Is Babe Ruth #S-1 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 2018 Topps Update Salute · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 55× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Babe Ruth #S-1 sells for $99.00 against $1.79 raw: a $97.21 spread, 55× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.25) 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)
- $1.79
- PSA 10
- $99.00
- PSA 9
- $19.25
- Gem premium
- 55×
- 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 | $99.00 | +$72.21 | +$47.21 | −$52.79 |
| PSA 9 | $19.25 | −$7.54 | −$32.54 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $6.38 | −$20.41 | −$45.41 | −$145 |
Net = sale price − $1.79 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% | $39.19 | −$12.60 |
| 50% | $59.13 | +$7.34 |
| 75% | $79.06 | +$27.27 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 41%. 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 | $129 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $99.00 | −$30.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $59.00 | −$70.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $59.00 | −$70.00 | 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 Babe Ruth #S-1 — FAQ
Is Babe Ruth #S-1 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Babe Ruth #S-1 sells for $99.00 against $1.79 raw: a $97.21 spread, 55× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.25) 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 Babe Ruth #S-1 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Babe Ruth #S-1 (Baseball Cards 2018 Topps Update Salute) sells for about $99.00 versus $1.79 for a raw near-mint copy — a 55× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Babe Ruth #S-1?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $129, ahead of PSA 10 at $99.00. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Babe Ruth #S-1 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 Babe Ruth #S-1 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Babe Ruth #S-1 breaks even when it gems about 41% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.25).
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