Is Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 2004 Topps Pristine · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 9.4× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 sells for $150 against $15.99 raw: a $134 spread, 9.4× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($14.99) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $15.99
- PSA 10
- $150
- PSA 9
- $14.99
- Gem premium
- 9.4×
- 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 | $150 | +$109 | +$84.00 | −$16.00 |
| PSA 9 | $14.99 | −$26.00 | −$51.00 | −$151 |
Net = sale price − $15.99 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% | $48.74 | −$17.25 |
| 50% | $82.49 | +$16.50 |
| 75% | $116 | +$50.25 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 38%. 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 | $195 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $150 | −$45.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $90.00 | −$105 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $90.00 | −$105 | 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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Full set checklist →Grading Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 — FAQ
Is Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 sells for $150 against $15.99 raw: a $134 spread, 9.4× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($14.99) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 (Basketball Cards 2004 Topps Pristine) sells for about $150 versus $15.99 for a raw near-mint copy — a 9.4× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $195, ahead of PSA 10 at $150. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 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 Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Sebastian Telfair Refractor #181 breaks even when it gems about 38% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $14.99).
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