Is John Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 worth grading?
Football · Football Cards 1997 Upper Deck Legends · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 27× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 John Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 sells for $576 against $21.25 raw: a $555 spread, 27× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.00) 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)
- $21.25
- PSA 10
- $576
- PSA 9
- $28.00
- Gem premium
- 27×
- As of
- Sep 3, 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 | $576 | +$530 | +$505 | +$405 |
| PSA 9 | $28.00 | −$18.25 | −$43.25 | −$143 |
| PSA 8 | $24.28 | −$21.97 | −$46.97 | −$147 |
Net = sale price − $21.25 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% | $165 | +$93.72 |
| 50% | $302 | +$231 |
| 75% | $439 | +$368 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 8%. 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 | $749 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $576 | −$173 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $346 | −$403 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $346 | −$403 | 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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Raw conditions & history →Swipe the table for the other grading companies →
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Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
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Grading John Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 — FAQ
Is John Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 worth grading?
A PSA 10 John Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 sells for $576 against $21.25 raw: a $555 spread, 27× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.00) 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 Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 John Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 (Football Cards 1997 Upper Deck Legends) sells for about $576 versus $21.25 for a raw near-mint copy — a 27× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for John Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $749, ahead of PSA 10 at $576. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does John Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 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 Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Mackey [Autograph] #AL-48 breaks even when it gems about 8% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $28.00).
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