Is Babe Ruth #144 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1933 Goudey · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 10 Babe Ruth #144 sells for $6,140,123 against $15,057 raw: a $6,125,066 spread, 408× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($528,000) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $15,057
- PSA 10
- $6,140,123
- PSA 9
- $528,000
- Gem premium
- 408×
- As of
- Aug 18, 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 | $6,140,123 | +$6,125,041 | +$6,125,016 | +$6,124,916 |
| PSA 9 | $528,000 | +$512,918 | +$512,893 | +$512,793 |
| PSA 8 | $242,973 | +$227,891 | +$227,866 | +$227,766 |
Net = sale price − $15,057 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% | $1,931,031 | +$1,915,924 |
| 50% | $3,334,061 | +$3,318,954 |
| 75% | $4,737,092 | +$4,721,985 |
Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.
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 | $7,984,118 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $6,141,630 | −$1,842,488 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $3,684,978 | −$4,299,140 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $3,684,978 | −$4,299,140 | 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 | $6,140,123 | $3,684,074 | $7,982,160 | $3,684,074 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $1,694,742 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $528,000 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $242,973 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $84,600 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Babe Ruth #144 — FAQ
Is Babe Ruth #144 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Babe Ruth #144 sells for $6,140,123 against $15,057 raw: a $6,125,066 spread, 408× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($528,000) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Babe Ruth #144 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Babe Ruth #144 (Baseball Cards 1933 Goudey) sells for about $6,140,123 versus $15,057 for a raw near-mint copy — a 408× premium as of Aug 18, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Babe Ruth #144?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $7,984,118, ahead of PSA 10 at $6,141,630. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Babe Ruth #144 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.
Is your baseball 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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