Is Mickey Mantle #5 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1987 Kmart · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 30× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Mickey Mantle #5 sells for $59.99 against $1.98 raw: a $58.01 spread, 30× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.90) 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)
- $1.98
- PSA 10
- $59.99
- PSA 9
- $26.90
- Gem premium
- 30×
- 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 | $59.99 | +$33.01 | +$8.01 | −$91.99 |
| PSA 9 | $26.90 | −$0.08 | −$25.08 | −$125 |
| PSA 8 | $26.16 | −$0.82 | −$25.82 | −$126 |
Net = sale price − $1.98 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% | $35.17 | −$16.81 |
| 50% | $43.45 | −$8.53 |
| 75% | $51.72 | −$0.26 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 76%. 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 | $78.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $59.99 | −$18.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $36.00 | −$42.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $36.00 | −$42.00 | 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 | $59.99 | $36.00 | $78.00 | $36.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $48.61 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $26.90 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $26.16 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Mickey Mantle #5 — FAQ
Is Mickey Mantle #5 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Mickey Mantle #5 sells for $59.99 against $1.98 raw: a $58.01 spread, 30× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.90) 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 Mickey Mantle #5 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Mickey Mantle #5 (Baseball Cards 1987 Kmart) sells for about $59.99 versus $1.98 for a raw near-mint copy — a 30× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Mickey Mantle #5?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $78.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $59.99. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Mickey Mantle #5 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 Mickey Mantle #5 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Mickey Mantle #5 breaks even when it gems about 76% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $26.90).
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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