Is Joel Youngblood #109 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1979 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 94× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Joel Youngblood #109 sells for $143 against $1.53 raw: a $142 spread, 94× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.75) 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)
- $1.53
- PSA 10
- $143
- PSA 9
- $16.75
- Gem premium
- 94×
- 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 | $143 | +$117 | +$91.54 | −$8.46 |
| PSA 9 | $16.75 | −$9.78 | −$34.78 | −$135 |
| PSA 8 | $10.50 | −$16.03 | −$41.03 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $1.53 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% | $48.33 | −$3.20 |
| 50% | $79.91 | +$28.38 |
| 75% | $111 | +$59.96 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 28%. 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 | $186 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $143 | −$42.93 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $86.00 | −$100 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $86.00 | −$100 | 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 Joel Youngblood #109 — FAQ
Is Joel Youngblood #109 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Joel Youngblood #109 sells for $143 against $1.53 raw: a $142 spread, 94× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.75) 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 Joel Youngblood #109 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Joel Youngblood #109 (Baseball Cards 1979 Topps) sells for about $143 versus $1.53 for a raw near-mint copy — a 94× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Joel Youngblood #109?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $186, ahead of PSA 10 at $143. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Joel Youngblood #109 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 Joel Youngblood #109 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Joel Youngblood #109 breaks even when it gems about 28% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.75).
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