Is Howard Johnson #247 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1985 Donruss · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 77× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Howard Johnson #247 sells for $152 against $1.98 raw: a $150 spread, 77× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.72) 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)
- $1.98
- PSA 10
- $152
- PSA 9
- $16.72
- Gem premium
- 77×
- 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 | $152 | +$125 | +$100 | +$0.05 |
| PSA 9 | $16.72 | −$10.26 | −$35.26 | −$135 |
| PSA 8 | $10.99 | −$15.99 | −$40.99 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $1.98 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% | $50.55 | −$1.43 |
| 50% | $84.38 | +$32.39 |
| 75% | $118 | +$66.22 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 26%. 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 | $198 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $152 | −$45.97 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $91.00 | −$107 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $91.00 | −$107 | 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 Howard Johnson #247 — FAQ
Is Howard Johnson #247 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Howard Johnson #247 sells for $152 against $1.98 raw: a $150 spread, 77× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.72) 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 Howard Johnson #247 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Howard Johnson #247 (Baseball Cards 1985 Donruss) sells for about $152 versus $1.98 for a raw near-mint copy — a 77× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Howard Johnson #247?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $198, ahead of PSA 10 at $152. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Howard Johnson #247 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 Howard Johnson #247 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Howard Johnson #247 breaks even when it gems about 26% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.72).
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