Is Cal Ripken Jr. #609 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1987 Topps Tiffany · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #609 sells for $250 against $3.99 raw: a $246 spread, 63× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($31.00) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $3.99
- PSA 10
- $250
- PSA 9
- $31.00
- Gem premium
- 63×
- 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 | $250 | +$221 | +$196 | +$96.01 |
| PSA 9 | $31.00 | +$2.01 | −$22.99 | −$123 |
| PSA 8 | $15.95 | −$13.04 | −$38.04 | −$138 |
Net = sale price − $3.99 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% | $85.75 | +$31.76 |
| 50% | $141 | +$86.51 |
| 75% | $195 | +$141 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 10%. 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 | $325 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $250 | −$75.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $150 | −$175 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $150 | −$175 | 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 | $250 | $150 | $325 | $150 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $77.92 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $31.00 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $15.95 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $5.57 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Cal Ripken Jr. #609 — FAQ
Is Cal Ripken Jr. #609 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #609 sells for $250 against $3.99 raw: a $246 spread, 63× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($31.00) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #609 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #609 (Baseball Cards 1987 Topps Tiffany) sells for about $250 versus $3.99 for a raw near-mint copy — a 63× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Cal Ripken Jr. #609?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $325, ahead of PSA 10 at $250. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Cal Ripken Jr. #609 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 Cal Ripken Jr. #609 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Cal Ripken Jr. #609 breaks even when it gems about 10% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $31.00).
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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