Is Gary Carter #23 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1981 Drake's · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 64× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Gary Carter #23 sells for $82.69 against $1.29 raw: a $81.40 spread, 64× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.35) 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)
- $1.29
- PSA 10
- $82.69
- PSA 9
- $24.35
- Gem premium
- 64×
- As of
- Sep 4, 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 | $82.69 | +$56.40 | +$31.40 | −$68.60 |
| PSA 9 | $24.35 | −$1.94 | −$26.94 | −$127 |
| PSA 8 | $10.75 | −$15.54 | −$40.54 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $1.29 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% | $38.94 | −$12.35 |
| 50% | $53.52 | +$2.23 |
| 75% | $68.11 | +$16.81 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 46%. 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 | $108 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $82.69 | −$25.31 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $50.00 | −$58.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $50.00 | −$58.00 | 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 Gary Carter #23 — FAQ
Is Gary Carter #23 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Gary Carter #23 sells for $82.69 against $1.29 raw: a $81.40 spread, 64× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.35) 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 Gary Carter #23 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Gary Carter #23 (Baseball Cards 1981 Drake's) sells for about $82.69 versus $1.29 for a raw near-mint copy — a 64× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Gary Carter #23?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $108, ahead of PSA 10 at $82.69. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Gary Carter #23 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 Gary Carter #23 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Gary Carter #23 breaks even when it gems about 46% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $24.35).
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