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LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 (Basketball Cards 2020 Panini Prizm) — is it worth grading?

Is LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 2020 Panini Prizm · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

PSA 10 copies of LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 sell for $500, only $0.00 above the $850 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($230) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.

Raw (NM)
$850
PSA 10
$500
PSA 9
$230
Gem premium
0.6×
As of
Jul 11, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278: net result of grading versus selling raw, by outcome and fee tier
If it comes back…Sells forEconomy / bulk (~$25.00)Standard (~$50.00)Express (~$150)
Gem — PSA 10$500−$375−$400−$500
PSA 9$230−$645−$670−$770
PSA 8$228−$648−$673−$773

Net = sale price − $850 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?

LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gemsExpected saleExpected net (standard fee)
25%$298−$603
50%$365−$535
75%$433−$468

At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.

Which grader pays the most — and what a 10 takes

All centering standards
LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278: top-grade value by grading company with centering tolerance
Grader10 sells forvs bestFront centering for a 10Back
BGS 10$650best55/4570/30
PSA 10$500−$15055/4575/25
CGC 10$300−$35055/4575/25
SGC 10$300−$35055/4575/25

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.

LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 graded prices by company and grade
GradePSACGCBGSSGCGraded
10$500$300$650$300
9.5$386
9$230
8$228

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.

Other 2020 Panini Prizm cards worth checking

Full set checklist

Grading LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 — FAQ

Is LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 worth grading?

PSA 10 copies of LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 sell for $500, only $0.00 above the $850 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($230) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.

How much is a PSA 10 LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 worth compared with raw?

A PSA 10 LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 (Basketball Cards 2020 Panini Prizm) sells for about $500 versus $850 for a raw near-mint copy — a 0.6× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.

Which grading company is best for LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278?

By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $650, ahead of PSA 10 at $500. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.

What centering does LaMelo Ball [Purple Prizm] #278 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.

Is your basketball 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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