Is Rick Burleson #455 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1981 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 104× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Rick Burleson #455 sells for $114 against $1.10 raw: a $113 spread, 104× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($13.76) 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)
- $1.10
- PSA 10
- $114
- PSA 9
- $13.76
- Gem premium
- 104×
- 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 | $114 | +$87.99 | +$62.99 | −$37.01 |
| PSA 9 | $13.76 | −$12.34 | −$37.34 | −$137 |
| PSA 8 | $8.56 | −$17.54 | −$42.54 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $1.10 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% | $38.84 | −$12.26 |
| 50% | $63.93 | +$12.83 |
| 75% | $89.01 | +$37.91 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 37%. 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 | $148 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $114 | −$33.91 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $68.00 | −$80.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $68.00 | −$80.00 | 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 Rick Burleson #455 — FAQ
Is Rick Burleson #455 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Rick Burleson #455 sells for $114 against $1.10 raw: a $113 spread, 104× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($13.76) 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 Rick Burleson #455 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Rick Burleson #455 (Baseball Cards 1981 Topps) sells for about $114 versus $1.10 for a raw near-mint copy — a 104× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Rick Burleson #455?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $148, ahead of PSA 10 at $114. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Rick Burleson #455 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 Rick Burleson #455 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Rick Burleson #455 breaks even when it gems about 37% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $13.76).
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