Is Ozzie Smith #488 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1981 Fleer · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 30× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ozzie Smith #488 sells for $86.56 against $2.85 raw: a $83.71 spread, 30× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.51) 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)
- $2.85
- PSA 10
- $86.56
- PSA 9
- $20.51
- Gem premium
- 30×
- 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 | $86.56 | +$58.71 | +$33.71 | −$66.29 |
| PSA 9 | $20.51 | −$7.34 | −$32.34 | −$132 |
| PSA 8 | $12.98 | −$14.87 | −$39.87 | −$140 |
Net = sale price − $2.85 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% | $37.02 | −$15.83 |
| 50% | $53.54 | +$0.69 |
| 75% | $70.05 | +$17.20 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 49%. 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 | $113 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $86.56 | −$26.44 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $52.00 | −$61.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $50.62 | −$62.38 | 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 Ozzie Smith #488 — FAQ
Is Ozzie Smith #488 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ozzie Smith #488 sells for $86.56 against $2.85 raw: a $83.71 spread, 30× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.51) 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 Ozzie Smith #488 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ozzie Smith #488 (Baseball Cards 1981 Fleer) sells for about $86.56 versus $2.85 for a raw near-mint copy — a 30× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Ozzie Smith #488?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $113, ahead of PSA 10 at $86.56. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Ozzie Smith #488 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 Ozzie Smith #488 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ozzie Smith #488 breaks even when it gems about 49% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $20.51).
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