Is Steve Balboni #486 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1985 Topps Tiffany · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 55× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Steve Balboni #486 sells for $101 against $1.83 raw: a $99.66 spread, 55× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.00) 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)
- $1.83
- PSA 10
- $101
- PSA 9
- $19.00
- Gem premium
- 55×
- 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 | $101 | +$74.66 | +$49.66 | −$50.34 |
| PSA 9 | $19.00 | −$7.83 | −$32.83 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $17.50 | −$9.33 | −$34.33 | −$134 |
Net = sale price − $1.83 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% | $39.62 | −$12.21 |
| 50% | $60.24 | +$8.41 |
| 75% | $80.87 | +$29.04 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 40%. 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 | $132 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $101 | −$30.51 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $61.00 | −$71.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $61.00 | −$71.00 | 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 Steve Balboni #486 — FAQ
Is Steve Balboni #486 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Steve Balboni #486 sells for $101 against $1.83 raw: a $99.66 spread, 55× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.00) 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 Steve Balboni #486 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Steve Balboni #486 (Baseball Cards 1985 Topps Tiffany) sells for about $101 versus $1.83 for a raw near-mint copy — a 55× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Steve Balboni #486?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $132, ahead of PSA 10 at $101. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Steve Balboni #486 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 Steve Balboni #486 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Steve Balboni #486 breaks even when it gems about 40% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.00).
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