Is Nolan Ryan #138 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1987 Donruss · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 128× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #138 sells for $190 against $1.49 raw: a $189 spread, 128× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.05) 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)
- $1.49
- PSA 10
- $190
- PSA 9
- $21.05
- Gem premium
- 128×
- 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 | $190 | +$164 | +$139 | +$38.92 |
| PSA 9 | $21.05 | −$5.44 | −$30.44 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $9.00 | −$17.49 | −$42.49 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $1.49 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% | $63.39 | +$11.90 |
| 50% | $106 | +$54.24 |
| 75% | $148 | +$96.58 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 18%. 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 | $410 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $190 | −$220 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $114 | −$296 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $68.13 | −$342 | 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 | $190 | $114 | $410 | $68.13 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $34.00 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $21.05 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $9.00 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $7.00 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Nolan Ryan #138 — FAQ
Is Nolan Ryan #138 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #138 sells for $190 against $1.49 raw: a $189 spread, 128× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.05) 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 #138 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #138 (Baseball Cards 1987 Donruss) sells for about $190 versus $1.49 for a raw near-mint copy — a 128× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Nolan Ryan #138?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $410, ahead of PSA 10 at $190. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Nolan Ryan #138 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 #138 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Nolan Ryan #138 breaks even when it gems about 18% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $21.05).
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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