Is Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 2008 Upper Deck Starquest · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 13× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 sells for $175 against $13.47 raw: a $162 spread, 13× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($29.63) 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)
- $13.47
- PSA 10
- $175
- PSA 9
- $29.63
- Gem premium
- 13×
- As of
- Jul 11, 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 | $175 | +$137 | +$112 | +$11.53 |
| PSA 9 | $29.63 | −$8.84 | −$33.84 | −$134 |
| PSA 8 | $16.50 | −$21.97 | −$46.97 | −$147 |
Net = sale price − $13.47 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% | $65.97 | +$2.50 |
| 50% | $102 | +$38.84 |
| 75% | $139 | +$75.19 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 23%. 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 | $228 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $175 | −$53.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $50.00 | −$178 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $24.61 | −$203 | 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 →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $175 | $24.61 | $228 | $50.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $45.00 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $29.63 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $16.50 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $13.00 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 2008 Upper Deck Starquest cards worth checking
Full set checklist →![Kobe Bryant [Blue] #SQ-5 2008 Upper Deck Starquest card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wgQAAOSwOkFieo95/s-l500.jpg)
![LeBron James [Gold] #SQ-17 2008 Upper Deck Starquest card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/nn0AAeSw8fBqWhbH/s-l500.jpg)
![Michael Jordan [Copper] #SQ-20 2008 Upper Deck Starquest card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/vLoAAeSw~UhqRIBB/s-l500.jpg)
![Michael Jordan [Blue] #SQ-20 2008 Upper Deck Starquest card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/fxcAAeSwzMJplQPd/s-l500.jpg)
![Kobe Bryant [Gold] #SQ-5 2008 Upper Deck Starquest card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/MJsAAeSwf79qYNca/s-l500.jpg)
Grading Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 — FAQ
Is Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 sells for $175 against $13.47 raw: a $162 spread, 13× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($29.63) 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 Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 (Basketball Cards 2008 Upper Deck Starquest) sells for about $175 versus $13.47 for a raw near-mint copy — a 13× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Kobe Bryant #SQ-5?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $228, ahead of PSA 10 at $175. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 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 Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Kobe Bryant #SQ-5 breaks even when it gems about 23% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $29.63).
Is your basketball card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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