Is Joe Strain #538 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1980 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 71× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Joe Strain #538 sells for $99.99 against $1.40 raw: a $98.59 spread, 71× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.99) 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)
- $1.40
- PSA 10
- $99.99
- PSA 9
- $19.99
- Gem premium
- 71×
- 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 | $99.99 | +$73.59 | +$48.59 | −$51.41 |
| PSA 9 | $19.99 | −$6.41 | −$31.41 | −$131 |
| PSA 8 | $4.50 | −$21.90 | −$46.90 | −$147 |
Net = sale price − $1.40 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% | $39.99 | −$11.41 |
| 50% | $59.99 | +$8.59 |
| 75% | $79.99 | +$28.59 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 39%. 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 | $130 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $99.99 | −$30.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $60.00 | −$70.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $60.00 | −$70.00 | 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 Joe Strain #538 — FAQ
Is Joe Strain #538 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Joe Strain #538 sells for $99.99 against $1.40 raw: a $98.59 spread, 71× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.99) 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 Joe Strain #538 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Joe Strain #538 (Baseball Cards 1980 Topps) sells for about $99.99 versus $1.40 for a raw near-mint copy — a 71× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Joe Strain #538?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $130, ahead of PSA 10 at $99.99. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Joe Strain #538 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 Joe Strain #538 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Joe Strain #538 breaks even when it gems about 39% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.99).
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