Is Hosken Powell #656 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1979 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 112× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Hosken Powell #656 sells for $178 against $1.59 raw: a $176 spread, 112× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.47) 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)
- $1.59
- PSA 10
- $178
- PSA 9
- $25.47
- 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 | $178 | +$151 | +$126 | +$25.91 |
| PSA 9 | $25.47 | −$1.12 | −$26.12 | −$126 |
| PSA 8 | $3.26 | −$23.33 | −$48.33 | −$148 |
Net = sale price − $1.59 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% | $63.48 | +$11.89 |
| 50% | $101 | +$49.89 |
| 75% | $139 | +$87.90 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 17%. 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 | $231 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $178 | −$53.50 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $107 | −$124 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $107 | −$124 | 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 Hosken Powell #656 — FAQ
Is Hosken Powell #656 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Hosken Powell #656 sells for $178 against $1.59 raw: a $176 spread, 112× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.47) 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 Hosken Powell #656 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Hosken Powell #656 (Baseball Cards 1979 Topps) sells for about $178 versus $1.59 for a raw near-mint copy — a 112× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Hosken Powell #656?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $231, ahead of PSA 10 at $178. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Hosken Powell #656 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 Hosken Powell #656 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Hosken Powell #656 breaks even when it gems about 17% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $25.47).
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