Is Smoky Burgess #343 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 2001 Topps Archives · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 34× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Smoky Burgess #343 sells for $58.80 against $1.73 raw: a $57.07 spread, 34× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.41) 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)
- $1.73
- PSA 10
- $58.80
- PSA 9
- $15.41
- Gem premium
- 34×
- 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 | $58.80 | +$32.07 | +$7.07 | −$92.93 |
| PSA 9 | $15.41 | −$11.32 | −$36.32 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $7.85 | −$18.88 | −$43.88 | −$144 |
Net = sale price − $1.73 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% | $26.26 | −$25.47 |
| 50% | $37.10 | −$14.63 |
| 75% | $47.95 | −$3.78 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 84%. 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 | $76.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $58.80 | −$17.20 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $35.00 | −$41.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $35.00 | −$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 Smoky Burgess #343 — FAQ
Is Smoky Burgess #343 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Smoky Burgess #343 sells for $58.80 against $1.73 raw: a $57.07 spread, 34× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.41) 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 Smoky Burgess #343 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Smoky Burgess #343 (Baseball Cards 2001 Topps Archives) sells for about $58.80 versus $1.73 for a raw near-mint copy — a 34× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Smoky Burgess #343?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $76.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $58.80. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Smoky Burgess #343 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 Smoky Burgess #343 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Smoky Burgess #343 breaks even when it gems about 84% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $15.41).
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