Is Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 2026 Topps Chrome · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 6.7× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 sells for $103 against $15.38 raw: a $87.58 spread, 6.7× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($34.68) 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)
- $15.38
- PSA 10
- $103
- PSA 9
- $34.68
- Gem premium
- 6.7×
- As of
- Sep 2, 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 | $103 | +$62.58 | +$37.58 | −$62.42 |
| PSA 9 | $34.68 | −$5.70 | −$30.70 | −$131 |
| PSA 8 | $19.03 | −$21.35 | −$46.35 | −$146 |
Net = sale price − $15.38 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% | $51.75 | −$13.63 |
| 50% | $68.82 | +$3.44 |
| 75% | $85.89 | +$20.51 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 45%. 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 | $134 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $103 | −$31.04 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $62.00 | −$72.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $62.00 | −$72.00 | 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 Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 — FAQ
Is Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 sells for $103 against $15.38 raw: a $87.58 spread, 6.7× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($34.68) 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 Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 (Baseball Cards 2026 Topps Chrome) sells for about $103 versus $15.38 for a raw near-mint copy — a 6.7× premium as of Sep 2, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $134, ahead of PSA 10 at $103. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 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 Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Byron Buxton [Lightboard Refractor] #173 breaks even when it gems about 45% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $34.68).
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