Is Don Mattingly #229 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1988 Topps Big · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 172× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Don Mattingly #229 sells for $244 against $1.42 raw: a $242 spread, 172× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.50) 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)
- $1.42
- PSA 10
- $244
- PSA 9
- $18.50
- Gem premium
- 172×
- 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 | $244 | +$217 | +$192 | +$92.15 |
| PSA 9 | $18.50 | −$7.92 | −$32.92 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $9.04 | −$17.38 | −$42.38 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $1.42 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% | $74.77 | +$23.35 |
| 50% | $131 | +$79.62 |
| 75% | $187 | +$136 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 15%. 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 | $317 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $244 | −$73.43 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $146 | −$171 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $146 | −$171 | 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 | $244 | $146 | $317 | $146 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $40.30 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $18.50 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $9.04 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $3.00 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Don Mattingly #229 — FAQ
Is Don Mattingly #229 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Don Mattingly #229 sells for $244 against $1.42 raw: a $242 spread, 172× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.50) 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 Don Mattingly #229 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Don Mattingly #229 (Baseball Cards 1988 Topps Big) sells for about $244 versus $1.42 for a raw near-mint copy — a 172× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Don Mattingly #229?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $317, ahead of PSA 10 at $244. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Don Mattingly #229 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 #229 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Don Mattingly #229 breaks even when it gems about 15% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.50).
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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