Is Fernando Valenzuela #440 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1985 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 27× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Fernando Valenzuela #440 sells for $51.99 against $1.93 raw: a $50.06 spread, 27× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.56) 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)
- $1.93
- PSA 10
- $51.99
- PSA 9
- $19.56
- Gem premium
- 27×
- 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 | $51.99 | +$25.06 | +$0.06 | −$99.94 |
| PSA 9 | $19.56 | −$7.37 | −$32.37 | −$132 |
| PSA 8 | $9.91 | −$17.02 | −$42.02 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $1.93 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% | $27.67 | −$24.26 |
| 50% | $35.77 | −$16.16 |
| 75% | $43.88 | −$8.05 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 100%. 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 | $68.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $51.99 | −$16.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $49.95 | −$18.05 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $31.00 | −$37.00 | 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 | $51.99 | $31.00 | $68.00 | $49.95 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $43.41 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $19.56 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $9.91 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $6.75 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Fernando Valenzuela #440 — FAQ
Is Fernando Valenzuela #440 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Fernando Valenzuela #440 sells for $51.99 against $1.93 raw: a $50.06 spread, 27× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.56) 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 Fernando Valenzuela #440 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Fernando Valenzuela #440 (Baseball Cards 1985 Topps) sells for about $51.99 versus $1.93 for a raw near-mint copy — a 27× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Fernando Valenzuela #440?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $68.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $51.99. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Fernando Valenzuela #440 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 Fernando Valenzuela #440 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Fernando Valenzuela #440 breaks even when it gems about 100% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.56).
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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