Is Nolan Ryan #30 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1986 Fleer Baseball's Best · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 56× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #30 sells for $97.30 against $1.73 raw: a $95.57 spread, 56× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.70) 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)
- $1.73
- PSA 10
- $97.30
- PSA 9
- $20.70
- Gem premium
- 56×
- As of
- Sep 4, 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 | $97.30 | +$70.57 | +$45.57 | −$54.43 |
| PSA 9 | $20.70 | −$6.03 | −$31.03 | −$131 |
| PSA 8 | $15.44 | −$11.29 | −$36.29 | −$136 |
Net = sale price − $1.73 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% | $39.85 | −$11.88 |
| 50% | $59.00 | +$7.27 |
| 75% | $78.15 | +$26.42 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 41%. 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 | $126 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $97.30 | −$28.70 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $58.00 | −$68.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $58.00 | −$68.00 | 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 Nolan Ryan #30 — FAQ
Is Nolan Ryan #30 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #30 sells for $97.30 against $1.73 raw: a $95.57 spread, 56× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.70) 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 Nolan Ryan #30 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #30 (Baseball Cards 1986 Fleer Baseball's Best) sells for about $97.30 versus $1.73 for a raw near-mint copy — a 56× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Nolan Ryan #30?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $126, ahead of PSA 10 at $97.30. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Nolan Ryan #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 Nolan Ryan #30 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Nolan Ryan #30 breaks even when it gems about 41% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $20.70).
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