![Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 (Baseball Cards 1981 Donruss) — is it worth grading?](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/S-4AAeSwNwhoyq6t/s-l1600.jpg)
Is Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1981 Donruss · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 76× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 sells for $99.00 against $1.31 raw: a $97.69 spread, 76× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.08) 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)
- $1.31
- PSA 10
- $99.00
- PSA 9
- $25.08
- Gem premium
- 76×
- 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 | $99.00 | +$72.69 | +$47.69 | −$52.31 |
| PSA 9 | $25.08 | −$1.23 | −$26.23 | −$126 |
| PSA 8 | $11.27 | −$15.04 | −$40.04 | −$140 |
Net = sale price − $1.31 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% | $43.56 | −$7.75 |
| 50% | $62.04 | +$10.73 |
| 75% | $80.52 | +$29.21 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 35%. 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 | $129 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $99.00 | −$30.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $59.00 | −$70.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $59.00 | −$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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $99.00 | $59.00 | $129 | $59.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $46.15 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $25.08 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $11.27 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 1981 Donruss cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
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Grading Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 — FAQ
Is Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 sells for $99.00 against $1.31 raw: a $97.69 spread, 76× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.08) 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 Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 (Baseball Cards 1981 Donruss) sells for about $99.00 versus $1.31 for a raw near-mint copy — a 76× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $129, ahead of PSA 10 at $99.00. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 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 Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Tom Donohue [Donohue on Front] #51 breaks even when it gems about 35% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $25.08).
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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