Is Ellis Burks #5 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1987 Donruss Rookies · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 108× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ellis Burks #5 sells for $108 against $1.00 raw: a $107 spread, 108× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($9.99) 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)
- $1.00
- PSA 10
- $108
- PSA 9
- $9.99
- Gem premium
- 108×
- 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 | $108 | +$81.78 | +$56.78 | −$43.22 |
| PSA 9 | $9.99 | −$16.01 | −$41.01 | −$141 |
| PSA 8 | $3.47 | −$22.53 | −$47.53 | −$148 |
Net = sale price − $1.00 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% | $34.44 | −$16.56 |
| 50% | $58.88 | +$7.88 |
| 75% | $83.33 | +$32.33 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 42%. 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 | $140 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $108 | −$32.22 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $65.00 | −$75.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $65.00 | −$75.00 | 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 Ellis Burks #5 — FAQ
Is Ellis Burks #5 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ellis Burks #5 sells for $108 against $1.00 raw: a $107 spread, 108× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($9.99) 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 Ellis Burks #5 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ellis Burks #5 (Baseball Cards 1987 Donruss Rookies) sells for about $108 versus $1.00 for a raw near-mint copy — a 108× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Ellis Burks #5?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $140, ahead of PSA 10 at $108. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Ellis Burks #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 Ellis Burks #5 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ellis Burks #5 breaks even when it gems about 42% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $9.99).
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