Is Mike Vail #343 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1980 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 178× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Mike Vail #343 sells for $105 against $0.59 raw: a $104 spread, 178× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.58) 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)
- $0.59
- PSA 10
- $105
- PSA 9
- $18.58
- Gem premium
- 178×
- 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 | $105 | +$79.41 | +$54.41 | −$45.59 |
| PSA 9 | $18.58 | −$7.01 | −$32.01 | −$132 |
| PSA 8 | $7.91 | −$17.68 | −$42.68 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $0.59 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% | $40.19 | −$10.41 |
| 50% | $61.79 | +$11.20 |
| 75% | $83.39 | +$32.80 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 37%. 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 | $137 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $105 | −$32.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $63.00 | −$74.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $63.00 | −$74.00 | 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 Mike Vail #343 — FAQ
Is Mike Vail #343 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Mike Vail #343 sells for $105 against $0.59 raw: a $104 spread, 178× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.58) 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 #343 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Mike Vail #343 (Baseball Cards 1980 Topps) sells for about $105 versus $0.59 for a raw near-mint copy — a 178× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Mike Vail #343?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $137, ahead of PSA 10 at $105. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Mike Vail #343 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 #343 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Mike Vail #343 breaks even when it gems about 37% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.58).
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