Is Lou Gehrig #635 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1985 Donruss · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 30× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lou Gehrig #635 sells for $56.78 against $1.90 raw: a $54.88 spread, 30× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($14.99) 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)
- $1.90
- PSA 10
- $56.78
- PSA 9
- $14.99
- Gem premium
- 30×
- As of
- Jul 11, 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 | $56.78 | +$29.88 | +$4.88 | −$95.12 |
| PSA 9 | $14.99 | −$11.91 | −$36.91 | −$137 |
| PSA 8 | $3.25 | −$23.65 | −$48.65 | −$149 |
Net = sale price − $1.90 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% | $25.44 | −$26.46 |
| 50% | $35.88 | −$16.02 |
| 75% | $46.33 | −$5.57 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 88%. 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 | $74.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $56.78 | −$17.22 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $34.00 | −$40.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $34.00 | −$40.00 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $56.78 | $34.00 | $74.00 | $34.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $50.38 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $14.99 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $3.25 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $3.00 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Lou Gehrig #635 — FAQ
Is Lou Gehrig #635 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lou Gehrig #635 sells for $56.78 against $1.90 raw: a $54.88 spread, 30× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($14.99) 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 Lou Gehrig #635 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lou Gehrig #635 (Baseball Cards 1985 Donruss) sells for about $56.78 versus $1.90 for a raw near-mint copy — a 30× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lou Gehrig #635?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $74.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $56.78. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lou Gehrig #635 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 Lou Gehrig #635 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lou Gehrig #635 breaks even when it gems about 88% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $14.99).
Is your baseball card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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