Is Carmelo Anthony #AA29 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 2003 Upper Deck Air Academy · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 22× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Carmelo Anthony #AA29 sells for $65.11 against $3.00 raw: a $62.11 spread, 22× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.38) 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)
- $3.00
- PSA 10
- $65.11
- PSA 9
- $18.38
- Gem premium
- 22×
- As of
- Sep 4, 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 | $65.11 | +$37.11 | +$12.11 | −$87.89 |
| PSA 9 | $18.38 | −$9.62 | −$34.62 | −$135 |
| PSA 8 | $17.00 | −$11.00 | −$36.00 | −$136 |
Net = sale price − $3.00 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% | $30.06 | −$22.94 |
| 50% | $41.74 | −$11.26 |
| 75% | $53.43 | +$0.43 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 74%. 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 | $190 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $65.11 | −$125 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $39.00 | −$151 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $25.00 | −$165 | 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 Carmelo Anthony #AA29 — FAQ
Is Carmelo Anthony #AA29 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Carmelo Anthony #AA29 sells for $65.11 against $3.00 raw: a $62.11 spread, 22× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.38) 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 Carmelo Anthony #AA29 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Carmelo Anthony #AA29 (Basketball Cards 2003 Upper Deck Air Academy) sells for about $65.11 versus $3.00 for a raw near-mint copy — a 22× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Carmelo Anthony #AA29?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $190, ahead of PSA 10 at $65.11. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Carmelo Anthony #AA29 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 Carmelo Anthony #AA29 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Carmelo Anthony #AA29 breaks even when it gems about 74% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.38).
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