Is Wade Boggs #38 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1985 Donruss Action All Stars · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 134× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Wade Boggs #38 sells for $134 against $1.00 raw: a $133 spread, 134× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($17.19) 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)
- $1.00
- PSA 10
- $134
- PSA 9
- $17.19
- Gem premium
- 134×
- 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 | $134 | +$108 | +$82.50 | −$17.50 |
| PSA 9 | $17.19 | −$8.81 | −$33.81 | −$134 |
Net = sale price − $1.00 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% | $46.27 | −$4.73 |
| 50% | $75.34 | +$24.34 |
| 75% | $104 | +$53.42 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 29%. 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 | $174 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $134 | −$40.50 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $80.00 | −$94.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $80.00 | −$94.00 | 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 Wade Boggs #38 — FAQ
Is Wade Boggs #38 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Wade Boggs #38 sells for $134 against $1.00 raw: a $133 spread, 134× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($17.19) 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 Wade Boggs #38 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Wade Boggs #38 (Baseball Cards 1985 Donruss Action All Stars) sells for about $134 versus $1.00 for a raw near-mint copy — a 134× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Wade Boggs #38?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $174, ahead of PSA 10 at $134. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Wade Boggs #38 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 Wade Boggs #38 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Wade Boggs #38 breaks even when it gems about 29% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $17.19).
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