Is Nolan Ryan #30 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1985 Fleer Limited Edition · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 40× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #30 sells for $119 against $2.95 raw: a $116 spread, 40× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.23) 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)
- $2.95
- PSA 10
- $119
- PSA 9
- $24.23
- Gem premium
- 40×
- 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 | $119 | +$91.11 | +$66.11 | −$33.89 |
| PSA 9 | $24.23 | −$3.72 | −$28.72 | −$129 |
| PSA 8 | $10.70 | −$17.25 | −$42.25 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $2.95 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% | $47.94 | −$5.01 |
| 50% | $71.64 | +$18.69 |
| 75% | $95.35 | +$42.40 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 30%. 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 | $155 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $119 | −$35.94 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $71.00 | −$84.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $27.06 | −$128 | 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 Nolan Ryan #30 — FAQ
Is Nolan Ryan #30 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #30 sells for $119 against $2.95 raw: a $116 spread, 40× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.23) 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 Nolan Ryan #30 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #30 (Baseball Cards 1985 Fleer Limited Edition) sells for about $119 versus $2.95 for a raw near-mint copy — a 40× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Nolan Ryan #30?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $155, ahead of PSA 10 at $119. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Nolan Ryan #30 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 Nolan Ryan #30 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Nolan Ryan #30 breaks even when it gems about 30% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $24.23).
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