Is Mike Vail #663 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1979 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 889× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Mike Vail #663 sells for $1,200 against $1.35 raw: a $1,199 spread, 889× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.59) 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)
- $1.35
- PSA 10
- $1,200
- PSA 9
- $16.59
- Gem premium
- 889×
- 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 | $1,200 | +$1,174 | +$1,149 | +$1,049 |
| PSA 9 | $16.59 | −$9.76 | −$34.76 | −$135 |
| PSA 8 | $10.36 | −$15.99 | −$40.99 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $1.35 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% | $312 | +$261 |
| 50% | $608 | +$557 |
| 75% | $904 | +$853 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 3%. 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 | $1,560 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $1,200 | −$360 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $720 | −$840 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $720 | −$840 | 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 Mike Vail #663 — FAQ
Is Mike Vail #663 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Mike Vail #663 sells for $1,200 against $1.35 raw: a $1,199 spread, 889× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.59) 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 Mike Vail #663 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Mike Vail #663 (Baseball Cards 1979 Topps) sells for about $1,200 versus $1.35 for a raw near-mint copy — a 889× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Mike Vail #663?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $1,560, ahead of PSA 10 at $1,200. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Mike Vail #663 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 Mike Vail #663 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Mike Vail #663 breaks even when it gems about 3% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.59).
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