Is Dennis Eckersley #538 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1986 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 45× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Dennis Eckersley #538 sells for $56.06 against $1.25 raw: a $54.81 spread, 45× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.00) 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)
- $1.25
- PSA 10
- $56.06
- PSA 9
- $19.00
- Gem premium
- 45×
- 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 | $56.06 | +$29.81 | +$4.81 | −$95.19 |
| PSA 9 | $19.00 | −$7.25 | −$32.25 | −$132 |
| PSA 8 | $10.63 | −$15.62 | −$40.62 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $1.25 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% | $28.27 | −$22.98 |
| 50% | $37.53 | −$13.72 |
| 75% | $46.80 | −$4.45 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 87%. 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 | $73.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $56.06 | −$16.94 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $34.00 | −$39.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $34.00 | −$39.00 | 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 Dennis Eckersley #538 — FAQ
Is Dennis Eckersley #538 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Dennis Eckersley #538 sells for $56.06 against $1.25 raw: a $54.81 spread, 45× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.00) 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 Dennis Eckersley #538 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Dennis Eckersley #538 (Baseball Cards 1986 Topps) sells for about $56.06 versus $1.25 for a raw near-mint copy — a 45× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Dennis Eckersley #538?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $73.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $56.06. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Dennis Eckersley #538 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 Dennis Eckersley #538 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Dennis Eckersley #538 breaks even when it gems about 87% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.00).
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