Is Harold Baines #249 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1985 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 181× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Harold Baines #249 sells for $198 against $1.09 raw: a $196 spread, 181× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.30) 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)
- $1.09
- PSA 10
- $198
- PSA 9
- $15.30
- Gem premium
- 181×
- 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 | $198 | +$171 | +$146 | +$46.41 |
| PSA 9 | $15.30 | −$10.79 | −$35.79 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $9.00 | −$17.09 | −$42.09 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $1.09 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% | $60.85 | +$9.76 |
| 50% | $106 | +$55.31 |
| 75% | $152 | +$101 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 20%. 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 | $257 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $198 | −$59.50 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $119 | −$138 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $119 | −$138 | 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 | $198 | $119 | $257 | $119 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $37.88 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $15.30 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $9.00 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $5.00 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Harold Baines #249 — FAQ
Is Harold Baines #249 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Harold Baines #249 sells for $198 against $1.09 raw: a $196 spread, 181× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.30) 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 Harold Baines #249 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Harold Baines #249 (Baseball Cards 1985 Topps) sells for about $198 versus $1.09 for a raw near-mint copy — a 181× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Harold Baines #249?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $257, ahead of PSA 10 at $198. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Harold Baines #249 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 Harold Baines #249 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Harold Baines #249 breaks even when it gems about 20% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $15.30).
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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