Is Ed Farmer #36 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1981 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 121× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ed Farmer #36 sells for $170 against $1.40 raw: a $168 spread, 121× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($8.25) 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
- $170
- PSA 9
- $8.25
- Gem premium
- 121×
- 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 | $170 | +$143 | +$118 | +$18.45 |
| PSA 9 | $8.25 | −$18.15 | −$43.15 | −$143 |
| PSA 8 | $5.30 | −$21.10 | −$46.10 | −$146 |
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% | $48.65 | −$2.75 |
| 50% | $89.05 | +$37.65 |
| 75% | $129 | +$78.05 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 27%. 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 | $221 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $170 | −$51.15 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $102 | −$119 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $102 | −$119 | 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 Ed Farmer #36 — FAQ
Is Ed Farmer #36 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ed Farmer #36 sells for $170 against $1.40 raw: a $168 spread, 121× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($8.25) 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 Ed Farmer #36 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ed Farmer #36 (Baseball Cards 1981 Topps) sells for about $170 versus $1.40 for a raw near-mint copy — a 121× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Ed Farmer #36?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $221, ahead of PSA 10 at $170. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Ed Farmer #36 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 Ed Farmer #36 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ed Farmer #36 breaks even when it gems about 27% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $8.25).
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