Is Tom Johnson #54 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1978 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 112× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Tom Johnson #54 sells for $127 against $1.14 raw: a $126 spread, 112× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.59) 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)
- $1.14
- PSA 10
- $127
- PSA 9
- $18.59
- Gem premium
- 112×
- 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 | $127 | +$101 | +$76.16 | −$23.84 |
| PSA 9 | $18.59 | −$7.55 | −$32.55 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $12.64 | −$13.50 | −$38.50 | −$139 |
Net = sale price − $1.14 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% | $45.77 | −$5.37 |
| 50% | $72.94 | +$21.80 |
| 75% | $100 | +$48.98 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 30%. 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 | $165 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $127 | −$37.70 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $76.00 | −$89.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $76.00 | −$89.00 | 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 Tom Johnson #54 — FAQ
Is Tom Johnson #54 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Tom Johnson #54 sells for $127 against $1.14 raw: a $126 spread, 112× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.59) 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 Tom Johnson #54 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Tom Johnson #54 (Baseball Cards 1978 Topps) sells for about $127 versus $1.14 for a raw near-mint copy — a 112× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Tom Johnson #54?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $165, ahead of PSA 10 at $127. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Tom Johnson #54 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 Tom Johnson #54 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Tom Johnson #54 breaks even when it gems about 30% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.59).
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