Is Don Mattingly #217 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1988 Donruss · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 151× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Don Mattingly #217 sells for $94.99 against $0.63 raw: a $94.36 spread, 151× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.24) 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)
- $0.63
- PSA 10
- $94.99
- PSA 9
- $16.24
- Gem premium
- 151×
- 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 | $94.99 | +$69.36 | +$44.36 | −$55.64 |
| PSA 9 | $16.24 | −$9.39 | −$34.39 | −$134 |
| PSA 8 | $5.73 | −$19.90 | −$44.90 | −$145 |
Net = sale price − $0.63 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% | $35.93 | −$14.70 |
| 50% | $55.61 | +$4.98 |
| 75% | $75.30 | +$24.67 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 44%. 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 | $123 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $94.99 | −$28.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $57.00 | −$66.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $16.99 | −$106 | 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 | $94.99 | $57.00 | $123 | $16.99 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $28.59 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $16.24 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $5.73 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $1.99 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
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Grading Don Mattingly #217 — FAQ
Is Don Mattingly #217 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Don Mattingly #217 sells for $94.99 against $0.63 raw: a $94.36 spread, 151× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.24) 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 Don Mattingly #217 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Don Mattingly #217 (Baseball Cards 1988 Donruss) sells for about $94.99 versus $0.63 for a raw near-mint copy — a 151× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Don Mattingly #217?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $123, ahead of PSA 10 at $94.99. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Don Mattingly #217 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 Don Mattingly #217 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Don Mattingly #217 breaks even when it gems about 44% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.24).
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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