Is Cal Ripken Jr. #784 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1987 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 84× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #784 sells for $84.05 against $1.00 raw: a $83.05 spread, 84× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.00) 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
- $84.05
- PSA 9
- $15.00
- Gem premium
- 84×
- 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 | $84.05 | +$58.05 | +$33.05 | −$66.95 |
| PSA 9 | $15.00 | −$11.00 | −$36.00 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $12.49 | −$13.51 | −$38.51 | −$139 |
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% | $32.26 | −$18.74 |
| 50% | $49.52 | −$1.48 |
| 75% | $66.79 | +$15.79 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 52%. 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 | $109 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $84.05 | −$24.95 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $50.00 | −$59.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $35.35 | −$73.65 | 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 | $84.05 | $50.00 | $109 | $35.35 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $17.00 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $15.00 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $12.49 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $6.99 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 1987 Topps cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
Grading Cal Ripken Jr. #784 — FAQ
Is Cal Ripken Jr. #784 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #784 sells for $84.05 against $1.00 raw: a $83.05 spread, 84× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.00) 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 Cal Ripken Jr. #784 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #784 (Baseball Cards 1987 Topps) sells for about $84.05 versus $1.00 for a raw near-mint copy — a 84× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Cal Ripken Jr. #784?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $109, ahead of PSA 10 at $84.05. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Cal Ripken Jr. #784 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. #784 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Cal Ripken Jr. #784 breaks even when it gems about 52% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $15.00).
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.
Check my card free