Is Lefty Gomez #22 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Danbury Mint 22KT Gold · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 37× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lefty Gomez #22 sells for $121 against $3.24 raw: a $118 spread, 37× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.56) 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)
- $3.24
- PSA 10
- $121
- PSA 9
- $25.56
- Gem premium
- 37×
- 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 | $121 | +$92.67 | +$67.67 | −$32.33 |
| PSA 9 | $25.56 | −$2.68 | −$27.68 | −$128 |
| PSA 8 | $12.47 | −$15.77 | −$40.77 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $3.24 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% | $49.40 | −$3.84 |
| 50% | $73.23 | +$20.00 |
| 75% | $97.07 | +$43.83 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 29%. 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 | $157 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $121 | −$36.09 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $73.00 | −$84.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $73.00 | −$84.00 | 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 Lefty Gomez #22 — FAQ
Is Lefty Gomez #22 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lefty Gomez #22 sells for $121 against $3.24 raw: a $118 spread, 37× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.56) 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 Lefty Gomez #22 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lefty Gomez #22 (Baseball Cards 1996 Danbury Mint 22KT Gold) sells for about $121 versus $3.24 for a raw near-mint copy — a 37× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lefty Gomez #22?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $157, ahead of PSA 10 at $121. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lefty Gomez #22 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 Lefty Gomez #22 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lefty Gomez #22 breaks even when it gems about 29% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $25.56).
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