Is Ozzie Smith #228 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1988 Topps Big · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 54× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ozzie Smith #228 sells for $59.99 against $1.11 raw: a $58.88 spread, 54× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.50) 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)
- $1.11
- PSA 10
- $59.99
- PSA 9
- $21.50
- Gem premium
- 54×
- 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 | $59.99 | +$33.88 | +$8.88 | −$91.12 |
| PSA 9 | $21.50 | −$4.61 | −$29.61 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $4.99 | −$21.12 | −$46.12 | −$146 |
Net = sale price − $1.11 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% | $31.12 | −$19.99 |
| 50% | $40.75 | −$10.36 |
| 75% | $50.37 | −$0.74 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 77%. 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 | $78.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $59.99 | −$18.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $36.00 | −$42.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $36.00 | −$42.00 | 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 Ozzie Smith #228 — FAQ
Is Ozzie Smith #228 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ozzie Smith #228 sells for $59.99 against $1.11 raw: a $58.88 spread, 54× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.50) 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 Ozzie Smith #228 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ozzie Smith #228 (Baseball Cards 1988 Topps Big) sells for about $59.99 versus $1.11 for a raw near-mint copy — a 54× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Ozzie Smith #228?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $78.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $59.99. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Ozzie Smith #228 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 Ozzie Smith #228 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ozzie Smith #228 breaks even when it gems about 77% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $21.50).
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