By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $429, ahead of PSA 10 at $330. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.

What centering does John Elway [Refractor] #70 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] #70 break even?

At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Elway [Refractor] #70 breaks even when it gems about 11% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $90.00).

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