Is Rick Dempsey #294 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1987 Donruss · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 79× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Rick Dempsey #294 sells for $98.18 against $1.25 raw: a $96.93 spread, 79× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.82) 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
- $98.18
- PSA 9
- $20.82
- Gem premium
- 79×
- As of
- Sep 3, 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 | $98.18 | +$71.93 | +$46.93 | −$53.07 |
| PSA 9 | $20.82 | −$5.43 | −$30.43 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $9.68 | −$16.57 | −$41.57 | −$142 |
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% | $40.16 | −$11.09 |
| 50% | $59.50 | +$8.25 |
| 75% | $78.84 | +$27.59 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 39%. 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 | $128 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $98.18 | −$29.82 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $59.00 | −$69.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $59.00 | −$69.00 | 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 Rick Dempsey #294 — FAQ
Is Rick Dempsey #294 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Rick Dempsey #294 sells for $98.18 against $1.25 raw: a $96.93 spread, 79× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.82) 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 Rick Dempsey #294 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Rick Dempsey #294 (Baseball Cards 1987 Donruss) sells for about $98.18 versus $1.25 for a raw near-mint copy — a 79× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Rick Dempsey #294?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $128, ahead of PSA 10 at $98.18. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Rick Dempsey #294 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 Rick Dempsey #294 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Rick Dempsey #294 breaks even when it gems about 39% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $20.82).
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