Is Steve Carlton #202 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1981 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 64× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Steve Carlton #202 sells for $79.99 against $1.25 raw: a $78.74 spread, 64× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.95) 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)
- $1.25
- PSA 10
- $79.99
- PSA 9
- $19.95
- 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 | $79.99 | +$53.74 | +$28.74 | −$71.26 |
| PSA 9 | $19.95 | −$6.30 | −$31.30 | −$131 |
| PSA 8 | $11.99 | −$14.26 | −$39.26 | −$139 |
Net = sale price − $1.25 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% | $34.96 | −$16.29 |
| 50% | $49.97 | −$1.28 |
| 75% | $64.98 | +$13.73 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 52%. 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 | $104 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $79.99 | −$24.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $48.00 | −$56.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $48.00 | −$56.00 | 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 Steve Carlton #202 — FAQ
Is Steve Carlton #202 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Steve Carlton #202 sells for $79.99 against $1.25 raw: a $78.74 spread, 64× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.95) 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 Steve Carlton #202 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Steve Carlton #202 (Baseball Cards 1981 Topps) sells for about $79.99 versus $1.25 for a raw near-mint copy — a 64× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Steve Carlton #202?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $104, ahead of PSA 10 at $79.99. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Steve Carlton #202 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 Steve Carlton #202 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Steve Carlton #202 breaks even when it gems about 52% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.95).
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