Is Dave Lopes #4 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1987 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 65× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Dave Lopes #4 sells for $80.00 against $1.24 raw: a $78.76 spread, 65× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($11.44) 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)
- $1.24
- PSA 10
- $80.00
- PSA 9
- $11.44
- Gem premium
- 65×
- 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 | $80.00 | +$53.76 | +$28.76 | −$71.24 |
| PSA 9 | $11.44 | −$14.80 | −$39.80 | −$140 |
| PSA 8 | $7.59 | −$18.65 | −$43.65 | −$144 |
Net = sale price − $1.24 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% | $28.58 | −$22.66 |
| 50% | $45.72 | −$5.52 |
| 75% | $62.86 | +$11.62 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 58%. 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 | $104 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $80.00 | −$24.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $48.00 | −$56.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $48.00 | −$56.00 | 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 Dave Lopes #4 — FAQ
Is Dave Lopes #4 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Dave Lopes #4 sells for $80.00 against $1.24 raw: a $78.76 spread, 65× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($11.44) 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 Dave Lopes #4 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Dave Lopes #4 (Baseball Cards 1987 Topps) sells for about $80.00 versus $1.24 for a raw near-mint copy — a 65× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Dave Lopes #4?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $104, ahead of PSA 10 at $80.00. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Dave Lopes #4 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 Dave Lopes #4 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Dave Lopes #4 breaks even when it gems about 58% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $11.44).
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