Is Cal Ripken Jr. #30 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1985 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 276× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #30 sells for $522 against $1.89 raw: a $520 spread, 276× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.97) 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)
- $1.89
- PSA 10
- $522
- PSA 9
- $25.97
- Gem premium
- 276×
- 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 | $522 | +$495 | +$470 | +$370 |
| PSA 9 | $25.97 | −$0.92 | −$25.92 | −$126 |
| PSA 8 | $14.77 | −$12.12 | −$37.12 | −$137 |
Net = sale price − $1.89 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% | $150 | +$97.99 |
| 50% | $274 | +$222 |
| 75% | $398 | +$346 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 5%. 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 | $678 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $522 | −$156 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $313 | −$365 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $313 | −$365 | 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 | $522 | $313 | $678 | $313 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $61.69 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $25.97 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $14.77 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $7.24 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 1985 Topps cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Cal Ripken Jr. #30 — FAQ
Is Cal Ripken Jr. #30 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #30 sells for $522 against $1.89 raw: a $520 spread, 276× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.97) 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 Cal Ripken Jr. #30 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #30 (Baseball Cards 1985 Topps) sells for about $522 versus $1.89 for a raw near-mint copy — a 276× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Cal Ripken Jr. #30?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $678, ahead of PSA 10 at $522. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Cal Ripken Jr. #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 Cal Ripken Jr. #30 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Cal Ripken Jr. #30 breaks even when it gems about 5% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $25.97).
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.
Check my card free