Is John Wathan #547 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1980 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 606× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 John Wathan #547 sells for $600 against $0.99 raw: a $599 spread, 606× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.95) 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)
- $0.99
- PSA 10
- $600
- PSA 9
- $23.95
- Gem premium
- 606×
- As of
- Jul 11, 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 | $600 | +$574 | +$549 | +$449 |
| PSA 9 | $23.95 | −$2.04 | −$27.04 | −$127 |
| PSA 8 | $14.99 | −$11.00 | −$36.00 | −$136 |
Net = sale price − $0.99 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% | $168 | +$117 |
| 50% | $312 | +$261 |
| 75% | $456 | +$405 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 5%. 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 | $780 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $600 | −$180 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $360 | −$420 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $360 | −$420 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $600 | $360 | $780 | $360 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $26.00 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $23.95 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $14.99 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading John Wathan #547 — FAQ
Is John Wathan #547 worth grading?
A PSA 10 John Wathan #547 sells for $600 against $0.99 raw: a $599 spread, 606× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.95) 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 John Wathan #547 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 John Wathan #547 (Baseball Cards 1980 Topps) sells for about $600 versus $0.99 for a raw near-mint copy — a 606× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for John Wathan #547?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $780, ahead of PSA 10 at $600. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does John Wathan #547 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 John Wathan #547 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Wathan #547 breaks even when it gems about 5% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $23.95).
Is your baseball card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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