Is Buck Martinez #616 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1976 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 66× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Buck Martinez #616 sells for $118 against $1.79 raw: a $116 spread, 66× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.57) 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
- $118
- PSA 9
- $18.57
- Gem premium
- 66×
- As of
- Sep 2, 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 | $118 | +$91.26 | +$66.26 | −$33.74 |
| PSA 9 | $18.57 | −$8.22 | −$33.22 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $17.79 | −$9.00 | −$34.00 | −$134 |
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% | $43.44 | −$8.35 |
| 50% | $68.31 | +$16.52 |
| 75% | $93.18 | +$41.39 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 33%. 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 | $153 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $118 | −$34.95 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $71.00 | −$82.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $71.00 | −$82.00 | 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 Buck Martinez #616 — FAQ
Is Buck Martinez #616 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Buck Martinez #616 sells for $118 against $1.79 raw: a $116 spread, 66× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.57) 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 Buck Martinez #616 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Buck Martinez #616 (Baseball Cards 1976 Topps) sells for about $118 versus $1.79 for a raw near-mint copy — a 66× premium as of Sep 2, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Buck Martinez #616?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $153, ahead of PSA 10 at $118. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Buck Martinez #616 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 Buck Martinez #616 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Buck Martinez #616 breaks even when it gems about 33% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.57).
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