Is Willie Montanez #559 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1981 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 98× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Willie Montanez #559 sells for $107 against $1.09 raw: a $106 spread, 98× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.49) 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)
- $1.09
- PSA 10
- $107
- PSA 9
- $21.49
- Gem premium
- 98×
- 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 | $107 | +$80.99 | +$55.99 | −$44.01 |
| PSA 9 | $21.49 | −$4.60 | −$29.60 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $13.97 | −$12.12 | −$37.12 | −$137 |
Net = sale price − $1.09 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% | $42.89 | −$8.20 |
| 50% | $64.28 | +$13.19 |
| 75% | $85.68 | +$34.59 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 35%. 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 | $139 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $107 | −$31.92 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $64.00 | −$75.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $64.00 | −$75.00 | 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 Willie Montanez #559 — FAQ
Is Willie Montanez #559 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Willie Montanez #559 sells for $107 against $1.09 raw: a $106 spread, 98× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.49) 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 Willie Montanez #559 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Willie Montanez #559 (Baseball Cards 1981 Topps) sells for about $107 versus $1.09 for a raw near-mint copy — a 98× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Willie Montanez #559?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $139, ahead of PSA 10 at $107. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Willie Montanez #559 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 Willie Montanez #559 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Willie Montanez #559 breaks even when it gems about 35% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $21.49).
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