Is Rafael Palmeiro #43 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1987 Leaf · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 92× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Rafael Palmeiro #43 sells for $184 against $2.00 raw: a $182 spread, 92× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.40) 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)
- $2.00
- PSA 10
- $184
- PSA 9
- $16.40
- Gem premium
- 92×
- 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 | $184 | +$157 | +$132 | +$31.97 |
| PSA 9 | $16.40 | −$10.60 | −$35.60 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $7.71 | −$19.29 | −$44.29 | −$144 |
Net = sale price − $2.00 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% | $58.29 | +$6.29 |
| 50% | $100 | +$48.19 |
| 75% | $142 | +$90.08 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 21%. 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 | $239 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $184 | −$55.03 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $110 | −$129 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $110 | −$129 | 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 Rafael Palmeiro #43 — FAQ
Is Rafael Palmeiro #43 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Rafael Palmeiro #43 sells for $184 against $2.00 raw: a $182 spread, 92× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.40) 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 Rafael Palmeiro #43 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Rafael Palmeiro #43 (Baseball Cards 1987 Leaf) sells for about $184 versus $2.00 for a raw near-mint copy — a 92× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Rafael Palmeiro #43?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $239, ahead of PSA 10 at $184. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Rafael Palmeiro #43 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 Rafael Palmeiro #43 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Rafael Palmeiro #43 breaks even when it gems about 21% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.40).
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