Is Howard Johnson #85 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1988 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 466× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Howard Johnson #85 sells for $695 against $1.49 raw: a $694 spread, 466× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.94) 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)
- $1.49
- PSA 10
- $695
- PSA 9
- $21.94
- Gem premium
- 466×
- 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 | $695 | +$669 | +$644 | +$544 |
| PSA 9 | $21.94 | −$4.55 | −$29.55 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $6.00 | −$20.49 | −$45.49 | −$145 |
Net = sale price − $1.49 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% | $190 | +$139 |
| 50% | $358 | +$307 |
| 75% | $527 | +$475 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 4%. 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 | $904 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $695 | −$209 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $417 | −$487 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $417 | −$487 | 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 Howard Johnson #85 — FAQ
Is Howard Johnson #85 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Howard Johnson #85 sells for $695 against $1.49 raw: a $694 spread, 466× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.94) 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 Howard Johnson #85 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Howard Johnson #85 (Baseball Cards 1988 Topps) sells for about $695 versus $1.49 for a raw near-mint copy — a 466× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Howard Johnson #85?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $904, ahead of PSA 10 at $695. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Howard Johnson #85 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 Howard Johnson #85 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Howard Johnson #85 breaks even when it gems about 4% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $21.94).
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